The Economics and Politics of NGOs in Latin America

by Carrie Meyer

Overview

The burgeoning sector of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Latin America—funded by Northern donors—is both catalyzing and responding to change, as states, market, and civil society realign in an age of information technology and globalization. The political economic perspective of this book clarifies the emerging role of Latin America's NGOs in the global community. After introducing the expanding role of NGOs in the international community at large, the book explores the history of NGOs in Latin America. It then uses case studies to examine the economics and politics of NGOs vis-a-vis information, partnerships, opportunism, entrepreneurship, and compromise with donors.

As producers of international public goods, NGOs are characterized as building blocks of the global community and as contributors to economic production, employment, institutional innovation, and technology transfer. This book concludes that although NGOs cannot substitute for government, they are aptly suited for complex partnerships with both domestic and international public and private sectors and are more appropriate vehicles for donor projects than Latin America's public sectors.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275966218
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/30/1999
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

CARRIE A. MEYER is Associate Professor of Economics at George Mason University./e She has also worked as a consultant to the World Bank and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Table of Contents

Preface
The Explosion of NGOs in the International Community
New Spaces and Fabrics in Latin America
From the Public to the Private Sector
Responding to Donor Demands
Opportunism, Entrepreneurship, and North-South Transfers
Partnerships and Public Goods
Sharing Information: Politics and Economics
Contributions to Compromise and Global Community
Conclusions
References
Index