David Sogge works as an independent researcher based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Educated at Harvard, Princeton and the Institute of Social Studies, his professional activities and research since 1970, chiefly in Africa and former East Bloc countries, have concentrated on the aid system and NGOs, trade unions and social movements.
A Research Agenda for Civil Society, K. Biekart & A. Fowler, editors, 2022
This article discusses the sponsoring and steering of knowledge work about civil society. It un... more This article discusses the sponsoring and steering of knowledge work about civil society. It underscores the significant, yet under-researched roles that research sponsors play in marshalling and steering resources for scholarly, philanthropic, regulatory and security purposes. This chapter approaches resource governance in four organisational settings: (a) the academy; (b) beyond the academy; (c) the aid-and-development system; and (d) statutory agencies. In each of these there are ‘resource ecologies’ consisting of researchers and managers, fellowship grants, networks, conferences, publication channels and not least those who control the nerve centres that govern research policy and funding. It signposts a number of issues meriting scholarly attention in this relatively under-researched area in the politics of knowledge.
chapter for: Handbook on the Economics of Foreign Aid, Mak Arvin, ed. , Oct 2015
A major paradox towers over the vast literature on foreign aid: despite a scholarly consensus t... more A major paradox towers over the vast literature on foreign aid: despite a scholarly consensus that donor interests are primary drivers of the aid system, research about their workings is scarce. Knowledge of which interests get what, when and how are seldom identified systematically, assessed or put up for public discussion. Instead, attentions and emotions focus overwhelmingly on foreign aid’s downstream realms of policy interventions and projects. This distorted structure of attention creates deficits in knowledge and obstacles to understanding. It shapes perceptions whereby rich-to-poor flows are floodlit in the foreground while far larger poor-to-rich flows remain obscured in the background.
This article reviews research findings about upstream realms of foreign aid and how economic interests based in donor countries are pursued and protected there. It begins by placing aid flows against a backdrop of counter-flows, and some of their geo-politics, since the birth of the modern foreign aid system at the outset of the Cold War. It then turns to studies that correlate aid and its policy prescriptions with donor country economic activities, notably trade and investment. It discusses mercantilist aims and outcomes, including net flows to donor interests as generated by cartels, development banks and other mechanisms enjoying the aid system’s tacit or active support. Finally it reviews findings about donor self-interest pursued in such fields as consulting services, food aid and merchant shipping, intellectual property rights, higher education and agricultural and medical research. (Given the thematic focus of the Handbook on the Economics of Foreign Aid, it does not discuss the many self-regarding uses of foreign aid in diplomatic, political or military statecraft.)
As a provisional and admittedly incomplete overview, this article signposts issues meriting deeper scholarly work and even public investigation.
Restrictions on NGOs and others promoting civil liberties have caused alarm about «shrinking civi... more Restrictions on NGOs and others promoting civil liberties have caused alarm about «shrinking civic space» perpetrated by their domestic regimes. Yet because most camps in the world’s civil societies are left unmolested (indeed many are growing) and because non-domestic sources of constraint often play decisive roles, there are reasons to re-think the issues and ask how, and for whom, civil spaces are shaped. This exploratory article draws attention to forces set in motion from central, transnational levels that affect civic spaces: securitization; constraints on organized labour; marketization; transnational non-state actors; citizen disengagement driven by state retrenchment; and social media. As problematized in most policy, activist and scholarly writings, outside forces affecting civic space for emancipatory camps are often ignored, despite their being more susceptible to counteraction from outside than are repressive regimes. These issues await deeper investigation and discussion.
