Political ideologies and non-governmental organizations: an anthropological perspective

How does political ideology inform the changing roles and perceptions of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) within international development policy? This paper adopts an anthropological approach to this question and argues that the ideas that have shaped the growth of interest among donors in NGOs are rooted in the wider politics of how development has come to be ‘managed’. It draws on recent research from the contexts of Bangladesh and the Philippines to illustrate how ideas about governance and the ‘third sector’ are constructed, maintained and transgressed.