The NGO Scramble: Organizational Insecurity and the Political Economy of Transnational Action

This article develops a political economy approach to the study of international NGOs. We argue that many aspects of these organizations can be explained through a materialist analysis. We advance two theoretical propositions. First, the growing number of international NGOs has increased uncertainty, competition, and insecurity for all actors in a given NGO sector, disputing the claim that NGO proliferation is invariably positive. Second, we suggest that the "marketization" of many NGO activities, including competitive tenders and renewable contracts, may generate perverse incentives that can lead to dysfunctional outcomes. We test these claims on three cases of NGO behavior, including humanitarian aid for refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo, civilian protection during the Bosnian war, and technical assistance in Kyrgyzstan.