discussion 2 240
Read:
Morton, Bill. (n.d.) An Overview of International NGOs in Development Cooperation. United Nations Development Program.
Sparr & Moser. (2007). International NGOs and poverty reduction strategies: The contribution of an asset-based approach. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institute.
Murdie, A. & Webeck, S. (2014). Responding to the call: Human security INGOs and countries with a history of civil war.
Eikenbery, et al. (2007). Administrative failure and the international NGO response to Hurricane Katrina.
Module 2 Lecture- Lecture Notes:
INGO_Relief_development_1perpage.pdf
INGO_Relief_development_2perpage.pdf
INGO_Relief_development_4perpage.pdf
Skim:
UNDP. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2019, Overview and Goal 1 of the report.
Stares, Sally, Global Poverty Statistics and Civil Society, from Global Civil Society Yearbook, 2009, Chapter 2.
Zanotti. (2010). Cacophonies of aid, failed state building and NGOs in Haiti: Setting the stage for disaster, envisioning the future. Third World Quarterly, 31(5), pp. 755-771.
This discussion requires three posts, an initial post and a two response post.
As a general guideline, initial posts should be well-developed, use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Response posts should be substantive and move the discussion forward. This is your opportunity to discuss the information further with your classmates or to discuss whether you agree or disagree and state why or why not. Keep your comments professional.
You are encouraged to incorporate your personal and professional experiences in discussion board responses.
This week, we will discuss the topic together. Our discussion will be based on the required reading, optional reading, and additional materials you find relevant to this topic. I have provided some guiding discussion questions, but you’re welcome to propose new questions or discuss something you find interesting regarding this week’s reading. Please focus your discussion on THREE groups of questions/themes and comment on/respond to at least one other students’ post. Later in the day will need to respond to two other posting. 100 words each so a total of 200 in responses to two other students. Total of 850- 950 words, reference not included in the word counting. I will upload the required pdfs
Nongovernmental development organizations (NGDOs) account for a large share of INGOs, and they play an indispensable role in international development. The approaches that INGOs take to address development issues have evolved in the past few decades, as the conceptualization of poverty (or development) has shifted from basic sets of human needs to the ability to influence decisions which affect peoples’ access to opportunities or control over resources. The authors of this week’s reading touched upon issues such as the causes of poverty, relative poverty vs. absolute poverty, the approaches to poverty reduction, Sustainable Development Goals, INGOs’ role in international development, and so on.
In addition to international development, the world has experienced several major natural disasters in the past few decades (i.e. the 2011 Japan earthquake, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Hurricane Katrina in the U.S.), which resulted in huge loss of human lives, properties, and infrastructure. INGOs are an integral part of the global relief system. They are active in emergency preparedness, rescue and relief missions, and post-disaster redevelopment. To improve their effectiveness and efficiency in disaster relief, INGOs need to be aware of the major operational, structural, and other types of impediments they’ll face in their disaster relief mission. They also need to learn from their own experiences, as well as others’, in terms of what worked, what failed, and why.
Based on this week’s reading, here are the guiding discussion questions and themes.
- How would you define poverty? What indicators would you use to measure poverty? What are the causes of poverty? Do you think poverty alleviation should focus on relative poverty or absolute poverty, or both? Why?
- What approaches do INGOs use to alleviate/reduce poverty? Please conduct research on at least three approaches INGOs use and compare/contrast these approaches. If you’re an INGO leader, how would you decide which approach(s) to use?
- What issues/challenges INGOs may encounter when they implement poverty reduction programs in developing countries? What are some of the potential negative consequences of INGO implementing poverty reduction programs in developing countries?
- The Huffington Post had a blog on two reports of global inequality, one from Bill Gates and one from Oxfam. Please read the blog (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/philippe-dousteblazy/a-tale-of-two-reports-glo_b_4661037.html) (Links to an external site.) and the two reports (The link to Bill Gates’s annual letter 2014 is https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Who-We-Are/Resources-and-Media/Annual-Letters-List/Annual-Letter-2014 (Links to an external site.) and the link to Oxfam’s report is https://www-cdn.oxfam.org/s3fs-public/file_attachments/bp-working-for-few-political-capture-economic-inequality-200114-en_3.pdf (Links to an external site.)).
What do you think of these two reports? Which report do you think paint the right picture? Why do you think so? Please connect your discussion with this week’s reading and lecture.
- I’d like you to conduct some research and discuss the strength of INGOs in responding to natural disasters, and the potential barriers to a successful disaster relief mission for an INGO (i.e. Eikenbery, et al. 2007 is a starting point). You need to tie your discussion to one of the major disasters happened in the past 10 years. You may also share success stories and discuss what lead(s) to the success.
- Another type of disaster—man-made crises which include ethnic, religious and political conflict and resulted wars, genocide and massacres—has also caused great human sufferings in the past few decades. INGOs (i.e. the International Rescue Committee, MSF, the Carter Center, etc.) have worked alongside the United Nations and nation-states to prevent conflicts, offer humanitarian aid to refugees and internally displaced people, bear witness to war-related crimes and atrocities, and help with refugee resettlement. Unlike their counterparts working on natural disaster relief, INGOs helping the victims of man-made crises often face different types of challenges and risks. I’d like you to conduct some research and discuss the challenges and risks INGOs face in humanitarian aid work related to man-made crises. You need to tie your discussion to one of the major man-made crises in the past two decades (i.e. Murdie & Webeck, 2014 is a starting point).
- Based on Desai & Kharas (2010) and/or Marten & Witte (2008). What is/should be the role of private philanthropy (i.e. individual donors and private foundations, etc.) in disaster relief and development?
- Jacqueline Novogratz is the founder of Acumen Fund, a US-based INGO that takes a businesslike approach to address the issue of poverty. She gave several talks on how the organization invests in local business to improve people’s lives. Please watch one of the video clips at the bottom of the following webpage and share your thoughts. http://www.ted.com/speakers/jacqueline_novogratz.html (Links to an external site.)
