Hostname: page-component-7b7567c8c-7pwfn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-12T06:16:52.569Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Between Rhetoric and Action: Do NGOs Go Where They Are Needed?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2026

Dipendra K. C.Open the ORCID record for Dipendra K. C.[Opens in a new window]
Dipendra K. C.*
Affiliation:
School of Global Studies, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, ThailandNational Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok, Thailand
*
dipendra@sgs.tu.ac.th
Get accessRights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This research analyzes the factors that determine the placement of development NGOs in Nepal through the examination of the placement data of 39,606 NGOs. Using multivariate ordinary least squares, this investigation demonstrates that the location of an NGO is determined by: level of community needs, resource availability, and the level of political engagement. NGOs are in fact active where their support services are in high demand. However, the other two determinants: ‘resource dependency’ and ‘political engagement’ suggest that development outcomes may be limited due to placement concentration in areas of high human resource availability and high political activity.

Keywords

Nonprofit locationNon-governmental organizations (NGOs)NepalGeographic placement

Information

Type
Original Paper
Information
Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations , Volume 30 , Issue 6 , December 2019, pp. 1197 - 1211
Copyright
Copyright © International Society for Third-Sector Research and The Johns Hopkins University 2018

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Bae, K. B., & Sohn, H. (2017). Factors contributing to the size of nonprofit sector: tests of government failure, interdependence, and social capital theory. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. doi: 10.1007/s11266-017-9888-3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Banks, N., Hulme, D., & Edwards, M. (2015). NGOs, states, and donors revisited: Still too close for comfort?. World Development, 66(Supplement C), 707–718. doi: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.09.028.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baum, J. A. C., & Haveman, H. A. (1997). Love thy neighbor? Differentiation and agglomeration in the manhattan hotel industry, 1898–1990. Administrative Science Quarterly, 42(2), 304–338. doi: 10.2307/2393922.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bebbington, A., Hickey, S., & Mitlin, D. C. (2008). Can NGOs make a difference? The challenge of development alternatives. (A. Bebbington, S. Hickey, & D. C. Mitlin, Eds.) (Illustrate). London & New York: Zed Books.Google Scholar
Bhandari, A., & Onta, P. (2017, February 24). Revisiting the NGO numbers debate. The Kathmandu Post, p. 6. Retrieved from http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-02-24/revisiting-the-ngo-numbers-debate.html.Google Scholar
Bhatta, C. D. (2012). Unveiling Nepal’s civil society. Journal of Civil Society, 8(2), 185–199. doi: 10.1080/17448689.2012.732429.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bhatta, C. D. (2013). External influence and challenges of state-building in Nepal. Asian Journal of Political Science, 21(2), 169–188. doi: 10.1080/02185377.2013.823800.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bielefeld, W., & Murdoch, J. C. (2004). The locations of nonprofit organizations and their for-profit counterparts: An exploratory analysis. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 33(2), 221–246. doi: 10.1177/0899764003260589.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brass, J. N. (2012). Why do NGOs go where they go? Evidence from Kenya. World Development, 40(2), 387–401. doi: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2011.07.017.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bratton, M. (1989). The politics of government-NGO relations in Africa. World Development, 17(4), 569–587. doi: 10.1016/0305-750X(89)90263-5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brett, E. A. (1993). Voluntary agencies as development organizations: Theorizing the problem of efficiency and accountability. Development and Change, 24(2), 269–304. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7660.1993.tb00486.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carroll, T. F. (1992). Intermediary NGOs: The supporting link in grassroots development. Sterling: Kumarian Press.Google Scholar
Central Bureau of Statistics. (2001). National population census 2001, national report. Retrieved from Kathmandu, Nepal http://cbs.gov.np/nada/index.php/catalog/42/download/543. Accessed 14 Apr 2017.Google Scholar
Clifford, D. (2012). Voluntary sector organisations working at the neighbourhood level in England: Patterns by local area deprivation. Environment and Planning A, 44(5), 1148–1164. doi: 10.1068/a44446.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Da Costa, M. M. (2016). What influences the location of nonprofit organizations? A spatial analysis in Brazil. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 27(3), 1064–1090. doi: 10.1007/s11266-016-9682-7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Department of Roads. (2002). Highway management information system (HMIS) news. Retrieved from KathmanduGoogle Scholar
Dhakal, T. N. (2002). The role of non-governmental organisations in the improvement of livelihood in Nepal. Doctor of Philosophy, University of Tampere, Finland. Retrieved from https://tampub.uta.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/67199/951-44-5347-6.pdf?sequence=1. Accessed 3 May 2017.Google Scholar
Edwards, M., & Hulme, D. (1996). Too close for comfort? The impact of official aid on nongovernmental organizations. World Development, 24(6), 961–973. doi: 10.1016/0305-750X(96)00019-8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Financial Controller General Office. (2001). Consolidated financial statements of his majesty’s government—Nepal fiscal year 2000/2001. Retrieved from Kathmandu, NepalGoogle Scholar
