Reconceptualizing state‐society relations in Tanzania: are NGOs ‘making a difference’?1

Summary Non‐governmental organizations are increasingly regarded as the development panacea for the 1990s and beyond. This paper critically explores the emerging relations between the state and actors within ‘civil society’ in Tanzania, and suggests that NGOs may not be able to fulfil the role being foisted upon them. Issues arising at both national and local scales demonstrate that state–society relations are characterized by unequal patterns of participation, which suggest that NGOs are contributing towards the reproduction of inequality