IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/eurjdr/v34y2022i2d10.1057_s41287-021-00406-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Stuck in a “Catch-22”: Why Donors Fail to Include Grassroots Perspectives on CSO Legitimacy

Author

Listed:
  • Willem Elbers

    (Radboud University)

  • Lau Schulpen

    (Radboud University)

  • Emma Frobisher

    (African Studies Centre Leiden)

Abstract

Studies on CSO legitimacy highlight the undermining effect of incorporation in the aid system. It remains unclear, however, why donors continue to fund local CSOs lacking grassroots legitimacy. This article examines the case of an East African CSO that continues to attract donors despite being considered illegitimate by the grassroots. The research identifies six legitimacy sources: professionalism, agenda, strategy, track record, membership and governance. It finds that donors and grassroots interpret the first three sources (professionalism, agenda and strategy) in an opposing manner. Thus, the exact same characteristics that provide donor legitimacy simultaneously bring grassroots illegitimacy. The article subsequently identifies three mechanisms that explain why a lack of grassroots legitimacy is not a problem for donors: (1) donor priorities and capacities; (2) the CSO’s monopoly position; and (3) perception management by the CSO. Overall, these finding highlight structural limitations of the aid system.

Suggested Citation

  • Willem Elbers & Lau Schulpen & Emma Frobisher, 2022. "Stuck in a “Catch-22”: Why Donors Fail to Include Grassroots Perspectives on CSO Legitimacy," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(2), pages 921-939, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:pal:eurjdr:v:34:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1057_s41287-021-00406-z
    DOI: 10.1057/s41287-021-00406-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41287-021-00406-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41287-021-00406-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mary Kaldor, 2003. "Civil Society and Accountability," Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(1), pages 5-27.
    2. Michael Edwards & David Hulme, 1995. "NGO performance and accountability in the post‐cold war world," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 7(6), pages 849-856, November.
    3. Ben Jones, 2017. "Looking Good: Mediatisation and International NGOs," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 29(1), pages 176-191, January.
    4. Atack, Iain, 1999. "Four Criteria of Development NGO Legitimacy," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 855-864, May.
    5. Krause, Monika, 2014. "The Good Project," University of Chicago Press Economics Books, University of Chicago Press, number 9780226131221.
    6. Susan Appe, 2017. "Civil Society Organizations in a Post‐Aid World: New Trends and Observations from the Andean Region," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 37(2), pages 122-135, May.
    7. Mitlin, Diana & Hickey, Sam & Bebbington, Anthony, 2007. "Reclaiming Development? NGOs and the Challenge of Alternatives," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 35(10), pages 1699-1720, October.
    8. Andrews, Abigail, 2014. "Downward Accountability in Unequal Alliances: Explaining NGO Responses to Zapatista Demands," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 99-113.
    9. Banks, Nicola & Hulme, David & Edwards, Michael, 2015. "NGOs, States, and Donors Revisited: Still Too Close for Comfort?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 707-718.
    10. Hyman Zyl & Frederik Claeyé, 2019. "Up and Down, and Inside Out: Where do We Stand on NGO Accountability?," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 31(3), pages 604-619, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sampson Addo Yeboah, 2022. "Solving Local Problems or Looking Good: An Ethnography of the Field Practices of Foreign Sponsored NGOs in Rural African Communities," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(3), pages 1645-1661, June.
    2. Beck, Erin, 2016. "Repopulating Development: An Agent-Based Approach to Studying Development Interventions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 19-32.
    3. Banks, Nicola & Hulme, David & Edwards, Michael, 2015. "NGOs, States, and Donors Revisited: Still Too Close for Comfort?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 707-718.
    4. Gallemore, Caleb & Jespersen, Kristjan, 2016. "Transnational Markets for Sustainable Development Governance: The Case of REDD+," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 79-94.
    5. Vien Chu & Belinda Luke, 2021. "Understanding success in micro‐enterprise development: Dimensions and misconceptions," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 41(2), pages 63-78, May.
    6. Emmanuel Kumi, 2022. "Domestic resource mobilisation strategies of national non‐governmental organisations in Ghana," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 42(2), pages 109-127, May.
    7. Hasan, Muhammad Badrul & Driessen, Peter & Zoomers, Annelies & Van Laerhoven, Frank, 2020. "How can NGOs support collective action among the users of rural drinking water systems? A case study of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) systems in Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    8. Francis Amagoh, 2015. "Improving the credibility and effectiveness of non-governmental organizations," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 15(3), pages 221-239, July.
    9. Tiina Kontinen & Anja Onali, 2017. "Strengthening Institutional Isomorphism in Development NGOs? Program Mechanisms in an Organizational Intervention," SAGE Open, , vol. 7(1), pages 21582440166, March.
    10. Martinez, Daniel E. & Cooper, David J., 2019. "Assembling performance measurement through engagement," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    11. Springer, Emily, 2021. "Caught between winning repeat business and learning: Reactivity to output indicators in international development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    12. Rudnick, Jessica & Niles, Meredith & Lubell, Mark & Cramer, Laura, 2019. "A comparative analysis of governance and leadership in agricultural development policy networks," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 112-126.
    13. Alin Kadfak & Miriam Wilhelm & Patrik Oskarsson, 2023. "Thai Labour NGOs during the ‘Modern Slavery’ Reforms: NGO Transitions in a Post‐aid World," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 54(3), pages 570-600, May.
    14. Girei, Emanuela, 2023. "Managerialisation, accountability and everyday resistance in the NGO sector: Whose interests matter?," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    15. Cem Iskender Aydin & Begum Ozkaynak & Beatriz Rodríguez-Labajos & Taylan Yenilmez, 2017. "Network effects in environmental justice struggles: An investigation of conflicts between mining companies and civil society organizations from a network perspective," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(7), pages 1-20, July.
    16. Boomsma, Roel & O'Dwyer, Brendan, 2019. "Constituting the governable NGO: The correlation between conduct and counter-conduct in the evolution of funder-NGO accountability relations," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 1-20.
    17. Murat Arsel & Navé Wald, 2015. "Forum 2015," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 46(4), pages 618-643, July.
    18. Brendan Whitty & Jessica Sklair & Paul Robert Gilbert & Emma Mawdsley & Jo‐Anna Russon & Olivia Taylor, 2023. "Outsourcing the Business of Development: The Rise of For‐profit Consultancies in the UK Aid Sector," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 54(4), pages 892-917, July.
    19. Nichols, Carly, 2020. "Nutrition sensitive agriculture: An equity-based analysis from India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    20. Julie Fisher Melton, 2023. "Democratization from below: Civil society in Tajikistan," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 43(1), pages 38-48, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Legitimacy; Aid system; Civil society organisations; Donors; Grassroots;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:eurjdr:v:34:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1057_s41287-021-00406-z. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.