Development and Advocacy
Most major development NGOs dedicate significant resources to advocacy. Many also work to inform and shape public opinion, whether through advertising or fundraising, or thorough education programmes. They argue that fundamental change is not achieved until the policy environment is right, and cannot be sustained without a groundswell of support for reform. In recent years, however, advocacy work has come under increasing criticism. NGOs are challenged on the grounds of legitimacy: whom do they represent, and to whom are they accountable? … of effectiveness: what practical impact does high-level advocacy have on the lives of people living in poverty, and who is to judge this: … of role: should NGOs try to combine funding and advocacy, or do these demand different kinds of South-North relationship?… and of strategy: are NGOs too readily seduced by agencies like the World Bank or by the corporate sector? When does constructive engagement with these powerful bodies turn into co-option by them? As international grassroots advocacy is becoming more vocal, thanks to new communication technologies, what is the appropriate role for Northern NGOs?
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CONTENTS
Preface
Deborah Eade
Introductory Essay: Development and advocacy
Maria Teresa Diokno-Pascual
NGOs and advocacy: how well are the poor represented?
Warren Nyamugasira
The international anti-debt campaign: a Southern activist view for activists in ‘the North’ … and ‘the South’
Dot Keet
Human rights and religious backlash: the experience of a Bangladeshi NGO
Mohammed Rafi and A.M.R. Chowdhury
Disaster without memory: Oxfam's drought programme in Zambia
K Pushpanath
Campaigning: a fashion or the best way to change the global agenda?
Gerd Leipold
Northern NGO advocacy: perceptions, reality, and the challenge
Ian Anderson
‘Does the doormat influence the boot?’ Critical thoughts on UK NGOs and international advocacy
Michael Edwards
The effectiveness of NGO campaigning: lessons from practice
Jennifer Chapman
Heroism and ambiguity: NGO advocacy in international policy
Paul Nelson
Northern words, Southern meanings
Carmen Marcuello and Chaime Marcuello
Menchú Tum, Stoll, and martyrs of solidarity
Larry Reid
The people’s communication charter
Cees J. Hamelink
Annotated Bibliography
Publishers' Addresses
© Oxfam GB 2002.
ISBN 0 85598 463 5
All rights reserved.
Available from Stylus Publishing
‘An important contribution to the debate on the future of NGO advocacy work … [providing] an interdisciplinary approach and a comprehensive analysis of this controversial topic.’ Culturelink
‘… full of ripe, clear testimonies and discussions from a collection of knowledgeable Southern and Northern contributors. The anthology is an opportunity to delve into the disparities between what NGOs advocate, the paradoxes within them, how they behave and the reality of their operations. … under-graduates, NGO workers, those who have been in the field 30 years, all will find something of value in the anthology. The style is wholly accessible, encouraging those who may not know the intricacies of the issue to experiment more in their analysis of advocacy.’ INTRAC
