Introduction

Like all other organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or non-profit organisations (NPOs) vary greatly in terms of mission, size, target, mode of operation and social impact. They also differ in regard to policy involvement and relationship with government. Due to the diversity of NGOs, it is difficult for researchers to define the term precisely. As a result, there are various interpretations in practice. For example, according to the United Nations (UN), any kind of private organisation that is independent from government control can be termed a ‘non-governmental organisation’, provided it is not-for-profit, not criminal and not simply an opposition political party. The World Bank (WB) defines them as ‘private organizations that pursue activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services or undertake community development’ (World Bank, 1995: 13).

The World Bank further identifies two broad groups of non-governmental organisations: operational NGOs, which focus on development projects, and advocacy NGOs, which are organised to promote particular causes. In fact, certain NGOs may fall under both categories simultaneously. One of the differences between operational NGOs and advocacy NGOs is that the former may accept aid from the government, while the latter tend to reject government subsidies, otherwise they might not dare to criticise the government directly. Although a lot of NGOs are devoted to delivering services to their clients – they are social service driven – policy advocacy is also an important activity for them. In this chapter, our discussion will focus on the development of policy analysis by advocacy NGOs in Taiwan.

In the broadest meaning, the term advocacy NGOs is normally used to refer to any non-profit, voluntary citizens’ organisations which come together around specific issues and are independent from government. They promote the public interest and advocate social values. In other words, advocacy NGOs perform a variety of service and humanitarian functions, bring citizen concerns to governments, advocate and monitor policies and encourage political participation through empowerment and provision of information. Their relationship with government differs depending on their goals, the services they provide, their sources of funding, strategies, regulation by government and so on.

Policy advocacy is a communication and promotion process by an individual or organisation which normally aims to influence public opinions, public policies and resource allocation decisions during the public policy formulation and implementation process.