Confronting or Complementing? A Case Study on NGO-State Relations from Kerala, India

Authors: Thomas, Bejoy¹; Muradian, Roldan²; Groot, Gerard³; Ruijter, Arie⁴

Source: Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, Volume 21, Number 3, September 2010 , pp. 358-370(13)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

NGOs have, of late, found some of their traditional domains, such as provision of micro-credit and participatory development, coinciding with or being taken away by the state. How do they position themselves and retain relevance vis-a-vis the state in the changed scenario? Tracing the trajectory of interventions of a local NGO in Kerala, India, this article shows that NGOs exhibit `multiple identities'—selective collaboration, gap-filling and posing alternatives—in the process of engagement with the state. The `strategizing' of such identities may hold the key to their relevance vis-a-vis the state.

Keywords: Self-help groups; Multiple identities; Strategizing; Development

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11266-010-9129-5

Affiliations: 1: Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Royal Enclave, Srirampura, Jakkur Post, Bangalore, 560064, India, Email: bejoykt@yahoo.com 2: Centre for International Development Issues Nijmegen (CIDIN), Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands 3: Development Research Institute (IVO), Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands 4: Faculty of Humanities, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands

Publication date: 2010-09-01