Establecido inicialmente para remediar los problemas de control del poder en Occidente durante la... more Establecido inicialmente para remediar los problemas de control del poder en Occidente durante la época de la Guerra Fría, el sistema de ayuda extranjera parecía cobrar los tintes de un régimen internacional, y por ello sujeto a interpretación según la teoría de regímenes en los estudios de economía política internacional. Este artículo cuestiona la relevancia de esa teoría para explicar el sistema de ayuda actual en base a los objetivos geopolíticos, mercantiles y de seguridad para los que ha sido establecido por los gobiernos occidentales, concretamente el gobierno de Estados Unidos como poder hegemónico. A través de la perspectiva de la economía política internacional, y más concretamente de las versiones sociológicas de constructivismo y del trabajo reciente sobre las políticas mundiales desnacionalizadas, se puede obtener una visión más clara y exhaustiva de las funciones en evolución del sistema de ayuda. Este artículo analiza brevemente algunos de los enfoques más prometedore...
"In order for fragile states and the concept of state weakness to be pro... more "In order for fragile states and the concept of state weakness to be properly understood, they need to be considered in the contexts of political economy and world history. Four apparently disparate cases – Guatemala, Haiti, Kosovo and Angola – show surprising similarities, and highlight common lessons for international state-building efforts. In all four cases, behind a façade of ‘normal’ state institutions, public life and development are increasingly subject to shadow economies and shadow forces with strong international linkages. There are unfortunately no existing remedies for state weakness. However, methods of improvement should include autonomous non-state actors, sustained efforts to build state capacities and restore the fabric of society, and significantly improved governance of global flows."
Low on the chain of humanitarian aid are the intended beneficiaries. In terms of relative power t... more Low on the chain of humanitarian aid are the intended beneficiaries. In terms of relative power they are, with others, subalterns. How do subalterns see things and act? What could their behaviour imply for relief aid policy? This paper addresses these questions.
Enjeux et défis du développement international, 2019
Résumé
Des gouvernements et des acteurs non étatiques ont développé depuis la Deuxième Guerre ... more Résumé
Des gouvernements et des acteurs non étatiques ont développé depuis la Deuxième Guerre mondiale de nouvelles initiatives multilatérales pour répondre aux défis d’un monde qu’on voulait reconstruire. De ce point de départ sont nées plusieurs organisations multilatérales, notamment dans le cadre de l’ONU. C’est ce que allons examiner ici en tenant compte du rôle hégémonique des États-Unis dont l’influence a été et continue d'imposer des limites sévères au multilatéralisme authentique.
The Joint Oxfam Advocacy Initiative for Angola (JOAI) operated from mid-2003 to mid-2006. Oxfam G... more The Joint Oxfam Advocacy Initiative for Angola (JOAI) operated from mid-2003 to mid-2006. Oxfam Great Britain, Intermon and Oxfam Novib advocated for economic justice, inequality reduction and active citizenship. This final evaluation is intended to assess JOAI's impact, awing lessons from the experience, and putting forward factors to be considered when designing a new strategy.
In 1997, the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) was on the brink of collapse. Th... more In 1997, the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) was on the brink of collapse. This article, based on interviews and archival research, tells the story of that near-death experience of one of the world's oldest associations of NGOs. The aim is not to draw up a balance sheet on ICVA or its members. Rather, it is merely to tell the story of crisis that nearly overwhelmed them. The article ends with some brief comparative observations from organisational science about the moving and shaking of promotional networks.
Under a variety of terms - weak states, fragile states, states in crisis, countries at risk
of i... more Under a variety of terms - weak states, fragile states, states in crisis, countries at risk
of instability and low-income countries under pressure - the idea of state failure has
become the subject of much attention. An ever-increasing flow of research and
proposals for action is being generated by think-tanks in the West, including the
foreign aid system, philanthropic foundations, academic research units and centres
for military and security studies.
At the heart of talk about state failure is the definition of what states should be, in
whose interest they should function, and thus for whom they fail or succeed. Driving
today’s approach is the idea that states exist chiefly to promote globalisation’s
winners and to police its losers. For Western geo-strategists, non-Western states
have the role and duty above all else to protect the West and its interests; only if
such tasks are being fulfilled may those states look homeward.
