INTRODUCTION

In many developing countries the presence of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can no longer be ignored. They are engaged in an extensive array of activities, including philanthropic work to people left out of the developmental process as well as efforts at addressing problems of environmental destruction and other negative consequences of economic development, and efforts to institutionalize popular political participation. There are some countries where NGOs are involved in the formulation of, or otherwise wield considerable influence on, government policies. Moreover, in several countries the incorporation of NGOs as judicial persons has given them great organizational stability, and they provide attractive career opportunities even for elite college graduates. When seen individually, the future prospects of quite a number of NGOs may be rather shaky, but there is no denying that NGOs as a group have established themselves as a recognized sector of society.

Existing discussions seem to have been preoccupied with the fact that NGOs are movement-oriented entities, led by certain ideals, and have tended to focus attention on questions involving their missions and the proper means to achieve these missions (Korten 1990). Given, however, that NGOs today form a social sector, it is imperative that we see them as constituting a social phenomenon and probe into the salient features and principles of the phenomenon.

When considering the raison d'être of NGOs in the social context of developing countries, one premise is the existence of people who have been left out of the market-based developmental process, and are unable to secure the necessary resources to lead fulfilling lives. In advanced countries the state has (or is supposed to have) institutional mechanisms to take care of these people. In developing countries, in contrast, these institutional mechanisms are often poorly developed, and the state often lacks the interest or the wherewithal to improve them. Thus, the existence of people who have been left out by both the market and the state seems to be the most fundamental factor behind the establishment and continued existence of NGOs in these countries.