THE SCOPE OF NGOS AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME DESIGN: APPLICATION TO PROBLEMS OF MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY

In: Public administration and development: the international journal of management research and practice, Band 32, Heft 4-5, S. 357-370

Abstract

SUMMARYIn this study, basic questions concerning the scope and structure of organisations working on development and poverty activities are addressed. Under what conditions is work on many or few poverty problems by a singleorganisationwarranted? Moreover, for a given organisational scope, how many issues and in what combinations are best in a specificprogramme? How are these choices related? How does 'inheriting' an organisational structure, that is difficult (very costly) to change, influence choices concerning programme type? The application of the economics of organisation yields useful insights into non‐governmental organisation (NGO) structure and activities, revealing opposing forces that may lead NGOs to diversify either excessively, or inadequately. NGOs working in the poverty field are a natural focus for this research because poverty is a multidimensional problem with potential (or contingent) complementarities across dimensions. Perspectives on activity choices such as child sponsorship and microfinance emerge from this broader context. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.