The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
Most people working in NGOs are driven by passion and a sense of mission. But good motives don’t guarantee good outcomes, argues Dan Corry, chief executive of New Philanthropy Capital in a seminar about non-profits, innovation, productivity and ‘theories of change’ in the UK charity sector. The discussion parallels debates about the effectiveness of South African NGOs. Corry calls for creative destruction to improve productivity and fast track social change. But Vicky...
It is predicted that trillions of dollars of wealth will be transferred to the hands of a new generation of philanthropists in the next half-century. “It’s the biggest inter-generational transfer of wealth that we've ever seen. (And) so much of what happens in the future will depend on what the rising generation of major donors (now in their twenties and thirties) will become. Will they do things very differently from the previous generation?", asks Caroline Hartnell of...
Civil society is considered to be an important stakeholder in any country that seeks to deepen its democracy. Defined as operating outside of the state and of the market, it is often referred to as the third sector.
Civil society organisations (CSOs) are varied in their character and in their purpose. But there is a common thread that holds them together, which is that they exist in public life to promote public good. In fact, the strength of a country’s civil society is often used...
Alexander O'Riordan -
Inclusive Development, a tiny California based NGO that lists only three advisors on its website, managed to do what many larger organisations or governments failed to do: hold donors to account for their potential complicity in human rights abuses.
In 2010, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that aid to Ethiopia was being used in a political manner – as a reward to those that supported the ruling party and as coercion for those critical of the ruling elite. The report, while well...
Alexander O'Riordan -
On April 30th 2013, the Mail and Guardian reported that the United Kingdom will phase out aid to South Africa. While the press has implied that the cuts are due to budget reasons, this is not at all the case.
When David Cameron was elected to power he was elected partly on the promise that he would cut spending in every government department except aid, education and health care. In keeping with his commitments, just over six months ago Prime Minister Cameron pledged to increase the...
Alexander O'Riordan -
Last week South African NGO, The Institute for Democracy in Africa (Idasa) announced its closure for lack of funds. Many have asked how this could happen when donor funding to South Africa is at a ten year high?
Participating donors report their financial disbursements to the OECD as part of a coordination and anti-corruption mechanism. Using the OECD QWIDS database, one can see that in 2011, donors reported $1.2 billion in disbursements to South Africa with $90 million (around R820...
