Critical collaboration: NGOs and the state in India's rural development

Abstract

The purpose of the dissertation is to examine the nature of a specific form of relationship that exists between non-governmental organizations (NGOs) involved in environmental and natural resource issues, and government organizations (GOs) in south India, in regard to the roles of the two acting in concert in the design and implementation of rural development programs. This form of interaction is more than an agreement between two organizations to cooperate or complement each other in the execution of an existing program: rather, it is a form of collaboration between an NGO and government agency that involves the active participation of the NGO with the GO in one or more aspects of a particular issue of (in this case) rural development. Because the NGO is specifically empowered to more fully participate in the process, and acts as a partner with the GO—and often as a critic of the GO—this relationship is being termed 'critical collaboration'. Based on research conducted five NGOs in the state of Tamil Nadu, two basic requirements for NGOs to enter into such relationships with government organizations are identified: legitimacy and capacity of the individual NGO. The final objective of the dissertation is to point out several necessary conditions for critical collaboration to occur in other countries of the developing world.