What drives non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to internationalise?

Abstract

Commercial companies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are internationalising at an increasing pace. Yet little is known about what influences NGOs to operate in different countries, and how they manage this process. Indeed, research on the internationalisation of NGOs has been neglected in comparison to the large and growing literature on companies. This paper considers how theories of company internationalisation can be usefully extended to help understand the internationalisation of NGOs. Drawing on a survey and case study research it considers the ‘driving forces’ that influence the internationalisation of NGOs.