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Voluntary Agencies as Development Organizations: Theorizing the Problem of Efficiency and Accountability

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  • E. A. Brett

Abstract

Co‐operatives, NGOs and community groups are being increasingly used as development agencies by policy‐makers, because they are thought to provide more accountable, effective and equitable services in many areas than public or private agencies. This article attempts to consider some of the theoretical and practical implications of this growing role by treating them as ‘value‐driven’ organizations, and asking how this differentiates them, in terms of efficiency and accountability, from public or private agencies. It notes the lack of developed theoretical models capable of dealing with this question, and examines the relevance of existing theories (neo‐classical economics, public administration and especially varieties of organization theory including the New Institutional Economics) in dealing with agencies which claim to be dominated by motivations based on democracy and altruism rather than self‐interest. The author looks at problems associated with the measurement of efficiency and enforcement of accountability in organizational life and at the need for effective incentives and sanctions which provide a stable basis for maintaining commitment. He then considers the issues involved in the enforcement of accountability to ensure the efficient use of resources in producer co‐operatives on the one hand and service delivery NGOs on the other. In the former, the focus is on the strengths and weaknesses of market competition and the costs of collective management; in the latter on the varied relationships between ‘principals and agents' involved in the production and management of services.

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  • E. A. Brett, 1993. "Voluntary Agencies as Development Organizations: Theorizing the Problem of Efficiency and Accountability," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 24(2), pages 269-304, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:devchg:v:24:y:1993:i:2:p:269-304
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7660.1993.tb00486.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Gregory, C A, 1981. "A Conceptual Analysis of a Non-Capitalist Gift Economy with Particular Reference to Papua New Guinea," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 5(2), pages 119-135, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Dorothea Baur & Hans Schmitz, 2012. "Corporations and NGOs: When Accountability Leads to Co-optation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 106(1), pages 9-21, March.
    2. S. Akbar Zaidi, 1999. "NGO failure and the need to bring back the state," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 11(2), pages 259-271.
    3. Arun Agrawal, 1995. "Dismantling the Divide Between Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 26(3), pages 413-439, July.
    4. Barr, Abigail & Fafchamps, Marcel & Owens, Trudy, 2005. "The governance of non-governmental organizations in Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 657-679, April.
    5. Michael W. Kpessa, 2011. "The Politics of Public Policy in Ghana," Journal of Developing Societies, , vol. 27(1), pages 29-56, March.
    6. John Frame, 2023. "Exploring why religious faith may distinguish faith‐based from non‐faith‐based NGOs: Theoretical insights from Cambodia," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(2), pages 368-381, March.
    7. Gina Porter, 2003. "NGOs and poverty reduction in a globalizing world: perspectives from Ghana," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 3(2), pages 131-145, April.
    8. Vakil, Anna C., 1997. "Confronting the classification problem: Toward a taxonomy of NGOs," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 25(12), pages 2057-2070, December.
    9. White, Robert & Eicher, Carl K., 1999. "Ngo'S And The African Farmer: A Skeptical Perspective," Staff Paper Series 11532, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    10. Rishi Basak & Sylvia Karlsson‐Vinkhuyzen & Katrien J. A. M. Termeer, 2022. "Information for climate finance accountability regimes: Proposed framework and case study of the Green Climate Fund," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 42(5), pages 261-280, December.
    11. Yusuf Bangura, 1994. "Economic Restructuring, Coping Strategies and Social Change: Implications for Institutional Development in Africa," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 25(4), pages 785-827, October.
    12. Negesse Belay Gessese, 2020. "Poverty-alleviation communication practices of the Jerusalem Children and Community Development Organization (JeCCDO) in Negede Woito community, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 6(1), pages 1-9, December.
    13. Malin Arvidson, 2008. "Contradictions and Confusions in Development Work," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 3(1), pages 109-134, June.

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