The Business of Development - How Market-Oriented State Policies influence Danish NGOs

摘要

AbstractNon-Governmental Organizations [NGOs] represent civil society and navigate between the stateand the market trying to survive while not going against their values. This report examines thechanged funding policies of 2005 from Danida towards Danish NGOs in regards to informationalactivities and own-contribution. The report asks why this funding has been changed, when NGOsare vital in informing the public, and what the consequences are for the NGOs.The first analysis explores the background to the policy changes, examining how marketrationalities and state priorities are recognizable in the policies. This examination is initiatedthrough findings on how levels of aid has witnessed a change in 2001, suddenly reflecting howinternational aid levels fluctuate according to ideology, and on the trend towards lesser knowledgeabout development in the Danish public. The analysis draws on theory describing the evolvement ofinternational development policies and on theoretical inputs on the importance of domesticpriorities in development policy, in order to examine how international and domestic ideologies areinfluencing the Danish policy. The second analysis, examines the changing organizational structureof NGOs as a consequence of the policies of 2005. Through theory from organizational researchand interviews with key persons from Danish development NGOs the influence from the marketand the state is explored.It is concluded that the reasons for the changed policies must be seen in light of the lower prioritiesgiven to development aid in general after 2001, the influence of domestically-oriented politicalparties, and the ideological opinion that increased competition on market terms constitutes the mostefficient way to secure public opinion for NGOs. This report finds that although public support toNGOs has gone up, a simultaneous decline in public knowledge on development has taken place.Furthermore it is concluded that although NGOs have increased market-oriented strategies to securefunding, they have not necessarily gone against their values. However, there seems to be reason forconcern looking at how the state controls NGOs while transferring market rationalities through NewPublic Management instruments.