The Civil Society Project: What Went Wrong? - Aseem Prakash, Professor of Political Science and the Founding Director of the Center for Environmental Politics at University of Washington

NGOs/nonprofits are supposed to be a crucial pillar of democracy. Scholars view NGOs as principled and trustworthy actors, representing the grassroots, and articulating the voices of the people. Yet, the civil society project is under challenge. While they were once considered to be trustworthy and exempt from transparency demands, NGOs are now being held to accountability standards commonly expected from governments and firms.

States are also cracking down on NGOs:about 39 developing countries have enacted laws restricting the flows of foreign funds to NGOs. What went wrong? An abundance of resources, low barriers to enter this sector, and lax oversight attracted bad apples to this sector. Media reports on NGO scandals have challenged the “principled actor” narrative. Scholars question the grassroots character of NGOs because they depend on overseas funds. Two implications emerge. First, scholars need to revise their theoretical narratives and begin viewing NGOs as organizations motivated by both normative ideals and instrumental concerns. Second, NGOs must minimize their dependence on foreign funds because civil society cannot be purchased or transplanted from abroad.

Aseem Prakash is Professor of Political Science, the Walker Family Professor for the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Founding Director of the Center for Environmental Politics at University of Washington, Seattle. He is the General Editor of Cambridge University Press Series in Business and Public Policy, the Co-Editor of Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, and the Associate Editor of Business & Society. He served as the Vice President of International Studies Association in 2015-2016.

Professor Prakash studies environmental policy, climate governance, NGOs and nonprofits, and voluntary/private regulation. He is the author of Greening the Firm: The Politics of Corporate Environmentalism (Cambridge, 2000), the co-author of The Voluntary Environmentalists: Green Clubs, ISO 14001, and Voluntary Environmental Regulations (Cambridge, 2006), and the co-editor of Advocacy Organizations and Collective Action (Cambridge, 2010), Voluntary Regulations of NGOs and Nonprofits: An Accountability Club Framework (Cambridge, 2010), Voluntary Programs: A Club Theory Perspective (The MIT Press, 2009), Coping with Globalization (Routledge, 2000), Responding to Globalization (Routledge, 2000), and Globalization and Governance (Routledge, 1999). In addition to guest editing several journal symposia, he has published extensively in leading journals of political science, international relations, public policy, legal studies, nonprofit studies, and business.

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