This paper takes issue with that position. If everyone’s security and
well-being is to be safeguarded and improved, states should seek to ensure better
life-chances for all citizens – a task which many proved capable of doing after the
Second World War. However, in a globalized world, even strong states will not be
sufficient.
A Research Agenda for Civil Society, K. Biekart & A. Fowler, editors, 2022
This article discusses the sponsoring and steering of knowledge work about civil society. It un... more This article discusses the sponsoring and steering of knowledge work about civil society. It underscores the significant, yet under-researched roles that research sponsors play in marshalling and steering resources for scholarly, philanthropic, regulatory and security purposes. This chapter approaches resource governance in four organisational settings: (a) the academy; (b) beyond the academy; (c) the aid-and-development system; and (d) statutory agencies. In each of these there are ‘resource ecologies’ consisting of researchers and managers, fellowship grants, networks, conferences, publication channels and not least those who control the nerve centres that govern research policy and funding. It signposts a number of issues meriting scholarly attention in this relatively under-researched area in the politics of knowledge.
chapter for: Handbook on the Economics of Foreign Aid, Mak Arvin, ed. , Oct 2015
A major paradox towers over the vast literature on foreign aid: despite a scholarly consensus t... more A major paradox towers over the vast literature on foreign aid: despite a scholarly consensus that donor interests are primary drivers of the aid system, research about their workings is scarce. Knowledge of which interests get what, when and how are seldom identified systematically, assessed or put up for public discussion. Instead, attentions and emotions focus overwhelmingly on foreign aid’s downstream realms of policy interventions and projects. This distorted structure of attention creates deficits in knowledge and obstacles to understanding. It shapes perceptions whereby rich-to-poor flows are floodlit in the foreground while far larger poor-to-rich flows remain obscured in the background.
This article reviews research findings about upstream realms of foreign aid and how economic interests based in donor countries are pursued and protected there. It begins by placing aid flows against a backdrop of counter-flows, and some of their geo-politics, since the birth of the modern foreign aid system at the outset of the Cold War. It then turns to studies that correlate aid and its policy prescriptions with donor country economic activities, notably trade and investment. It discusses mercantilist aims and outcomes, including net flows to donor interests as generated by cartels, development banks and other mechanisms enjoying the aid system’s tacit or active support. Finally it reviews findings about donor self-interest pursued in such fields as consulting services, food aid and merchant shipping, intellectual property rights, higher education and agricultural and medical research. (Given the thematic focus of the Handbook on the Economics of Foreign Aid, it does not discuss the many self-regarding uses of foreign aid in diplomatic, political or military statecraft.)
As a provisional and admittedly incomplete overview, this article signposts issues meriting deeper scholarly work and even public investigation.
Restrictions on NGOs and others promoting civil liberties have caused alarm about «shrinking civi... more Restrictions on NGOs and others promoting civil liberties have caused alarm about «shrinking civic space» perpetrated by their domestic regimes. Yet because most camps in the world’s civil societies are left unmolested (indeed many are growing) and because non-domestic sources of constraint often play decisive roles, there are reasons to re-think the issues and ask how, and for whom, civil spaces are shaped. This exploratory article draws attention to forces set in motion from central, transnational levels that affect civic spaces: securitization; constraints on organized labour; marketization; transnational non-state actors; citizen disengagement driven by state retrenchment; and social media. As problematized in most policy, activist and scholarly writings, outside forces affecting civic space for emancipatory camps are often ignored, despite their being more susceptible to counteraction from outside than are repressive regimes. These issues await deeper investigation and discussion.
Establecido inicialmente para remediar los problemas de control del poder en Occidente durante la... more Establecido inicialmente para remediar los problemas de control del poder en Occidente durante la época de la Guerra Fría, el sistema de ayuda extranjera parecía cobrar los tintes de un régimen internacional, y por ello sujeto a interpretación según la teoría de regímenes en los estudios de economía política internacional. Este artículo cuestiona la relevancia de esa teoría para explicar el sistema de ayuda actual en base a los objetivos geopolíticos, mercantiles y de seguridad para los que ha sido establecido por los gobiernos occidentales, concretamente el gobierno de Estados Unidos como poder hegemónico. A través de la perspectiva de la economía política internacional, y más concretamente de las versiones sociológicas de constructivismo y del trabajo reciente sobre las políticas mundiales desnacionalizadas, se puede obtener una visión más clara y exhaustiva de las funciones en evolución del sistema de ayuda. Este artículo analiza brevemente algunos de los enfoques más prometedore...
