8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Growing Pains of the "Third Sector" in Latin America, March 13, 2000
This review is from: The Economics and Politics of NGOs in Latin America (Hardcover)
Carrie Meyer has long been known as a clear-eyed and non-ideological chronicler of the complicated relationship among NGOs, donors, and the state in Latin America. Readers of Meyer's numerous articles will be pleased to see that she has now produced this excellent book which contains many of her insightful observations along with new chapters that chart the growth and spread of the global NGO phenomenon, in Latin America.
Meyer combines a thorough review of the existing literature with her own detailed fieldwork and case studies. She continuously applies her even handed approach in the task of outlining and analyzing a number of the controversial aspects of NGOs. Out of the many questions one might want answered in a book that deals with a phenomenon as complicated as this, Meyers stays true and focused on the point of her inquiry: Is the popular vision of NGOs as grass-roots organizations serving the needs of the poor outdated with the rise of "yuppie" NGOs? Do NGOs "lose their soul" when they collaborate with governments? How did the heavy funding of NGOs by the conservative Reagan government affect the development of NGOs in Central America? Is the shift of donor funds toward NGOs weakening well-meaning governments or providing an alternative mechanism of service delivery for governments that lack the political will to protect their poor or their environments? Do international donors "distort" or "energize" civil society in Latin America?
The answers to these questions can be found in Meyer's book, which is based on numerous interviews with NGO officials and aid donors in a number of Latin American countries. Meyer's current academic position and her previous work with the World Resources Institute enable her to view the NGO phenomenon with the insights of an insider which retaining the objectivity of an academic outsider. I am pleased to note that this book is coming out in paperback soon. It should make a useful addition to the library of anyone who wants to understand this complicated new phenomenon.
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Great title, disappointing book, January 28, 2000
This review is from: The Economics and Politics of NGOs in Latin America (Hardcover)
(From Planeta Journal) -- The Economics and Politics of NGOs in Latin America addresses a number of fascinating topics -- the explosion of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Latin American environmental funds, North-South transfers and "Yuppie" organizations. I had high hopes for this book since the author posted a brief commentary on the Environment Latin America Network (ELAN) listerv.
That said, this book is fairly droll account that does not adequately explore the issues. Instead, the author relies almost exclusively on policy reports and interviews with development agency officials. Neither are truly reliable sources of information. This would be an adequate summary if it had been written by an undergraduate student, but it should be much more.
Author Carrie Meyer is a professional consultant who has worked for the World Bank and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Instead of offering a candid first-person account, she recites what she has been told or had read in USAID reports -- almost without question.
"This book aims to clarify the role of Southern NGOs funded by Northern donors, specifically focusing on Latin American NGOs," she writes. I wish that were true! Nowhere does she address questions of corruption, elitism or even the failures of NGOs or the international donors themselves.
Questions this book could have tried to answer
How could this book have been different? It might have illuminated answers to the following questions:
How effective have been projects funded by international donors, such as USAID or the World Bank?
When will international donors, such as USAID, World Bank, World Wildlife Fund, etc., make current projects and field reports available on a timely basis?
Is there a way that international donors can reward collaborative activities among grantees that go beyond the "handshake" level?
Should international donors shoulder the responsibility that instead of creating environmental awareness, they have subsidized a bilingual capital elite, many of which will fight amongst each other for these same monies?
Ecuador
A good section of this book describes the work of environmental groups in Ecuador, starting with Fundacion Natura, Ecuador's largest and best-funded environmental organization. After listing criticisms of Natura made by other environmental groups, including Accion Ecologica, Meyer rises to the defense of the organization:
"Unquestionably foreign donors distorted and intensified the environmental debate in the Ecuadorian community... Environmental NGOs funded by Northern donors are not democratic representatives of local civil society, but they do participate in it and enliven it... NGOs like Natura have struggled to retain a voice independent of their donors."
Meyer provides no evidence that shows the "independent" role of Natura. Nor does she question how the group's director became head of the country's environmental department. The revolving door between NGOs and GOs simply goes unexamined. What would have been very interesting would be a review of the policy of international monies pouring into Ecuador and other Latin American countries in search of franchise operations.
Despite its great title, The Economics and Politics of NGOs in Latin America is a disappointing book. That said, future work by this author will no doubt show more analysis and evidence of in-country research that goes beyond the offices of USAID and Yuppie NGOs.
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