Keynote speech

NGO/NPOs and E-Governance in Asian Countries

Hiromitsu Kataoka
DeanThe Okuma School of Public Management
Waseda UniversityJAPAN1. The Background of NGO/NPOS in Asian Countries
Asian countries have a long tradition of mutual help and self-help. Self-help wasconsidered to be an indispensable condition or mutual-help. For example, Confucius
said that those who wished to manifest their clear character to the world would firstbring order to the state: those who wished to bring order to the state would first regulatefamilies: those who wished to regulate the families would first cultivate their character(Nosco, p. 338). In his theory, every thing must start from individuals who cultivate anddiscipline themselves and not either from the order of the state or from the regulation offamily. Peter Nosco characterized Confucius' theory as a version of the organistic theoryof the state in which families and individuals are included in the state as its parts. Nosco
is true in saying that Confucius had in mind no civil society inclusive of secular andvoluntary associations of the sort suggestive of his understanding of civil society. But heis wrong as far as he misses the difference between the Western version of the organic
theory of the state and that of Confucius who insisted that the order of the state or thefamily regulation must emanate from an individual who cultivate and disciple himself
and not vices versa.
Influenced by the Confucian school of thought or not, the traditions of Asian countries
were abound with voluntary associations and activities. In Japan, for example, they
could be traced back to the ancient time when a Buddhist monk Gyoki (668-749)
organized groups of technicians and monks to help build roads, bridges, harbors andreservoirs as well as hospitals and penitentiaries, asking the participation of peasants. At
last he came to participate in the national project of building the great image of Buddha
at Nara.
I believe that Japan would not be an exception in Asia. Even in the Asiatic despotism ofChina which Wittfogel said was based upon hydro-engineering power, there were lots ofrooms for the private hands to prevail (Gates). Mutual help among villagers, exchangeof help between those who committed themselves to do so and family tie continued tobe strong until the dawn of the modern age all over the Asian countries.

2. Growing NGO/NPOs in Asia
After the modern age, some of them were destroyed, but some remained strong in somecountries at least. Both South Korea and North Korea are famous for their robust
Confucian tradition even today. In Japan, new kinds of voluntary associations andnot-for profit corporations and cooperatives burgeoned after the traditional ties weredisplaced by the modernization efforts of Meiji era. Some of them were mutual-helporganizations, but others were dedicated for public purposes. In this sense, Asiancountries are different from countries of Eastern Europe which must start to build civilsociety from the scratches of the traditional ties destroyed by the communist regimes aall (Badescu et al). Many Asian countries have a reservoir of social capital upon which
they can build civil society.
As a matter of course, most of Asian countries had a disadvantage of having being ruledby centralized bureaucratic systems. According to Anthony Cheung and lan Scott, thesesystems may have their origins either in the systems of control devised by former
colonial powers as in the cases of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines or in a search
for national unity and social order as in the cases of Japan, Thailand and South Korea (p.
7).
They say that Asian leaders have been suspicious of the potentially disruptive
consequences of devolving power to the non-state institutions and wanted to supervise
and control strictly non-governmental organizations. In spite of the intents of the leaders,
however, NPOs and NGOs are gaining power in these countries, because governmentsof these countries have proved themselves to be incompetent to tackle with the delicate
problems in the age of Permanent White Water and enhanced change caused bycomplexity and interdependence alone. The governmental way of dealing with problems
with the principle of universalism and uniformity has left a lot of space for NPOs andNGOs to do important jobs other ways. A government needs collaboration, alliance andpartnership not only with companies of the private sector but also with NPOs and NGOs.
NPOs and NGOs are, however, still in a weak position against government even after
the Law of NPOs was passed in 1998 as in the case of Japan.