"In order for fragile states and the concept of state weakness to be pro... more "In order for fragile states and the concept of state weakness to be properly understood, they need to be considered in the contexts of political economy and world history. Four apparently disparate cases – Guatemala, Haiti, Kosovo and Angola – show surprising similarities, and highlight common lessons for international state-building efforts. In all four cases, behind a façade of ‘normal’ state institutions, public life and development are increasingly subject to shadow economies and shadow forces with strong international linkages. There are unfortunately no existing remedies for state weakness. However, methods of improvement should include autonomous non-state actors, sustained efforts to build state capacities and restore the fabric of society, and significantly improved governance of global flows."
Low on the chain of humanitarian aid are the intended beneficiaries. In terms of relative power t... more Low on the chain of humanitarian aid are the intended beneficiaries. In terms of relative power they are, with others, subalterns. How do subalterns see things and act? What could their behaviour imply for relief aid policy? This paper addresses these questions.
Enjeux et défis du développement international, 2019
Résumé
Des gouvernements et des acteurs non étatiques ont développé depuis la Deuxième Guerre ... more Résumé
Des gouvernements et des acteurs non étatiques ont développé depuis la Deuxième Guerre mondiale de nouvelles initiatives multilatérales pour répondre aux défis d’un monde qu’on voulait reconstruire. De ce point de départ sont nées plusieurs organisations multilatérales, notamment dans le cadre de l’ONU. C’est ce que allons examiner ici en tenant compte du rôle hégémonique des États-Unis dont l’influence a été et continue d'imposer des limites sévères au multilatéralisme authentique.
The Joint Oxfam Advocacy Initiative for Angola (JOAI) operated from mid-2003 to mid-2006. Oxfam G... more The Joint Oxfam Advocacy Initiative for Angola (JOAI) operated from mid-2003 to mid-2006. Oxfam Great Britain, Intermon and Oxfam Novib advocated for economic justice, inequality reduction and active citizenship. This final evaluation is intended to assess JOAI's impact, awing lessons from the experience, and putting forward factors to be considered when designing a new strategy.
In 1997, the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) was on the brink of collapse. Th... more In 1997, the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) was on the brink of collapse. This article, based on interviews and archival research, tells the story of that near-death experience of one of the world's oldest associations of NGOs. The aim is not to draw up a balance sheet on ICVA or its members. Rather, it is merely to tell the story of crisis that nearly overwhelmed them. The article ends with some brief comparative observations from organisational science about the moving and shaking of promotional networks.
Under a variety of terms - weak states, fragile states, states in crisis, countries at risk
of i... more Under a variety of terms - weak states, fragile states, states in crisis, countries at risk
of instability and low-income countries under pressure - the idea of state failure has
become the subject of much attention. An ever-increasing flow of research and
proposals for action is being generated by think-tanks in the West, including the
foreign aid system, philanthropic foundations, academic research units and centres
for military and security studies.
At the heart of talk about state failure is the definition of what states should be, in
whose interest they should function, and thus for whom they fail or succeed. Driving
today’s approach is the idea that states exist chiefly to promote globalisation’s
winners and to police its losers. For Western geo-strategists, non-Western states
have the role and duty above all else to protect the West and its interests; only if
such tasks are being fulfilled may those states look homeward.
This paper takes issue with that position. If everyone’s security and
well-being is to be safeguarded and improved, states should seek to ensure better
life-chances for all citizens – a task which many proved capable of doing after the
Second World War. However, in a globalized world, even strong states will not be
sufficient.
