NGOs for Development: Experience of Bangladesh

In developing countries, due to the public sector failure caused by the lack of resources, expertise, political will, and human capital, non-government organizations (NGOs) have become an effective alternative way to deliver public services to the poor. This chapter emphasizes the role of NGOs in the socio-economic-political development of Bangladesh. It sheds light on the emergence of NGOs in Bangladesh, including a pre-2000 role of social welfare, relief, and rehabilitation, and benevolent genres, along with a movement to a post-2000 role in social business-oriented operationalization. Though NGOs are criticized for not reaching to the most marginal poor, causing confusion among people by duplicating the government services, and non-incorporating the voices of the poor in the decision-making process, we found that the NGOs are serving across the country in the form of galloping diverse programs and projects which (i) create social and political awareness among the group of underprivileged and socially vulnerable communities, (ii) assess the needs and demand of the mentioned group of people, and (iii) train and drive them toward social, political, and economic development-oriented activities. To justify the arguments mentioned above, a case study on the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC)—the top global NGO—is incorporated at the end of the chapter to depict how a plethora of multifaceted programs, including microfinance, education, healthcare, legal rights, women empowerment, agriculture, and socially responsible businesses, contributed to the positive social changes and development in Bangladesh.