3. NGO/NPOs and E-governanceIn order to assure its role in a society and gain power necessary for them against bothgovernment and for-profit private corporations, NPOs and NGOs must form and join asocial network. By forming a social network, they can bring together their resources andcan gain what Chris Huxham calls a collaborative advantage. Social capital for them is,however, so fragmented and dispersed and trust is apt to be divided according to avertical line.
In order to overcome this crucible, E-governance offers a handsome chance to open up
and widen a social network beyond a small circle and even beyond the narrow confineof the nation-state. Offering information, E-governance makes it easy to find an
appropriate partner or partners and form enduring relation with each other, resulting in
more trust and social capital. Especially, a social network formed beyond the nationalboundaries strengthens a position of a NGO or NPO to challenge a public goal bygetting more funds or a say against government or a for-profit corporation. A foreigncounterpart gains also by having a reach to a developmental region via native NGOS
who are versed in the way of life of people in the region. Between a donor and donee,
there is a transparent exchange of money and information through which a donee owes
accountability to a donor made possible by means of E-governance. Alnoor Ebrahim's
recent book titled NGOs and Organizational Change: Discourse, Reporting and Leaning
reports a successful relation between EC and Indian NGOs AKRSP and Sadguru
mediated by the Aga Khan Foudation based in Geneva and the Ford Foundation. Thiskind of a relation is made possible only by E-governance connected with Information
Technology (IT). In these ways, NGOs and NPOs can play a role larger than otherwise
possible
The NPOs and NGOs' currency is trust which must be shared mutually by both parties
either simultaneously or successively. Trust and social capital are an important basis forthe development of a civil society. Development of it via E-governance might enhancetrust and social capital in its turn. Many Asian countries have already progressed toward
a civil society in spite of the occasional intervention of government. But we have toassure a more blight future for a civil society by active involvement of NPOs and NGOsin solving societal problems via E-governance. The alliances of NGOs and NPOs
beyond the national borders with foreign counterparts via E-governance will enhancetheir power and voice by forming an international opinion which a national government
could not easily ignore, thus contributing to a civil society.

4. Information Technology and NGO/NPOs

As is pointed out by Peter Drucker, a NGO or NPO is usually organized aroundinformation and communication instead of around hierarchy. This means that its
structure is much flatter with less layers which might threaten to distort the flow ofinformation. Such an organization will fail unless each person takes information
responsibility to learn to ask two questions: What information do I need to do my job
and from whom, when and how can I get it? And: What information do I owe others sothat they can do their jobs, in what forms and when? (p. 1l5)
Now everyone can take this responsibility with or without the help of information
technology (IT). Oral and informal communication can not be neglected to facilitate
information exchange for this purpose. But the use of IT and information system (IS)enhance accuracy, speed and transparency of communication among those who musttake information responsibility. At the same time, they further increase efficiency,
decentralization and improve resource management and marketization (Heeks, pp. 18-9).
IT and IS offer more opportunity to reach more clients, serve them better, and decrease
service costs (Werther et al. , p. 132).
At the same time, many NGO/NPOs engage themselves in strategic management andplanning. In the context of strategic management, decision making should be viewed asa multiple process involving the gathering, evaluating, and disseminating of information(Steiss, p. 21). By stating their visions and missions clearly, they generate information
as to what are they and what role do they intend to play in a future society. This is an
important information for their prospective competitors and collaborators as well as or awhole society. To make a strategic plan, however, they must collect information about
external as well as internal environment and make such an analysis as TEMPLES andSWOT. If information is not enough or correct, they are destined to fail to make ananalysis intelligently, and to have a strategic plan at all. CEOs or top-managers might behelped by MlS and DSS. Information or a strategic plan is not a substitute for leadership,
however. A leader must have a wider view and insight beyond accumulated andprocessed information.
A citizen who needs a service of some NPOs might be also helped by IT by finding a
helpful NPO more easily through the Internet.
IT does not come cheap (Werther et al,p. 135). It’s not easy to have right access to rightinformation. There are problems of security and privacy also. Nevertheless, it will open

a blight future for NGO/NPOs and for a civil society by giving an opportunity tostrengthen and widen their activities in favor of a civil society.

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