Governance and public policy

The author discusses issues about the role of NGOs and their relations with the state and the community. The term NGO does not help us to distinguish between grassroots groups, intermediary organisations, and international organisations and the author feels such distinctions would be useful. Claims are currently being made about the potential of NGOs to bring about social change, and focus is often placed on NGOs as if they all have a common role and common characteristics.

Two debates dominated the WCHR: whether human rights are universal or can be culture-specific, and whether respect for human rights is a factor in economic development. The author concentrates particularly on Oxfam's contribution to the Conference, organising two workshops about economic and social rights. The Conference was a qualified success, the final document taking forward some crucial issues, most notably recognising the importance of gender in human rights abuses.

Most UK development NGOs engage in advocacy work at the international level in an attempt to reduce the constraints imposed on grassroots development by global economics and the actions of the official aid agencies. Thus far, their record has been disappointing, and this paper explores some of the reasons which lie behind the failure of NGOs to fulfil their potential in this field.

The author reports on a conference held in London, England in November 1992 as part of Global Partnership '92 which considered the alarming increase in forced migration. Participants argued that immigration controls do not tackle the causes of migration, and international law is inadequate, failing to satisfactorily distinguish between immigration and asylum issues. The particular concerns of economic migrants and guest workers are discussed. The majority of discussion was from the Western European perspective.

In September 1992 a workshop was held in Oxford, bringing together activists, researchers and academics with the joint aims of sharing diverse perspectives on South Asia's population policies as well as revising a research proposal on all aspects of women's reproductive health. The most tangible outcome of the workshop was a proposal for a project addressing the question of how women are taking decisions about reproduction, and providing a forum designed to facilitate exchanges between activists, NGOs and academics.

On 29 August 2008, UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee (WHC) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) co-organised a one-day seminar entitled ‘World Heritage and Public Works: Development Cooperation for Poverty Alleviation’, held at the United Nations University in Tokyo.

Huge amounts are being invested in information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as mobile phones and their telecommunications infrastructure. Development agencies provide a conventional view on the ‘climate’ needed to encourage such investment; particularly that good governance and security are required. We question this conventional view with a study of mobile telecommunications in three insecure states that score very badly in the Worldwide Governance Indicators.

Understanding local variability in context and mobilising local participation to define development agendas are widely accepted development strategies. There remain, hoUnderstanding local variability in context and mobilising local participation to define development agendas are widely accepted development strategies. There remain, however, significant challenges to the systematic and effective inclusion of local communities and households.

This article highlights lessons learned from field research and related analysis, to address three fundamental aspects of development that are often overlooked: culture and governance, inclusive development, and market-based approaches. All three cases address issues of poverty and inequality. In addition, the critical role of institutions in governance and development is also highlighted. Finally, by bridging the gap between culture, economy, and society through these approaches, better and more effective development policies and programmes can be formulated and implemented.

This article looks at the experience of privatised urban water supply and sewerage services in Turkey, focusing on the case of three cities that have opted for such privatisation. The article opens with an examination of the management of urban water and sewerage services in Turkey, and explores the development of water services and water policies in local government institutions. The second section introduces case studies of cities that have transferred the management, operation, and maintenance of urban water services to private operators.