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The rise and fall of donor funding for advocacy NGOs: Understanding the impact

Terry, Alan

Authors

Alan Terry



Abstract

This article undertakes a critical re-evaluation of a DFID-funded project in South Africa which ran between 1998 and 2001. The evaluation sought to test whether the development of community-led indicators would improve governance. Since the project ended, a series of papers have been published that are critical of such participatory methods, arguing particularly that they are apolitical and adopt a technocratic approach. In the light of these criticisms, this article re-assesses the DFID project, following on from the initial evaluation carried out by the author in 2001. Sobantu, a black township in Pietermaritzburg, was one of the original project sites. It was chosen as the subject for research because the local implementing agency was a politically astute, well-connected institution that understood the political nature of the process required to develop the indicators. Although the project achieved some positive outcomes, the long-term commitment to the indicators has since been compromised. This was in large part due to the inability of community members to engage meaningfully with key municipal service providers. However, recent changes to the South African planning regime might provide opportunities for the indicators to become more useful again.

Citation

Terry, A. (2008). The rise and fall of donor funding for advocacy NGOs: Understanding the impact. Development in Practice, 18(2), 223-234. https://doi.org/10.1080/09614520801899044

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Apr 1, 2008
Journal Development in Practice
Print ISSN 0961-4524
Electronic ISSN 1364-9213
Publisher Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
Peer Reviewed Not Peer Reviewed
Volume 18
Issue 2
Pages 223-234
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/09614520801899044
Keywords aid, civil society, methods, sub-Saharan Africa
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1014242
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09614520801899044


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