Non-Governmental Organizations- Theory and Practice

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Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are an important component of civil society. They have been playing a significant role in the development process.
The official engagement of NGOs in the delivery of services started in India during the 7th five year plan, since the establishment of CAPART. Apart from CAPART, NGOs also receive funding from international agencies. While the majority of NGOs are engaged in the implementation of development projects, others are engaged in research and advocacy.
This book explores the conceptual issues in defining the NGO sector, the theoretical background, the GO-NGO relationship in the Indian context, measuring the impact of NGOs and the changing nature of the NGO sector in the era of mandatory corporate social responsibility. It will be useful to students, teachers, researchers and also the general public interested in the NGO sector.

Dr. Indira Mahendravada, Professor of Economics at the University of Mysore carries with her more than 30 years of research and teaching experience. She was the former director of the Centre for Women's Studies, University of Mysore. Professor Indira is actively engaged with the NGO sector in Karnataka and has completed projects with several organisations. She has published over 60 research papers in national and international journals, and contributed chapters to edited volumes. She has three books to her credit.
Professor Indira is a member of International Society for Third dector Research (ISTR), Indian Association for Women Studies (IAWS), Human Development and Capability Association (HDCA), International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE) and Indian Society for Agricultural Marketing.

Non Governmental Organizations are known by different names in different parts of the world. They are known as voluntary organizations, not for profit organizations, peoples' organizations etc. However the common threads among all these organizations are voluntarism and absence of focus on profit. In that sense NGOs are voluntary organizations aimed at maximizing social welfare rather than individual profits. In the Indian context these are known as Nongovernmental organizations and voluntary organizations.
From early seventies these organizations are categorized as Third Sector. According to Etzioni (1978), who first coined the term third sector, it is an alternative sector different from state and the market. Several voluntary organizations, cooperatives. consumer forums, charitable trusts, foundations etc come under the category of third sector. International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR) which came into existence in 1992 made significant contributions for promoting the research and development of this sector.
India is known historically for its charity. But institutionalizing voluntarism started in early sixties. The recognition that these organizations can complement the government interventions for development came during the 7th five year plan (1985-90). Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) was established in 1986 for funding nongovernmental organizations. NGOs are mainly involved in the programmes like watershed development, education, health, rural development etc. The organizations were expected to provide the software component of the programmes in the form of preparing the community for the participation in the implementation of the programmes, sensitizing the community, provision of information and act as a link between the government and the people. Apart from the funding from the CAPART, Indian NGO sector receives funds from international agencies ( World Bank. UNFPA, UNICEF, ODA etc) and private organizations (Ford Foundation. Agakhan Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation etc). The activities of NGOs are monitored by the government through voluntary sector policy.