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The politics of NGO registration in international protectorates: the cases of Bosnia and Iraq
Author(s) -
Bolton Matthew,
Jeffrey Alex
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
disasters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.744
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1467-7717
pISSN - 0361-3666
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-7717.2008.01056.x
Subject(s) - legislation , civil society , politics , agency (philosophy) , transparency (behavior) , political science , public administration , government (linguistics) , state (computer science) , work (physics) , law , public relations , sociology , engineering , mechanical engineering , social science , linguistics , philosophy , algorithm , computer science
Following international interventions in Bosnia‐Herzegovina 1 and Iraq, non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) have played a central role in delivering humanitarian relief, encouraging participation in new systems of government, and advocating on behalf of marginalised groups. Although intervening agencies have framed such autonomous organisations as unquestionably virtuous, scholars have increasingly questioned the agency of NGOs, pointing to the constraining effects of funding and regulatory mechanisms. This paper contributes to this body of work by offering a detailed examination of legislation requiring NGOs to register with nascent state institutions. Drawing on case study material from Bosnia and Iraq, it argues that NGO registration should not be dismissed as a technical or legal matter, but that it should be embraced as a significant political practice embedded in relations of power. Registration legislation has increased the transparency of NGO funding origins and institutional practices, yet it has simultaneously acted as a barrier to smaller organisations and led to the transmission of international objectives through civil society entities.