NGOs AND THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION: AN IRISH PERSPECTIVE

In Ireland the role of development non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is rarely interrogated. There is, rather, a shared discourse across the government, NGO and academic sectors which does not really encourage critical enquiry. One of the reasons is, arguably, the reduction of support for development education that would have kept that critical lens more active. In light of the recent Oxfam and Goal scandals, we must ask if development NGOs are now 'part of the problem' rather than 'part of the solution' to use a 1960s phrase. After a brief context-setting section Why Now? which discusses recent events around the NGOs, we start our enquiry with a set of Deconstructions of relevant terms such as 'development', 'civil society', 'human rights' and the term 'NGO' itself, too often referred to in reverential or uncritical ways in the NGO literature and more widely. We then move on to consider whether it is a case of Irish exceptionalism which explains why the political economy of development and NGOs debate in Ireland seems so insulated from international debates. Finally, we open up a Discussion which tries to pose some of the main matters arising from our enquiry. We understand our discussion might seem challenging to some, but we hope to spark an open debate on whether NGOs are part of the solution or, rather, part of the problem. This debate is too important to be left to the NGOs alone and requires the critical engagement of development education we would argue.