NGO:s and aid business -A study about political ideas and participation, from the poor mans point of view

Since the 1970`s the Non Governmental Organisations, NGO:s, have taken an increasing responsibility in the development cooperation work. Apart from an increase in resources delivered through the NGO:s it is also obvious in various official documents that the idea of NGO:s in regards to; reaching and involving poor people in the work and as capable of delivering aid resources to a low cost, is very widely spread and commonly accepted among political decision makers and aid agencies. In addition it’s very seldom that those positive statements about the NGO:s abilities, are backed by any kind of scientific study. This study argues that the ascribed abilities are more the rhetoric of a political idea than an empirical reality. Another significant idea is that NGO:s very often are mentioned and considered as a congruent group of organisations of similar qualities and weaknesses. In reality there is an extreme diversity regarding their purpose, size and leadership philosophy. The study shows that the differences between NGO:s is so large that it is meaningless to refer to them as a common group with the same possibilities to deliver the same kind of results. In short, the Russ Foundation Small Saving Scheme is fairly good at fulfilling the picture that is ascribed to NGO projects from the aid agencies. It is good though to remember that both the organisation and the program was especially chosen because it fulfils the criteria assumed necessary to achieve good results in the chosen areas. There is a good chance that they share those abilities with other NGO:s similar in purpose, size and philosophy of leadership, but it’s also unlikely that organisations that differ a lot in those characteristics, would deliver the same kind of results, which has been assumed by the main part of the political decision makers and by the aid agencies for a long time