An introduction to some 'statebuilding' challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa, given in a summer cours... more An introduction to some 'statebuilding' challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa, given in a summer course in El Escorial, Spain organised by the Universidad Complutense, Madrid
Briefly reviews examples of donor policies now underway (Norway's) or proposed, with the intentio... more Briefly reviews examples of donor policies now underway (Norway's) or proposed, with the intention of reducing inequalities of income and assets.
Problemas de la coherencia y eficacia de la Cooperación Internacional ( ‘ayuda’ ), en el contexto... more Problemas de la coherencia y eficacia de la Cooperación Internacional ( ‘ayuda’ ), en el contexto de la crisis internacional
Throughout its history as an imperial power, the United States has often deployed humanitarian an... more Throughout its history as an imperial power, the United States has often deployed humanitarian and developmental aid on coercive terms, sometimes with military force. This presentation notes past episodes of this deployment and its recent intensification. Continuities in US strategies by no means demonstrate their coherence or effectiveness.
This presentation reviews the donor world's Millennium Development Goals, and the recently-launch... more This presentation reviews the donor world's Millennium Development Goals, and the recently-launched Sustainable Development Goals. It introduces major interests driving and sidelining the goals, and offer reasons to question their relevance amidst global systems that routinely transfer far more "aid" to rich country interests from poorer countries than they receive as official, recognised aid from rich countries.
Brief overview of trends in Angola from three perspectives: researchers & policy-makers on confli... more Brief overview of trends in Angola from three perspectives: researchers & policy-makers on conflict/peace; Angolan citizens; and Angolan elites.
Recent events in Tunisia and Egypt serve to remind us of the inspiring power of emancipatory
soc... more Recent events in Tunisia and Egypt serve to remind us of the inspiring power of emancipatory
social movements. Less dramatic, but arguably even more effective in bringing on major
political transitions, are for example the results of people’s power in Brazil, Bolivia and
elsewhere in Latin America.
These advances are thanks to joint action. To what extent did private aid agencies and other
NGOs contribute to them ? This presentation probes this and related questions of how joint action combining social movements and NGOs may gain momentum.
Give and Take. What's the Matter with Foreign Aid?, 2002
Foreign aid is a global endeavour with a huge turnover. But it is a troubled industry with few s... more Foreign aid is a global endeavour with a huge turnover. But it is a troubled industry with few successes to its name, yet expected to respond to new and very complex problems. Can it do so?
Published in 1992, this book reviews the human dimensions, material costs, economic consequences ... more Published in 1992, this book reviews the human dimensions, material costs, economic consequences and continuing challenges of the war in Angola up to that year.
The book's aim is to reflect on aid to Mozambique, particularly that channeled for the civil sect... more The book's aim is to reflect on aid to Mozambique, particularly that channeled for the civil sector and nonprofit organisations. In a country like Mozambique, overwhelmingly influenced by the aid system, that is an important issue.
Drawing on recent research findings and in-house debates, Northern and Southern contributors to t... more Drawing on recent research findings and in-house debates, Northern and Southern contributors to this book tackle some of the claims made for private aid agencies and ask a series of straightforward questions:
> What is their impact ? Do they make a difference ? > Who owns them ? Are they really non-governmental ? > What drives them ? Are they truly 'not-for-profit' ? > What is their future -- the path of enterprise, or of practical solidarity ?
The answers offered will fuel debates now raging both within and outside the private aid agencies.
Foreign aid is a large global endeavor, with an annual turnover in the tens of billions. More tha... more Foreign aid is a large global endeavor, with an annual turnover in the tens of billions. More than fifty years old, this troubled industry has few successes to its name, yet today is expected to respond to new and frighteningly complex problems. Can it do so? It is supposed to be benign and selfless, but it often harms more than helps, and benefits givers more than receivers. Can it stop doing so? We face obligations to the poor. Can we create a system of genuine help, democratic in its execution, effective in its impact, adequate in scale, just in consequences?
