INGOs: A Turning Point

At a well-attended event on 2 December, Professor Helen Yanacopulos launched her new book, International NGO Engagement, Advocacy, Activism: The Faces and Spaces of Change. The book is based on a large number of interviews with development professionals, and emerges from debates around terms such as 'NGO-isation' and claims that aid simply isn't working. In it, Yanacopulos sets out to write as a critical friend of INGOs, arguing that if they are to become the agents of change they profess, then they need to utilise political spaces and values more strategically – not least new and dynamic deliberative spaces such as digital environments and user-generated content.

Calling for global relationships based on solidarity rather than charity, Yanacopulos explores INGOs' role as the primary mediator of development to the wider public, and how they might better harness the huge goodwill behind events such as Live Aid. In particular she discusses the need to move audiences beyond spikes of sympathy towards a deeper understanding of, and engagement with, the complex issues of global inequality and poverty. 

In the words of Erla Thrandardottir, Visiting Research Fellow, City University:

'[The book] exposes some of the brutal truths of running an NGO, pointing out the mismatch between their non-profit purposes and their daily corporate style management. It also stresses that there is a strong need for an honest dialogue about what NGOs are trying to achieve and how they go about doing that, because this is essential for securing a long-term trust in the sector. The author demonstrates clearly that the current relationship NGOs have with the wider public is an outdated one and needs rehabilitation if it is to survive in a new and changed world.'

Published by Palgrave Macmillan, International NGO Engagement, Advocacy, Activism: The Faces and Spaces of Change is vital reading for students, practitioners and supporters of NGOs. Download your special discount of 30%, valid until 31 December 2015.