Europeanization of civil society organizations in times of crisis? Exploring the evolution grant-seeking strategies in the EU multi-level system

This article analyses how humanitarian and development Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have responded to the alteration of public funding opportunities over a long time period. Analysing a long time period allows for a better understanding of the potential impact of external shocks, such as the European sovereign and debt crisis. Data show that many CSOs severely affected by budget cuts at the national level in the context of the euro crisis have adopted a compensation strategy consisting on turning more frequently to international and European funds. Thus, in some countries, the economic crisis has contributed to the Europeanization of CSOs. This in-depth comparative qualitative analysis is based on the study of national humanitarian and development CSOs based in France and Spain

French NGOs and the state: Paving the way for a new partnership?

This paper asks whether French non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have fallen into line with the trend towards partnership with the state that has marked the Northern non-profit sector, most notably Anglo-American NGOs, over the last two decades. It shows how French NGO-state relations were poor over the early post-colonial years. It then demonstrates how, over the global era, the French government has made overtures and how NGOs, particularly developmental NGOs (NGDOs), have embraced these legal, financial and consultative concessions, while refusing to see them as the basis of a mutually consenting partnership. Finally, it explains the continuing lack of French NGDO-state rapport in terms of Resource Dependence theory

Transnational Associations and INGOs: Macro-Associations

Taking international non-governmental organizations as the key unit of analysis, this chapter outlines the nature and history of transnational voluntary associations since the early nineteenth century before proceeding to evaluate the transformation of their organizational forms in the post-Cold War era and their shifting geographical distribution. It is argued that the traditional hierarchical model of an international organization headquartered in ‘Western’ countries is becoming increasingly challenged by new organizational forms based in multiple regions of the world. The chapter then considers the practices of transnational associations, exploring their advocacy and service roles with particular reference to the mechanisms for evaluating these organizations’ effectiveness in fulfilling these roles. The proposition that transnational associations have contributed towards the development of global civil society and the enhancement of global democracy is then considered, before proceeding to an evaluation of perspectives on their legitimacy and accountability, which have become increasingly central to the research agenda on transnational associations. The chapter concludes by making recommendations for future research into transnational associations