This introduction grasps these barbed questions. It probes who gets what, where and why in the aid encounter. Foreign aid is an issue that concerns us all, financially and morally. This book argues that aid must be made less of a problem, more of a solution.
This text begins with a retrospective glance at southern solidarity initiatives in the past. It t... more This text begins with a retrospective glance at southern solidarity initiatives in the past. It then probes five country cases, seeking to detect social equity content in their South-South Cooperation (SSC) activities today. It closes with a prospective look at emerging alternatives. A provisional answer to the question posed in the title is No, it is not yet possible to detect robust, consistent evidence of emancipatory norms in today’s SSC.
Angola's rentier economy. "Opportunity makes the thief" is an old piece of wisdom. in the case of... more Angola's rentier economy. "Opportunity makes the thief" is an old piece of wisdom. in the case of Angola, long caught up in globalized capitalism, it is the opportunities abroad that lead to elite looting.
Iberoamerican Journal of Development Studies, 2020
Restrictions on NGOs and others promoting civil liberties have caused alarm about «shrinking civi... more Restrictions on NGOs and others promoting civil liberties have caused alarm about «shrinking civic space» perpetrated by their domestic regimes. Yet because most camps in the world’s civil societies are left unmolested (indeed many are growing) and because non-domestic sources of constraint often play decisive roles, there are reasons to re-think the issues and ask how, and for whom, civil spaces are shaped. This exploratory article draws attention to forces set in motion from central, transnational levels that affect civic spaces: securitization; constraints on organized labour; marketization; transnational non-state actors; citizen disengagement driven by state retrenchment; and social media. As problematized in most policy, activist and scholarly writings, outside forces affecting civic space for emancipatory camps are often ignored, despite their being more susceptible to counteraction from outside than are repressive regimes. These issues await deeper investigation and discussion.
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This article reviews research findings about upstream realms of foreign aid and how economic interests based in donor countries are pursued and protected there. It begins by placing aid flows against a backdrop of counter-flows, and some of their geo-politics, since the birth of the modern foreign aid system at the outset of the Cold War. It then turns to studies that correlate aid and its policy prescriptions with donor country economic activities, notably trade and investment. It discusses mercantilist aims and outcomes, including net flows to donor interests as generated by cartels, development banks and other mechanisms enjoying the aid system’s tacit or active support. Finally it reviews findings about donor self-interest pursued in such fields as consulting services, food aid and merchant shipping, intellectual property rights, higher education and agricultural and medical research. (Given the thematic focus of the Handbook on the Economics of Foreign Aid, it does not discuss the many self-regarding uses of foreign aid in diplomatic, political or military statecraft.)
As a provisional and admittedly incomplete overview, this article signposts issues meriting deeper scholarly work and even public investigation.
Des gouvernements et des acteurs non étatiques ont développé depuis la Deuxième Guerre mondiale de nouvelles initiatives multilatérales pour répondre aux défis d’un monde qu’on voulait reconstruire. De ce point de départ sont nées plusieurs organisations multilatérales, notamment dans le cadre de l’ONU. C’est ce que allons examiner ici en tenant compte du rôle hégémonique des États-Unis dont l’influence a été et continue d'imposer des limites sévères au multilatéralisme authentique.
of instability and low-income countries under pressure - the idea of state failure has
become the subject of much attention. An ever-increasing flow of research and
proposals for action is being generated by think-tanks in the West, including the
foreign aid system, philanthropic foundations, academic research units and centres
for military and security studies.
At the heart of talk about state failure is the definition of what states should be, in
whose interest they should function, and thus for whom they fail or succeed. Driving
today’s approach is the idea that states exist chiefly to promote globalisation’s
winners and to police its losers. For Western geo-strategists, non-Western states
have the role and duty above all else to protect the West and its interests; only if
such tasks are being fulfilled may those states look homeward.
