In what circumstances have NGOs come to perform governmental functions Essay

In what circumstances have NGOs come to perform governmental functions - Essay Example NGO’s are the voice of the civil society and fuel social development. But why do we need NGO’s. Do they represent failure of government in bringing the social justice and providing necessary human and social development? Is the role and impact of NGO’s has changed in any way in the wake of globalization? This paper aims at studying the circumstances which makes the NGO’s perform nongovernmental functions. It will also discuss history and changes in the type of work done by NGO’s. The paper aims at investigating the reasons of the recent growth of NGO’s. An example of how the policy and working of NGO’s have changed in the wake of globalization and changed circumstances will also be discussed to develop a sound understanding of the situation. History and Growth of NGO’s The concept of NGO is not new and can be traced back to the late eighteenth century but the terminology of NGO is relatively recent. The first NGO in its raw form was formed by Thomas Clarkson along with some other men in 1787; when they formed a society to dissuade British companies and ship owners to involve in salve trade. The struggle continued in different forms against different form of oppression and eventually Red Cross was formed in 1855. The NGO activity has grown considerably from those early days of Clarkson. According to the statistics of the Union of International Associations, the no of active NGO’s in 2001 was around 25,000 that is 10,000 more than the figure of 1980. Besides these active NGO’s a huge number of inactive NGO’s also exist, which are capable of becoming active upon arrival of need. The number of inactive NGO’s in 2001 was astounding 18,000. The same is true for the national and local activist groups. Recently what has been observed is the mushroom growth of such organizations all over the world. Indonesia had only one organization for environment protection but now the number has cros sed over 2000. In the Philippines the number of NGO’s has increased from 18,000 to astounding 58,000 only between the period of 1989 and 1996. According to a study of Worldwatch institute the number of grass root or low level NGO’s in United States is approximately two million. The study also revealed that approximately two third of them were established in the last thirty years. NGO’s are not only growing in number but they are also improving in quality in terms of skills, specialization and sophistication. Most highly educated people holding masters and doctoral level degrees are associated with NGO’s. Typically NGO’s very successfully align their strategies with the political, economic, social and environmental trends. Their ability to communicate with media is considered the best in the private sector. NGO does also have this ability to move quickly and form global networks (Blackburn, 2007). Influence of NGO’s NGO’s are changing the way business is being done all over the globe. They are powerful, innovative and organized. They provide social and humanitarian services in cross national contexts that are somewhat politicized as well. NGO’s these days have a strong influence over business.