The Non-Profit Sector in the Context of Law in Development in Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-70
Author(s):  
Ada Okoye Ordor

AbstractThe non-profit agency typifies the organizational form for civil society activity and this very fact recommends it as a medium for development processes. This article applies the non-profit organization model to the study of law in development, by identifying ways in which non-profit associations of civil society serve as useful channels for development and describing how the law can enhance their contribution. By combining multidisciplinary perspectives on the role of the non-profit sector with selected law in development approaches, the article also constructs an analytical framework for the study of the legal environment of the non-profit sector in Africa. Furthermore, using illustrations from Africa, it draws out nuanced aspects of non-profit sector activity in the developing world, an exercise which is critical to any effort to redefine law in development scholarship in Africa to include its non-profit sector ally.

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 174
Author(s):  
AmirNezam Barati ◽  
Ali Babayee Mehr ◽  
Mohsen Sharifi

Combating against corruption is one of the most important factors for establishing Good Governance. Corruption is a social, political and economic phenomenon that defect the democratic institutions and stop establishing good governance. This study using analytical – descriptive, analyses the role of civil society in combat corruption with glance to I.R.IFindings of this study show that the role of special civil societies has remarkable efficiency and effectiveness in combat corruption. In challenging corruption different actor such as government, private sector and specialized civil society have function, but the role of civil societies is more effective than others.In relating to the I.R.I actions against corruption, the country enacted different laws such as the law of access to information, the Law of United Nations Convention against Corruption and this process will send a clear message that the country is determined to prevent and control corruption. In pathology of corruption in I.R of Iran the concentration on fighting against corruption, is concentrated on "The Staff of Combat against Economic Corruption" and civil society don’t have effective or remarkable role to fight against this abnormality and this Staff is most important centers to harmonize the actions against corruption. Finally, the most important causes of corruption in every developing Nations in Transit such as Iran are big government and interference of Government in economy, the weakly embedded rule of law, the ineffective and inefficient of government policy, lack of accountability and institutional transparency.


Urban Studies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (16) ◽  
pp. 3466-3485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Hu ◽  
Chun Yang

Existing literature on the economic resilience of cities has primarily focused on the study of capabilities and outcomes, while little has been conducted on the evolutionary processes. Drawing upon institutional change and path development concepts, this article develops an analytical framework that explains how different modes of institutional change shape path development processes in relation to economic resilience in cities. This article provides a comparative study on the divergent path development involving distinctive institutional change mechanisms in two Chinese mining cities both facing resource depletion since 2000, namely Zaozhuang in Shandong province and Fuxin in Liaoning province. It shows that Zaozhuang enables endogenously-based layering and conversion that leads to path renewal and creation with a more dynamic resilience engendering structural change, whereas Fuxin is trapped in exogenously-induced institutional thickening that results in path persistence and extension with a less dynamic resilience hindering economic renewal. The findings of this study advance the regional resilience literature by incorporating the role of agency, institutional change and path development in the context of China.


Author(s):  
Jacob Torfing

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the role of civil society in public governance, defined as the process of steering society and the economy through collective action and in accordance with some common objectives. Civil society holds valuable experiences, resources and ideas that may be mobilized in support of public governance processes. The heightened interest in civil society has stimulated scholarly debates about the conceptualization of civil society that tends to be defined as an institutional realm of private associations, voluntarism, and active citizens. The theoretical perception on the role of civil society vis-à-vis public governance seems to have moved from mainly considering the governance of civil society and governance in civil society to focusing on governance with civil society through various forms of collaborative network governance and co‑creation processes. In other words, civil society is no longer perceived merely as a target for public governance initiatives promoted by state agencies, nor is it solely praised for its capacity for self-governance. Civil society has been re-casted as a competent and resourceful partner in processes of co-governance in which public and private actors create a common ground for joint problemsolving. The new research on co-governance prompts analysis of the conditions for engaging civil society actors in public governance, the potential benefits and problems of governance based on interaction with civil society, and the need for meta-governance of cross-boundary collaboration. Civil society is often associated with local, place-bound groups and associations, but it is equally important to consider the prospects for global governance to involve the emerging global civil society. The interest in how civil society can play a role in and contribute to public governance has come to stay and prompts us to reflect on future research avenues, including the key question of how we can create platforms for cross-boundary collaboration between public and private for-profit and non-profit actors. As such, the re-casting of civil society as a partner in the co-governance of society also seems to transform the state from an authority standing above society to an opportunity structure that promotes cross-boundary collaboration and co-creation of public value outcomes.