Fruttero, A., & Gauri, V. (2005). The strategic choices of NGOs: Location decisions in Rural Bangladesh. The Journal of Development Studies, 41(5), 759–787. doi: 10.1080/00220380500145289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Galway, L. P., Corbett, K. K., & Zeng, L. (2012). Where are the NGOs and why? The distribution of health and development NGOs in Bolivia. Globalization and Health, 8(1), 38. doi: 10.1186/1744-8603-8-38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gemmill, B., & Bamidele-Izu, A. (2002). The role of NGOs and civil society in global environmental governance. In Esty, D. C. & Ivanova, M. H. (Eds.), Global environmental governance: Options and opportunities (pp. 77–100). New Haven, CT: Yale school of forestry & environmental studies.Google Scholar
Grønbjerg, K. A., & Paarlberg, L. (2001). Community variations in the size and scope of the nonprofit sector: Theory and preliminary findings. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 30(4), 684–706. doi: 10.1177/0899764001304004.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guo, C., & Acar, M. (2005). Understanding collaboration among nonprofit organizations: Combining resource dependency, institutional, and network perspectives. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 34(3), 340–361. doi: 10.1177/0899764005275411.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ICNL. (2017). Civic freedom monitor: Nepal. Retrieved from http://www.icnl.org/research/monitor/nepal.html#analysis. Accessed 11 Oct 2017.Google Scholar
Karkee, R., & Comfort, J. (2016). NGOs, foreign aid, and development in Nepal. Frontiers in Public Health, 4. p. 177. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2016.00177.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kim, M. (2015). Socioeconomic diversity, political engagement, and the density of nonprofit organizations in U.S. countries. The American Review of Public Administration, 45(4), 402–416. doi: 10.1177/0275074013504616.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewis, D. (2014). Non-governmental organizations, management and development (3rd ed.). London and New York: Routledge doi: 10.4324/9780203591185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ministry of Finance. (2017). Development cooperation report—Fiscal year 2015/16. Retrieved from Kathmandu, NepalGoogle Scholar
Murray, V. V. (1998). Interorganizational collaborations in the nonprofit sector. In Shafirtz, J. M. (Ed.), International encyclopedia of public administration (Vol. 2, pp. 1192–1196). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.Google Scholar
National Planning Commission. (2015). Sustainable development goals, 2016–2030, national (preliminary) report. Retrieved from Kathmandu, Nepal http://www.undp.org/content/dam/nepal/docs/reports/SDGfinalreport-nepal.pdf. Accessed 11 Oct 2017.Google Scholar
Obiyan, A. S. (2005). A critical examination of the state versus non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the policy sphere in the global South: Will the state die as the NGOs thrive in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia?. African and Asian studies, 4(3), 301–326. doi: 10.1163/156920905774270475.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paarlberg, L. E., & Yoshioka, T. (2016). The impact of local economic structure on community philanthropy. Public Administration Review, 76(2), 340–350. doi: 10.1111/puar.12442.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peck, L. R. (2008). Do antipoverty nonprofits locate where people need them? Evidence from a spatial analysis of Phoenix. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 37(1), 138–151. doi: 10.1177/0899764006298963.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pfeffer, J. (1982). Organizations and organization theory. London: Pitman.Google Scholar
Pfeffer, J., & Salancik, G. R. (2003). The external control of organizations: a resource dependence perspective. Stanford: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Salamon, L. M. (1987). Of market failure, voluntary failure, and third-party government: Toward a theory of government-nonprofit relations in the modern welfare state. Journal of voluntary action research, 16(1–2), 29–49. doi: 10.1177/089976408701600104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shrestha, C. H., & Adhikari, R. (2011). NGOization and de-NGOization of public action in Nepal: The role of organizational culture in civil society politicality. Journal of Civil Society, 7(1), 41–61. doi: 10.1080/17448689.2011.553420.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Social Welfare Council (2014). List of NGOs affiliated with SWC. Kathmandu: Social Welfare Council.Google Scholar
Social Welfare Council. (2016). Brief information on INGOs working under agreement with SWC. Retrieved from Kathmandu: http://www.swc.org.np/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/INGOs-detail-information-2072_073-Falgun-Masant.pdf. Accessed 20 Mar 2017.Google Scholar
The Social Welfare Act, Social Welfare Council (Government of Nepal, 1992 November 2).Google Scholar
Torpey-Saboe, N. (2015). Does NGO presence decrease government spending? A look at municipal spending on social services in Brazil. World Development, 74, 479–488. doi: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2015.06.001.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Puyvelde, S., & Brown, W. A. (2016). Determinants of nonprofit sector density: A stakeholder approach. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 27(3), 1045–1063. doi: 10.1007/s11266-015-9656-1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
United Nations Development Programme. (2004). Nepal human development report 2004. Retrieved from Kathmandu, NepalGoogle Scholar
Yan, J., Guo, C., & Paarlberg, L. E. (2014). Are nonprofit anti poverty organizations located where they are needed? A spatial analysis of the greater Hartford Region. The American Statistician, 68(4), 243–252. doi: 10.1080/00031305.2014.955211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar