Government helper and citizen advocate? A case study of the multiple roles and pressures facing a nongovernmental organization contracted by government to strengthen community health in northern India
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Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Wiley
Abstract
While nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) can potentially
strengthen valuable citizen political engagement, NGOs that are
increasingly oriented towards donor and government contracts may
instead contribute to depoliticizing development. Amidst competing
pressures, NGO experiences and agency in managing multiple roles
require examination. We present a qualitative case study of an NGO
implementing a government‐designed intervention to strengthen
Village Health, Sanitation, and Nutrition Committees (VHSNCs) in
rural north India. Despite a challenging context of community
scepticism and poor government services, the NGO did successfully
form VHSNCs by harnessing its respected interlocutor status,
preexisting relationships, and ability to “sell” the VHSNC as a
mechanism for improving local well‐being. While the VHSNC enabled
community members to voice concerns to government officials,
improvements often failed to meet community expectations. NGO
staff endured community frustration on one hand and rebuffs from
lower‐level officials on the other, while feeling undersupported by
the government contract. Consequently, although contracted to
strengthen a community institution, the NGO increasingly worked
alongside VHSNC members to try to strengthen the public sector.
Contrary to assumptions that NGOs become “tamed” through taking government contracts, being contracted to deliver inputs for
community participation was intertwined with microlevel political
action, though this came at a cost to the NGO.
Description
Keywords
Community, Health governance, Nongovernmental organization (NGO), Participation, Southern Asia
Citation
Scott, K. et al. (2017). Government helper and citizen advocate? A case study of the multiple roles and pressures facing a nongovernmental organization contracted by government to strengthen community health in northern India. International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 1-14.