Snakes in paradise
Subtitle: NGOs and the aid industry in Africa
By: by Hans Holmén.
Publisher: Kumarian Press
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Sterling, VA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 320
ISBN-13: 9781565493018; 9781565493025
Subjects: Economic assistance -- Africa, Sub-Saharan; Non-governmental organizations -- Africa, Sub-Saharan; Poverty -- Africa, Sub-Saharan
Description: "Beginning in the 1980s, sub-Saharan Africa witnessed a veritable explosion of NGOs and CSOs engaged in efforts to develop the subcontinent. Often praised for their commitment, flexibility, close contact with grassroots movements and marginalized groups, these organizations have become the darlings of donors and the UN system. During the same period, however, rural Africa has sunk deeper into poverty. The massive NGO engagement appears not to have made any meaningful progress." "Snakes in Paradise breaks through the generalizations and neat theories to discover why these efforts have failed. Focusing especially on those local NGOs that are frequently overlooked by studies that cover the major international players, Holmen uncovers a NGO landscape that is considerably more ambiguous than the popular development literature would have people believe."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.