This paper takes issue with that position. If everyone’s security and
well-being is to be safeguarded and improved, states should seek to ensure better
life-chances for all citizens – a task which many proved capable of doing after the
Second World War. However, in a globalized world, even strong states will not be
sufficient.
This article reviews research findings about upstream realms of foreign aid and how economic interests based in donor countries are pursued and protected there. It begins by placing aid flows against a backdrop of counter-flows, and some of their geo-politics, since the birth of the modern foreign aid system at the outset of the Cold War. It then turns to studies that correlate aid and its policy prescriptions with donor country economic activities, notably trade and investment. It discusses mercantilist aims and outcomes, including net flows to donor interests as generated by cartels, development banks and other mechanisms enjoying the aid system’s tacit or active support. Finally it reviews findings about donor self-interest pursued in such fields as consulting services, food aid and merchant shipping, intellectual property rights, higher education and agricultural and medical research. (Given the thematic focus of the Handbook on the Economics of Foreign Aid, it does not discuss the many self-regarding uses of foreign aid in diplomatic, political or military statecraft.)
As a provisional and admittedly incomplete overview, this article signposts issues meriting deeper scholarly work and even public investigation.
Des gouvernements et des acteurs non étatiques ont développé depuis la Deuxième Guerre mondiale de nouvelles initiatives multilatérales pour répondre aux défis d’un monde qu’on voulait reconstruire. De ce point de départ sont nées plusieurs organisations multilatérales, notamment dans le cadre de l’ONU. C’est ce que allons examiner ici en tenant compte du rôle hégémonique des États-Unis dont l’influence a été et continue d'imposer des limites sévères au multilatéralisme authentique.
of instability and low-income countries under pressure - the idea of state failure has
become the subject of much attention. An ever-increasing flow of research and
proposals for action is being generated by think-tanks in the West, including the
foreign aid system, philanthropic foundations, academic research units and centres
for military and security studies.
At the heart of talk about state failure is the definition of what states should be, in
whose interest they should function, and thus for whom they fail or succeed. Driving
today’s approach is the idea that states exist chiefly to promote globalisation’s
winners and to police its losers. For Western geo-strategists, non-Western states
have the role and duty above all else to protect the West and its interests; only if
such tasks are being fulfilled may those states look homeward.
This paper takes issue with that position. If everyone’s security and
well-being is to be safeguarded and improved, states should seek to ensure better
life-chances for all citizens – a task which many proved capable of doing after the
Second World War. However, in a globalized world, even strong states will not be
sufficient.
this deployment and its recent intensification. Continuities in US strategies by no means demonstrate their coherence or effectiveness.
social movements. Less dramatic, but arguably even more effective in bringing on major
political transitions, are for example the results of people’s power in Brazil, Bolivia and
elsewhere in Latin America.
These advances are thanks to joint action. To what extent did private aid agencies and other
NGOs contribute to them ? This presentation probes this and related questions of how joint action combining social movements and NGOs may gain momentum.
> What is their impact ? Do they make a difference ?
> Who owns them ? Are they really non-governmental ?
> What drives them ? Are they truly 'not-for-profit' ?
> What is their future -- the path of enterprise, or of practical solidarity ?
The answers offered will fuel debates now raging both within and outside the private aid agencies.
This introduction grasps these barbed questions. It probes who gets what, where and why in the aid encounter. Foreign aid is an issue that concerns us all, financially and morally. This book argues that aid must be made less of a problem, more of a solution.
unmolested (indeed many are growing) and because non-domestic sources of constraint often play decisive roles, there are reasons to re-think the issues and ask how, and for whom, civil spaces are shaped.
This exploratory article draws attention to forces set in motion from central, transnational levels that affect civic spaces: securitization; constraints on organized labour; marketization; transnational non-state actors; citizen disengagement driven by state retrenchment; and social media. As problematized in most policy, activist and scholarly writings, outside forces affecting civic space for emancipatory camps are often ignored, despite their being more susceptible to counteraction from outside than are repressive regimes. These issues await deeper investigation and discussion.