State-Beneficiary Relationship: Redefining NGO Accountability in South Asia

NGOs play a pivotal role in the diverse cultural landscapes, historical contexts, and political systems in South Asia. Operating in the realms of development is often seen as crucial intermediaries between the state and the citizenry (Bauhr & Grimes, 2014; Crack, 2019; Edwards & Hulme, 1996; Gibelman & Gelman, 2004; Goetz & Jenkins, 2005; Gourevitch et al., 2012). As we have seen the complex coordination of NGOs around government, corporations, and other local and global stakeholders in the previous two chapters, the effectiveness of these engagements at the ultimate value-driven level is often contingent upon their accountability mechanisms, particularly concerning the state and the beneficiaries they serve (Ebrahim, 2003; Edwards & Hulme, 1996; Gray et al., 2006; Najam, 1996). Now if we again argue on divergence of value as expected action course from some conventions, they have traditionally been analyzed concerning various stakeholders in isolation. Such an isolated approach may not fully capture the complexities of NGO accountability, particularly when we attempt to explore the evolution of positionality in power with their relations to government and corporations as “strength” for NGOs.