Doing the ‘Donor Dance
Agency in Unequal NGO Partnerships in Nigeria’s Farmer–Herder Conflict
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6459535 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Martinluther Nwaneri, Balázs Szent-Iványi (0000-0002-5883-4601) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 791-801 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Voluntas Revista Internacional de Filosofia (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2179-3786 • E-ISSN: 1573-7888 |
| Publisher | Springer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11266-025-00763-x |
| OpenAlex | W4413788298 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 43 |
Partnerships between international and local NGOs (INGOs and LNGOs) have often been analysed using principal–agent theory, where INGOs treat LNGOs as implementing agents and control their actions. The paper examines how LNGOs can improve their agency in these relationships to create more equal partnerships and thus greater local ownership. We propose a framework in which LNGOs can draw on material, organizational and ideational sources of power to improve their agency. The framework is applied to a case of a peacebuilding project in Nigeria’s farmer–herder conflict. The project was run by an INGO in partnership with two Nigerian LNGOs. The LNGOs had rather different experiences of the partnership. The paper argues that these are explained by differences in their organizational power and how this power was enhanced by ideational power. Material power mattered, but did not play a central role. The findings show that LNGOs can enhance their positions in partnerships if they have effective internal policies and procedures, local and contextual knowledge, and can frame these strategically
Agency (philosophy · Art · Dance · Economic growth · Economics · Political science · Social science · Socioeconomics · Sociology · International Development and Aid · Religion, Society, and Development · Tourism, Volunteerism, and Development
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Nongovernmental Organizations and Influence on Global Public Policy
Improving Development Ownership Among Vulnerable People
Understanding the Limits of Transnational NGO Power
Improving the credibility and effectiveness of non-governmental organizations
Strategic Exclusion
Corridors of Power
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Comparing the Determinants of US-Funded NGO Aid Versus US Official Development Aid
Facing the Bullet? Non-Governmental Organisations’ (NGOs’) Responses to the Changing Aid Landscape in Ghana
NGO Failure
Civil Society Partnerships
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NGOs, States, and Donors Revisited
Introduction Beyond Partnership
The NGO Scramble
Development NGOs and the Challenge of Partnership
Actors, Norms, and Impact
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The missionary position
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NGOs and Western hegemony
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |