Non-profit organisations in India: historical development and common patterns

Abstract

The article documents the history of the Indian voluntary or non-profit sector involved in socio-economic development of the country. Specifically, three questions are addressed. What type of voluntary organisations existed at what periods of history, and what were their primary activities? Who were the founders, and what were their motives? Can we detect common themes or underlying patterns in the way in which the Indian voluntary sector has developed? Or in other words: what is the institutional genesis of the non-profit or voluntary sector in India? The findings are based on multiple sources -literature review, interviews and observation, and information requested through the marl. The article differs from most historical studies on Indian non-profit organisations because it takes an analytical approach by d r a w i n g from c o n t e m p o r a r y literature on such organisations.

The Impulse of Philanthropy

“…Voluntary organizations were so widespread that they were perceived as a threat by the British Indian government, which in 1890 enacted the Societies Registration Act to provide a legal context for registration and incorporation. In this period, giving was dominated by missionary philanthropy and the philanthropy of the national business sector, which engendered large philanthropic trusts focused on social welfare (Sen 1992; Sundar 2000).…”

NPO Performance in Reproductive Health Sector of Low and Middle Income Countries: What is the Influence of the Wider Policy Context?

“…In contrast, professional NPOs are usually well resourced with staff, infrastructure and training but may have an outsider's exposure to disadvantaged settings. In between the two extremes, are the charity based NPOs which have a commitment to a philanthropic mission and usually have a trust based structure (Sen, 1992;Doh & Teegen, 2003). Majority of NPOs may well fall in between, borrowing features from more distinct categories.…”

“…This is pertinent given that several NPOs while being registered bodies have little capacity for internal documentation and organizational management (Herman & Renz, 1998). However, while opening up state supported avenues for funds and training, caution needs to be exerted to guard against government co-option of NPOs that may undermine their independent grounded role, as seen in India where opening up of government funds for NPOs led to funded agencies operating as a shadow state with little resistance to state policies (Sen, 1992). Structural processes related to government support may also influence effectiveness of support given to NPOs.…”

Development and social transformation-Role of the voluntary sector

“…The governments of developing countries like India have launched many development programmes, through different institutions but these have generally failed to make any noticeable impact on poverty, inequalities and social injustice (Bhatt 1987;Sheth and Shethi 1991;Sen 1992). They serve the elite at the expense of the poor, and, as Bhatt (1987) suggests, they neglect the politically disconnected or those living in the remote areas, and reflect short-term expediency rather than long-term survival.…”