Navigation, Circumvention and Brokerage: The Tricks of the Trade of Developing NGOs in China

Chinese NGOs face strong coercive pressures and limitations yet have still emerged as notable actors in several issue areas. This article studies why and explains how a group of NGOs working on AIDS-related issues have been able to progress into relatively large and vibrant operations. It documents how NGO leaders have learned to navigate opportunities and risks, circumvent formal restrictions and broker pragmatic and largely informal arrangements that have enabled their organizations to grow and advance within China's authoritarian settings. The article contributes to the literature on Chinese NGO development and new institutionalism theory, and introduces a framework for studying NGOs based on their organizational forms and activities.

Pastoralist adaptation practices under non-governmental development interventions in Southern Ethiopia

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been playing important roles in facilitating pastoralist adaptation; however, focussed studies have yet to examine whether and how NGO interventions generate viable opportunities for adaptation and development in pastoral communities. This paper analyses how Boran pastoralists cope with various socio-environmental risks under NGO interventions in southern Ethiopia. We find that pastoralist adaptation practices under NGO development interventions enhanced diversification, communal pooling, storage, and market access, but compromised mobility. Changes in pastoralists’ pursuit of livelihoods facilitated alternative adaptation, but such changes risked exacerbating rangeland degradation, reinforcing dependence on external aid, and weakening indigenous institutions. We thus conclude by arguing for more conscious interventions that can mitigate risks without negatively influencing the wellbeing of human subjects and ecosystems.