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Organising and Representing the Poor in a Clientelistic Democracy: the Decline of Radical NGOs in Bangladesh

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  • David Lewis

Abstract

This paper examines the political role of radical development NGOs that emerged in Bangladesh to challenge the marginalisation of subordinate groups and strengthen democratic processes. After briefly introducing the political context of Bangladesh and its NGOs, the paper identifies and defines a radical NGO sub-sector. It then reviews the activities of these organisations during the pre-1990 military government era and during the subsequent period of electoral democracy. Some important achievements are identified, but also many failures that have led to decline, leaving behind an NGO sector dominated by credit and service delivery organisations. The paper then explains this decline by focusing on three inter-related factors: (i) an institutional setting dominated by clientelistic structures that have undermined efforts to build horizontal alliances among excluded groups in civil society, or links between NGOs and political parties; (ii) a shift in donor support from mobilisation to market-based service delivery agencies; and (iii) internal structures that have generated legitimacy and accountability problems by encouraging elite capture, co-option and personalised leadership in the radical sub-sector. It concludes with some brief reflections on the main implications of these failures.

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  • David Lewis, 2017. "Organising and Representing the Poor in a Clientelistic Democracy: the Decline of Radical NGOs in Bangladesh," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(10), pages 1545-1567, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jdevst:v:53:y:2017:i:10:p:1545-1567
    DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2017.1279732
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Michels, Robert, 1915. "Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy," History of Economic Thought Books, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, number michels1915.
    2. Hossain, Naomi, 2017. "The Aid Lab: Understanding Bangladesh's Unexpected Success," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198785507.
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    Cited by:

    1. Paul Chaney, 2017. "Limited Gains, Enduring Violations," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 12(3), pages 286-307, December.
    2. Mathilde Maitrot, 2017. "Re-visiting microfinance entrepreneurship in Bangladesh: Can losers be choosers?," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 192017, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    3. Md. Kamal Uddin, 2023. "NGOs' approach to human rights and the challenges in Bangladesh," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 41(3), May.
    4. Nicola Banks & Tony Brockington, 2019. "Mapping the UK’s development NGOs: income, geography and contributions to international development," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 352019, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    5. Viviane Frings‐Hessami & Gillian Oliver, 2022. "Clashes of cultures in an international aid organisation: Information cultures, languages and the use of information systems," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(7), pages 1414-1429, October.
    6. Rachel S. Robinson & Jennifer N. Brass & Andrew Shermeyer & Nichole Grossman, 2024. "Reported effects of non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) in health and education service provision: The role of NGO –government relations and other factors," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 42(1), January.
    7. Mathilde Maîtrot, 2022. "The Moral Economy of Microfinance in Rural Bangladesh: Dharma, Gender and Social Change," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 53(2), pages 335-355, March.
    8. Antonio Sianes & Rocío Vela-Jiménez, 2020. "Can Differing Opinions Hinder Partnerships for the Localization of the Sustainable Development Goals? Evidence from Marginalized Urban Areas in Andalusia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-19, July.
    9. Saidur Rahman & Farhat Tasnim, 2023. "The role of NGOs in ensuring local governance in Bangladesh: from the perception of other actors of governance," Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, Springer, vol. 7(3), pages 1007-1034, September.
    10. Lentz, Erin C., 2018. "Complicating narratives of women’s food and nutrition insecurity: Domestic violence in rural Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 271-280.

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