Author(s):  
Shelagh K. Genuis

We examine the role of Canadian non-profit and nongovernmentalenvironmental groups in publicdiscourse about environmental health risk.Organization representatives were interviewed;implications for risk communication areconsidered. Findings suggest: organizationscontribute to the information worlds of citizens;benefit may be realized from fostering dialogue andpartnership with these organizations.environnementaux sans but lucratif et les organismesnon gouvernementaux du Canada dans le discourspublic sur les risques de santé dus à l’environnement.Des représentants des organisations ont étéinterrogés; les implications pour la communicationdes risques ont été prises en compte. Les résultatsindiquent que ces organisations contribuent auxmondes informationnels des citoyens, et qu’il y aavantage à favoriser le dialogue et les partenariatsavec ces organisations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 211-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qasim Ali Shah ◽  
Bahadar Nawab ◽  
Tahir Mehmood

Peacebuilding is a continuous process to transform conflicts into development opportunities for and by the stakeholders. This article explores the role of stakeholders in post-conflict peacebuilding in Swat. Applying Constructivist paradigm and Discourse Analysis, 80 semi-structured interviews were conducted by incorporating local community, civil society and the government. Study finds out that cultural, political, social and economic tiers of peacebuilding measures in Swat hardly achieved its purpose. The lack of institutional coordination and gaps in peacebuilding measures are important hurdles, which needs to be minimized for sustainable development processes in Swat.


Subject Private philanthropy. Significance In South-east Asia, as elsewhere, there is growing pressure on civil society, from non-profit organisations to corporations, to help address the economic distress and social dislocation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Impacts Despite government and philanthropic efforts, South-east Asia is expected to experience a severe recession. A rise in philanthropy by religious organisations will fuel religious polarisation and the risk of violence post-crisis. Indonesia’s non-profit sector will likely experience a particularly sharp funding dip as foreign donations fall.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Budi Harsanto ◽  
Chrisna T. Permana

PurposeThis study aims to explore the development of sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI) in the cultural village. SOI has recently generated widespread interest, both academically and practically, by factoring in environmental and social impacts in addition to economic aspects. However, previous works have mostly been performed at profit organisations, with few discussed at the non-profit, and likewise, in the cultural village.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a qualitative approach by focusing on a unique case, Laweyan Batik Village in Surakarta, Indonesia. Founded in the 15th century, Laweyan Batik Village remains the oldest batik village in Indonesia. Batik is the traditional fabric of Indonesia, influenced by Arabian, Chinese and European patterns, that was recognised in 2009 by UNESCO as part of the World's Intangible Cultural Heritage. The actor-network theory (ANT) is used as an analytical framework to understand the process of SOI development through the role of actors in developing innovations.FindingsThe findings suggest that, it is not only in mainstream business sectors and formal settings, as already evidenced by existing literature, that SOI can be promoted, but also in community sectors and within informal settings. This paper has found that the development of sustainability innovation in these settings is challenged by the dynamics of the actors and the institutional settings. The overall development process of sustainability innovation has been undertaken through so-called “collaborative practices”, emphasising the involvement of government actors and non-government actors, highlighting community leaders, academics and NGOs as the “in-between” actors who provide knowledge sharing and maintain communications to ensure the promotion of the SOI concepts and programmes.Originality/valueThis research contributes in two main ways: first, an understanding of the process of sustainability innovation in a cultural village that has not been deeply explored by current literature; and second, the use of the actor network theory as an analytical framework from which to map the process of SOI collaborative development through networking dimensions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 567-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajah Rasiah ◽  
Makmor Tumin ◽  
Latifa Musafar Hameed ◽  
Ibrahim Ndoma

This article examines the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in contesting healthcare commercialization in Malaysia. The article uses a novel framework to analyze the emergence of CSOs to protect the interests of the disadvantaged against commercialization initiatives. CSO action has expanded following the formation of social networks and election into parliament of individuals who share their views to oppose healthcare commercialization in the country. Against the odds, the evidence suggests that a significant presence of CSOs has emerged to challenge healthcare commercialization. Political changes have also given CSOs the opportunity to campaign for the protection of the interests of the disadvantaged in Malaysia’s healthcare development processes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Uzoamaka Gladys Eze ◽  
Nwamaka Adaora Iguh

This paper appraises the legal framework for the regulation of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Africa with particular reference to Nigeria. The paper examines the legal environment for the operation of SMEs in Africa by appraising the laws enacted for the promotion of SMEs in Nigeria. The paper further examines the laws in order to discover whether they adequately provide for the extant needs of SMEs in Africa in the areas of technology acquisition, access to micro-credit, infrastructure, energy-supply and access to the market for finished products. The paper finds that the laws providing for the needs of SMEs are scanty and still in their embryonic stages. Apart from this, they do not cover most areas of need of the SMEs. Moreover, the enforcement of available laws is still far from satisfactory in Nigeria. There is a need for adequate legal protection for SMEs in Africa in order to stem the growing unemployment and poverty rates across the continent.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document