Corporatization-Driven Autonomy of NGOs in South Asia: Multiplicity of Neo-Imperialism

The emergence of NGOs in the South Asian region has brought about significant changes in the landscape of development and social welfare from where NGOs have traditionally been seen as independent actors working for the betterment of society, often filling gaps left by governments and international institutions (Edwards & Hulme, 1996; Harvey, 2020; Hickey & Mohan, 2005; Kamat, 2017). As we have seen in the previous chapter regarding the reverse power dynamics from NGOs, the GO-NGO relationship expands even further in terms of greater autonomy and integration of being a critical player in the game of development. To achieve that, in recent years, there has been a notable shift in the way NGOs operate, with many embracing corporatization as a means to reduce their financial dependence on donors or governments (White, 1999; Lewis, 2016; Lewis et al., 2020; Banks, 2021). It refers to transforming NGOs into market-oriented or business-like actors that depend on foreign sources of funding or resources (Lewis, 2016; Harvey, 2020; Muhammad, 2018; Banks, 2021). As discussed in the Chapter 1 , this process has been driven by various factors, such as the globalization of the economy and politics, the liberalization of the development discourse and practice, the privatization of the public sector and services, and the marketization of civil society and activism.