The January 2010 earthquake in Haiti was a catastrophe not only for the loss of life it caused, but also because it destroyed the very thin layer of state administrative capacity that was in place in the country. This article argues that the fragility of the Haitian state institutions was exacerbated by international strategies that promoted NGOs as substitutes for the state. These strategies have generated a vicious circle that, while solving immediate logistical problems, ended up weakening Haiti's institutions. However, the article does not call for an overarching condemnation of NGOs. Instead, it explores two cases of community-based NGOs, Partners In Health and Fonkoze, that have contributed to creating durable social capital, generated employment and provided functioning services to the communities where they operated. The article shows that organisations that are financially independent and internationally connected, embrace a needs-based approach to their activities and share a long-term commitment to the communities within which they operate can contribute to bringing about substantial improvement for people living in situations of extreme poverty. It concludes that in the aftermath of a crisis of the dimension of the January earthquake it is crucial to channel support towards organisations that show this type of commitment.
This article examines a range of “good governance” discourses and practices at the United Nations as elements of global governmentality. It explores the emergence of “good governance” as a political rational for the UN, the mechanisms of governmentality that have been promoted as a consequence, and some of their most important effects.
This article reviews the recent literature concerning the roles of sport in development and peacebuilding, and proposes three related propositions concerning that work. First, we contend this emerging field has been under-theorized to date. Second, we argue that meso-level theories, chiefly public sphere, field and network theory may prove especially auspicious starting places for theory building for this complex area of inquiry. Finally, we caution that efforts to develop a more robust theorization of the roles of sport in development and peacebuilding must be thoroughly contextualized if they are to prove meaningful for researchers and practitioners alike. Overall, this analysis suggests sport can indeed serve useful roles in development and peacebuilding, but that it does not constitute a substitute for developing social norms and values that conduce to mutual tolerance and shared commitment to non-violent conflict management. These, finally, underpin any success sport may enjoy as an instrument of development or peace.
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