The Role of Local Organizations in Development

Against the background of aid money being increasingly channelled through the non-governmental (NGO) sector, this text critically examines the role that local organizations (LOs) can play in eradicating underdevelopment. There are already signs that a new development myth of the unlimited potential of NGOs/LOs to promote sustainable development has been created. The "donor scramble" to find and promote LOs might not produce the results hoped for. One of the reasons is that despite using fashionable jargon such as empowerment, people-centredness and participation, many local organizations continue development work in a top-down, non-participatory and non-sustainable manner. International NGOs and donor agancies often perpetuate this situation by uncritically supporting local organizations irrespective of their performance in supporting sustainable development. Using an analytical framework derived primarily from "new institutional economics" (NIE) theories, the book presents case studies on the political economy of three local organizations from Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia. These case studies show how a number of key factors determine a local organization's actual potential and ability to effectively contribute towards the eradication of underdevelopment.

Table of Contents:
Figures, tables, graphs Acknowledgements Abbreviations 1. Introduction 1.1. Background: Non-governmental and local organizations have yet to prove their potential for supporting sustainable development 1.2. Problem statement as well as purpose and objective of research paper 1.3. Definition of the term local organisation and explanation of the concept of sustainable or viable development 1.4. Review of literature on the role of local organizations in development 1.5. Methodology used to obtain and analyse data 1.6. Hypotheses 2. The socio-political and economic environment in Tanzania 2.1. Historic overview: Colonialism saw the introduction of capitalism (in the form of a plantation economy) as well as (agricultural) petty commodity production 2.2. The post-colonial MOP as an articulation of agricultural petty commodity production and the bureaucratic MOP 2.3. Challenges for Tanzanian local organizations 3. The political economy of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) 3.1. Introduction to the ELCT: History and institutional set-up 3.2. The development vision and goals of the Tanzanian Lutheran Church at the national level 3.3. Developing a framework of indicators for evaluating ELCT development activities 3.4. Assessment of ELCT demonstrative programmes 3.5. The research and evaluation section of the ELCT development department 3.6. Assessment of ELCT social transformation activities 3.7. Evaluation of selected projects on the synodal / diocesan level 3.8. Assessing the >>managerial behaviour<< of the ELCT development administration 3.9. Constraints for ELCT development work resulting from the federative nature of the ELCT's structure as well as different understandings within the ELCT of the church's role in development 3.10. Relations between the ELCT and local as well as foreign development partners: >>Real partnershipmanipulative reasoning<< 3.11. The ELCT and its development department within the socio-political and economic framework of Tanzania 3.12. Conclusions to the ELCT case study 4. The socio-political environment in Zimbabwe 4.1. Historic overview: The colonial state and economy was dominated and controlled by white settlers 4.2. The post-white settler colonial state 4.3. Challenges for Zimbabwean local organizations 5. The political economy of the Lutheran Development Service (LDS) in Zimbabwe 5.1. Historical introduction to the LDS 5.2. LDS development vision and goals 5.3. Developing a framework of indicators for evaluating LDS development activities 5.4. Assessment of various LDS development activities 5.5. Assessing the >>managerial behaviour<< of the LDS 5.6. Integration between LWF / WS and the ELCZ as a model of partnership? 5.7. The LDS within tile socio-political and economic framework of Zimbabwe 189 5.8 Conclusions to the LDS case study 6. The socio-political environment in Ethiopia 6.1. The social formation of Ethiopia's >>ancien regimes<< was