Sample Phd Thesis Proposal

PhD Dissertation Proposal

“Everyone matters”: Why northern Non-Governmental Development Organisations engage with the socially excluded in their own communities.

15 June 2009

Introduction

In 1999 Gaventa concluded, as a result of his study of the links and learning between Community Based Organisations (CBOs) in the North and South, that many northern-based CBOs had not engaged with issues of power and poverty in their own communities in the global North. This would need to be rectified, he contends, for more equal partnerships to develop between northern and southern CBOs and if the views of each were to be “de-mythologized”.

Likewise, Malhotra (2000: 663) issued a similar warning, proposing that if northern NGOs were to survive in the twenty-first century they must be:

“seriously and more substantially engaged with the poverty and social justice problems of their own countries, especially as these continue to escalate and become more explicit and visible”

Three subsequent events demonstrate that this advice has been taken up, whether or not as a direct consequence of it. Firstly, In 2003 Red Barnet (SCF Denmark) launched a groundbreaking report on child poverty in Denmark which called for the Danish government to undertake more research into child poverty and to end the different levels of benefits for refugees and Danish citizens (Red Barnet 2003).

Secondly, in January 2008, I was working for Muslim Aid when it agreed to organise a joint sponsored walk for Oxfam and Muslim Aid supporters during Ramadan in aid of the global food crisis. It was made quite clear that the reason they were interested in work with Muslim Aid was that they needed to create a greater diversity in their support base in order for their advocacy and campaigning work to have greater legitimacy and representational force[1]. Muslim Aid’s support base is particularly strong among the Bengali community in London,

References: Appiah, K. A. (2006), Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers, Norton & Co., New York. Carroll, T. F. (1992), Intermediary NGOs: The Supporting Link in Grassroots Development, Kumarian Press, Connecticut. DAC (2007) Peer Review – Denmark. Available at http://www.oecd.org/document/24/0,3343,en_2649_34603_38804568_1_1_1_1,00.html (Accessed 14 April 2009). Ebrahim, A. (2005), NGOs and Organizational Change, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Edwards, M. “Does the Doormat Influence the Boot? Critical Thoughts on UK NGOs and International Advocacy” in Edwards, M. and Fowler, A. (eds.) (2002), The Earthscan Reader on NGO Management, Earthscan, London. Edwards, M. and Hulme, D. (eds) (1996) Beyond the Magic Bullet: NGO Performance and Accountability in the Post-Cold War World, Kumarian Press, Connecticut. Fowler, A (1997), ‘NGODOs are not islands: making relationships effective’ in Striking the Balance, pp93-128. Fowler, A (2000), ‘NGO futures: beyond aid: NGDO values and the fourth position’, Third World Quarterly, Volume 21 (4), pp.589-604. Fowler, A. “Assessing NGO Performance: Difficulties, Dilemmas and a Way Ahead” in Edwards, M. and Hulme, D. (eds) (1996) Beyond the Magic Bullet: NGO Performance and Accountability in the Post-Cold War World, Kumarian Press, Connecticut. Gaventa, J (1999), ‘Crossing the Great Divide: Building links and Learning Between NGOs and Community Based Organizations in the North and South’ in Lewis, D (ed) International Perspectives on Voluntary Action: Reshaping the Third Sector, pp 21-38. Greater London Authority (2004), 2001 Census Profiles: Bangladeshis in London, Data Management and Analysis Group. Greater London Authority (2006), Child Poverty in London: Income and Labour Market Indicators, Data Management and Analysis Group. Greater London Authority (2006), Muslims in London, Data Management and Analysis Group. John, P. (1998), Analysing Public Policy, Continuum, London and New York. Léautier, F. and Petkoski, D. (2006), ‘Private Sector Roles in the Partnership Age’, World Bank Institute Business & Development Discussion Papers, April 2006 (Paper No.1). Malhotra, K (2000), ‘NGOs without aid; beyond the global soup kitchen’, Third World Quarterly, Volume 21 (4), pp.655-668. Oxfam (2009), Close to Home: UK Poverty and the Economic Downturn . Available at: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/ukpoverty/fred/index.html#wheel (Accessed 14 April 2009). Parfitt, T. (2002), The End of Development: Modernity, Post-Modernity and Development, Pluto Press, London. Parfitt, T (2009), ‘Are the Third World Poor Homines Sacri?’ forthcoming in Alternatives, Vol. 34 (1). Rawls, J. (1972), A Theory of Justice, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Red Barnet (2003) Poverty among children in Danish municipalities – 1984-2001 Availaible at: http://www.redbarnet.dk/Default.aspx?ID=2208 (Accessed 14 April 2009). Tandon, R. (1995), ‘Board Games’: Governance and Accountability in NGOs’ in Edwards, M. and Hulme, D. (eds) (1996) Beyond the Magic Bullet: NGO Performance and Accountability in the Post-Cold War World, Kumarian Press, Connecticut. Tiwari, M. (2007), ‘Chronic Poverty and Entitlement Theory’, in Third World Quarterly, Vol 28 (1), pp.171-191.