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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

gender, nationality, nongovernmental organizations, NGO

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Political Science

Abstract

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) play an important role in international development. While the NGO sector addresses hundreds of issues and annually administers millions of dollars in aid (Hall-Jones 2006, Djelic 2006), these organizations are often Western based, which generates debates regarding the appropriateness of Western-based interventions in developing countries. One side argues that these foreign NGOs often use a one-size-fits-all approach, which fails to effectively help the community and only perpetrates cultural imperialism; the opposing side argues that Westerners have skills and resources that can provide invaluable assistance to impoverished communities (Easterly 2006, Sachs 2005). Unfortunately, these arguments mainly focus on the sponsors rather than the beneficiaries: currently very little research strives to understand the community’s reaction to different NGOs. If the aim of development is to improve the livelihood of people, it is critical to understand the effect of nationality on a community’s receptiveness to NGO involvement.

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