The Problem of Accountability in International Development NGOs

My dissertation examines the problem of accountability in international development non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which are private voluntary associations that aim to bring about sustainable improvements in a state's ability to provide essential services for its citizens. Despite the significant impact that NGO activities have on the distribution of wealth, resources and opportunities in the world, these organizations are not held accountable for their decisions or failures. The vast majority of NGOs are only required to satisfy minimal reporting requirements; beyond self-reporting there is very little oversight of their activities. I offer two explanations for this accountability deficit. The first is a theoretical problem: it is not clear to whom NGOs have obligations, and therefore to whom they ought to answer. The second is a practical problem: these organizations operate in a regulatory gap of sorts. My dissertation addresses these issues, building a model of accountability for NGOs and recommending policy changes.;The dissertation makes three primary contributions to the literature. First, I challenge the widely held view that accountability is a simple concept and offer a positive account of what accountability requires, addressing a lack of conceptual clarity in the literature. Second, I develop a principle of affected interests for development NGOs and use this principle to specify to whom and for what these organizations ought to be accountable. Finally, calling on the conceptual analysis and criteria developed in the previous chapters, I explain why existing mechanisms of NGO accountability are insufficient and suggest reforms. Contrary to much recent work, I argue that the tension between upward (donor/regulator) and downward (beneficiary/host state) accountability is not an intractable problem.;This study of the problem of NGO accountability contributes to a growing body of literature that reconsiders what we owe others beyond our borders and how we ought to govern organizations that have transnational reach. Globalization has raised a variety of challenges to the way we think about relationships of power and our obligations to others. My research takes up these challenges and helps bridge the gap between theory and practice.