A government-organized non-governmental organization (GONGO) is a non-governmental organization that was set up or sponsored by a government in order to further its political interests and mimic the civic groups and civil society at home, or promote its international or geopolitical interests abroad.
Video Government-organized non-governmental organization
History
The term GONGO had become established by the late 1980s, and it was suggested that it was first introduced by a group of Indonesian non-governmental organizations.
Maps Government-organized non-governmental organization
Goals
A government-organized non-governmental organization (GONGO) can be created for any sound political or social purpose, however, in reality, it would be functioning as a mechanism of the government to further its domestic political interests and realize its economic and foreign policy objectives. Sometimes, GONGOs are created to solicit international aid, or mitigate specific humanitarian issues. Though not necessarily confined to developing countries, most often, GONGOs are set up by undemocratic governments to maintain some level of control of a GONGO's personnel, purpose, operation or activities. This control is often not seen in a positive light, as it compromises the spirit of an NGO by introducing hidden actors and withholding the government's intentions from the public.
Examples
Examples of government-organized non-governmental organization:
- International Union for Conservation of Nature
- Red Cross Society of China
- World Without Nazism
- Nashi
- National Endowment for Democracy
See also
- Grey propaganda
- Quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation
References
Further reading
- Cumming, Lawrence S. GONGOs. In Anheier, Helmut K, and Stefan Toepler. International Encyclopedia of Civil Society. Berlin: Springer, 2010.
- Naim, Moises. What is a Gongo. In Mansbach, Richard W, and Edward Rhodes. Global Politics in a Changing World: A Reader. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth / Cengage Learning, 2009.
- Sharma, Aradhana. Logics of Empowerment: Development, Gender, and Governance in Neoliberal India. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2008.
External links
- Definition for a GONGO, The New York Times, October 29, 2010.
Source of article : Wikipedia