Civil Society Partnerships: Power Imbalance and Mutual Dependence in NGO Partnerships

O'Brien, Nina; Evans, Sandra K.

doi:10.1007/s11266-016-9721-4

Cited by 20 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…One, for example, has input from 20 CSOs, and another is co-authored by a network which is made up of over 1000 + groups and 4000 + individuals from 150 countries. 16 As extant work reveals, resource dependencies between civil society network members act to counter patterns and processes of organizational dominance and subordination (O’Brien & Evans, 2017). Thus, the common authorship and collective position adopted in joint submissions prevent power imbalances by combining the views of a diversity of CSOs.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Civil Society Organisations and LGBT+ Rights in Bangladesh: A Critical Analysis

Chaney

Sabur

Sahoo

2020

Journal of South Asian Development

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This article explores civil society organizations’ (CSOs) views on the contemporary situation of LGBT+ people in Bangladesh. It is a lacuna requiring attention because of the country’s poor and deteriorating equality and human rights record. Here we analyse the level of attention to prevailing human rights violations and apply critical frame analysis to the corpus of CSOs’ submissions to the United Nations third cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR), 2013–2018. These reveal how a series of key pathologies—including, violence, intimidation and discrimination—affect the lives of LGBT+ people. The wider significance of this study lies in highlighting that, while not a replacement for justiciable rights, the discursive processes offered by the UPR are of key significance in seeking to advance LGBT+ rights in countries like Bangladesh where oppression combines with extremism and political elites’ refusal to embrace equality in relation to gender identity and sexual orientation.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Civil Society Organisations and LGBT+ Rights in Bangladesh: A Critical Analysis

Chaney

Sabur

Sahoo

2020

Journal of South Asian Development

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“…Well-managed civil society partnerships can yield a range of benefits, including access to the political process, organisational legitimacy, and tangible and intangible resources (O'Brien and Evans, 2016). However, these benefits can only be realised if the power dynamics between the partners are addressed and considered meaningfully.…”

Section: Cso Partnerships and The Wash Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Working together: A study of civil society partnerships between WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) and GESI (gender equality and social inclusion) organisations in Timor-Leste

Grant

Nguyen²,

Vieira³

et al. 2023

Front. Water

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This article reports on an empirical study conducted in Timor-Leste that explored the drivers, benefits, and challenges of partnerships and collaborations between water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) organisations as integral parts of the WASH system. The research design was primarily qualitative and included a data-collection workshop with 30 representatives from 16 civil society organisations (CSOs) in Dili, longitudinal research involving two rounds of semi-structured interviews over 2.5 years with five organisations, and semi-structured interviews with an additional 18 CSOs. We applied a framework of post-development theory, including critical localism and working contingently. Key drivers to form partnerships were found to be the identification of community WASH service gaps and the alignment of advocacy agendas. Key benefits reported were increased inclusion and empowerment outcomes and strengthened organisational knowledge and capacity. Challenges emerge when organisations' key staff change, strategies misalign, and financial and administrative capabilities differ. The study contributes practical insights into how civil society organisations (CSOs) partner to strengthen mutual WASH and GESI strategies and programmes and their outcomes. We recommend strengthening the partnerships between WASH and GESI organisations in ways that are cognisant of power dynamics, local priorities, and capacity needs and promote longevity and continuity through ownership of decisions at the local level. Our findings suggest that meaningful, reciprocal, and respectful engagement with WASH and GESI organisations enables WASH programmes to be in a better position to address the harmful norms that drive inequitable behaviours, thus strengthening localism, and the WASH governance system overall.

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“…Given that the environment in which an organization is operating may affect its success, organizations seek to reduce insecurity by procuring resources through interactions with other organizations. However, this can lead to an unequal power distribution, hoarding of resources, and unreasonable demands, and some actors exercising undue influence over others (Hillman, Withers, and Collins 2009;O'Brien and Evans 2017).…”

Section: Theoretical Framework: Resource Dependence Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Social innovation in a post-conflict setting: examining external factors affecting social service NGOs

Bozic

2021

Development Studies Research

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While the study of the influence of external environmental factors on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is well explored in the international development literature, the importance of these factors on NGOs' transformative roles in a post-conflict development setting remains less understood. Nevertheless, external environmental factors could have a crucial impact on NGOs in such a context, especially when NGOs want to integrate a socially innovative approach into the social services they provide. Using survey data of staff members of social service NGOs from post-conflict Bosnia and Herzegovina (N = 120) and applying resource dependence theory, this study identifies three environmental factors of great importance for NGOs when integrating a socially innovative approach: secured financing, the willingness of service users to participate in innovative services, and the sustainability of the implemented services. By contrast, policy and regulatory frameworks and public institutions' openness are of moderate importance. Licensing and accreditation, service quality standards, and tax breaks are of even less importance. The results contribute to the understanding of the importance of external factors in the development of social innovations by the NGO sector from the perspective of the post-conflict context.

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Civil Society Partnerships: Power Imbalance and Mutual Dependence in NGO Partnerships

Cited by 20 publications

References 44 publications

Civil Society Organisations and LGBT+ Rights in Bangladesh: A Critical Analysis

Civil Society Organisations and LGBT+ Rights in Bangladesh: A Critical Analysis

Working together: A study of civil society partnerships between WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) and GESI (gender equality and social inclusion) organisations in Timor-Leste

Social innovation in a post-conflict setting: examining external factors affecting social service NGOs

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