NGO Field Workers in Bangladesh (SOAS Studies in Development Geography)

FROM THE PUBLISHER

NGOs are receiving increasing international attention and resources from policy makers, donors, academics and others. The New Policy Agenda accepts NGOs as agents for social welfare alongside the state and as fostering democracy in the Developing World.
Astonishingly, however, there have been very few studies and no books on NGO fieldworkers. This study of fieldworkers in Bangladesh, provides excellent insights into this neglected field. Bangladesh is an excellent example as, since independence in 1971, it has been a �donor-dependent' country, both financially and functionally, and since the 1980s has concentrated this funding towards NGOs rather than to the state.
The book shows how fieldworkers are seen simply as implementers, carrying out directions given by their superiors and never being consulted on how best to achieve their goals. The book examines four types of NGOs � international, national, regional and small/local � in a number of sample locations. It compares the benefits and facilities provided by each NGO to their fieldworkers, then explores the socio-economic background of both fieldworkers and their mid-level managers and examines the interactions between these two groups and between fieldworkers and their clients. It also looks at the fieldworkers' personal and professional lives and problems and details their opinions on their NGO's activities and policies and on �development'.
The findings show that NGO managers and donors lack knowledge of the realities in the field and do not realise how certain policies, such as their positive discrimination of women, can have negative results. It proposes that NGO fieldworkers should be more active in policy making and puts forward several recommendations for changes in the management and structure of future NGOs.

Author Biography: Dr Mokbul Morshed Ahmad, Department of Geography and Environment, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh

SYNOPSIS

This useful volume presents case studies and research of the experiences and effectiveness of field workers working for NGOs (non- governmental organizations) in the author's native Bangladesh. The lives and activities of fieldworkers in programs that include homestead development and agriculture are chronicled in detail. To show the differences between them, Ahmad (U. of Dhaka, Bangladesh) selected an international, large, and a local NGO, expanding on issues that include donors, the state, clients, the interactions between field workers and their clients, the views of field workers on NGO policy and the notion of development. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

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