NGO Legitimacy as a Continuous Negotiation Process
The article draws on and contributes to debates on the legitimacy of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) engaged in development, defining organizational legitimacy as a social construct that is continually negotiated in relationships with diverse audiences. To explore the negotiated nature of NGO...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nordic Africa Research Network
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Nordic Journal of African Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.njas.fi/njas/article/view/963 |
| _version_ | 1797696368501850112 |
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| author | Tiina Kontinen Twine Bananuka |
| author_facet | Tiina Kontinen Twine Bananuka |
| author_sort | Tiina Kontinen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
The article draws on and contributes to debates on the legitimacy of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) engaged in development, defining organizational legitimacy as a social construct that is continually negotiated in relationships with diverse audiences. To explore the negotiated nature of NGO legitimacy, the article examines the efforts of a Ugandan NGO, Kabarole Research and Resource Centre (KRC), to foster citizens’ capacities in rural communities in the western part of the country. Drawing on interviews and participant observation, we scrutinize the ways in which KRC balances between different and even contrasting legitimacy expectations stemming from three types of encounters significant to the NGO: those with international collaborators, community members, and local government. We show how international collaborators prioritize support for active citizenship, manifested in mobilizing to claim rights and accountability; village residents emphasize good citizenship, comprising a secure livelihood and community contributions; and local government endorses citizenship characterized by fulfilling obligations. The NGO must balance between those expectations to secure funding, fulfil their empowerment mission, and maintain their ability to act without restrictions. In conclusion, the article argues for a notion of NGO legitimacy as a state of continual negotiation, wherein the specificities of significant audiences and the nature of the negotiations vary, based on the activities and contexts of any particular development NGO.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:25:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c6dd86d84c0c4254ae2650090fff4a33 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1459-9465 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:25:24Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Nordic Africa Research Network |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nordic Journal of African Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-c6dd86d84c0c4254ae2650090fff4a332023-09-03T13:40:48ZengNordic Africa Research NetworkNordic Journal of African Studies1459-94652022-12-0131410.53228/njas.v31i4.963NGO Legitimacy as a Continuous Negotiation ProcessTiina Kontinen0Twine Bananuka1Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of Jyväskylä, FinlandFaculty of Education, University of Oulu, Finland & Department of Adult and Community Education, Makerere University, Uganda The article draws on and contributes to debates on the legitimacy of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) engaged in development, defining organizational legitimacy as a social construct that is continually negotiated in relationships with diverse audiences. To explore the negotiated nature of NGO legitimacy, the article examines the efforts of a Ugandan NGO, Kabarole Research and Resource Centre (KRC), to foster citizens’ capacities in rural communities in the western part of the country. Drawing on interviews and participant observation, we scrutinize the ways in which KRC balances between different and even contrasting legitimacy expectations stemming from three types of encounters significant to the NGO: those with international collaborators, community members, and local government. We show how international collaborators prioritize support for active citizenship, manifested in mobilizing to claim rights and accountability; village residents emphasize good citizenship, comprising a secure livelihood and community contributions; and local government endorses citizenship characterized by fulfilling obligations. The NGO must balance between those expectations to secure funding, fulfil their empowerment mission, and maintain their ability to act without restrictions. In conclusion, the article argues for a notion of NGO legitimacy as a state of continual negotiation, wherein the specificities of significant audiences and the nature of the negotiations vary, based on the activities and contexts of any particular development NGO. https://www.njas.fi/njas/article/view/963NGOslegitimacycivic educationcitizenshipUganda |
| spellingShingle | Tiina Kontinen Twine Bananuka NGO Legitimacy as a Continuous Negotiation Process Nordic Journal of African Studies NGOs legitimacy civic education citizenship Uganda |
| title | NGO Legitimacy as a Continuous Negotiation Process |
| title_full | NGO Legitimacy as a Continuous Negotiation Process |
| title_fullStr | NGO Legitimacy as a Continuous Negotiation Process |
| title_full_unstemmed | NGO Legitimacy as a Continuous Negotiation Process |
| title_short | NGO Legitimacy as a Continuous Negotiation Process |
| title_sort | ngo legitimacy as a continuous negotiation process |
| topic | NGOs legitimacy civic education citizenship Uganda |
| url | https://www.njas.fi/njas/article/view/963 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tiinakontinen ngolegitimacyasacontinuousnegotiationprocess AT twinebananuka ngolegitimacyasacontinuousnegotiationprocess |