The function of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) – as the most important representative of civil society - is first and foremost to organise society and to create ‘club goods’. Next to that, NGOs operate at two interfaces: (a) between the state and civil society and (b) between the market and civil society. The first interface is the most traditional. It is however especially the second interface that is undergoing rapid change. Since the early nineties, with the advent of the bargaining society, NGOs have been calling companies to account for their social responsibilities in a variety of ways. But NGOs have also themselves moved into the direction of ‘the’ market and have been expanding their activities across borders. NGOs have become multinationals themselves. Chapter 4 of the book ‘International Business-Society Management’ goes into the dynamics of the latter internationalisation process. The background document that you can find at this website, further specifies the roles that are adopted nowadays and in the future by a large variety of NGOs.
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NGO strategies at the interface with public and profit – [pdf
file, 518kb]