Thirteenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

In the development sector, the ‘usual suspect’, the ‘go-to’ actor at the country level is the non-governmental organization (NGO), which is – rightfully or not – favored over states. On the one hand, local NGOs are key actors without which development assistance could not take place, but on the other hand, they consistently evolve in an unstable fashion. Local NGOs rely heavily on foreign funds to operate and such funding imply a series of accountability mechanisms donors impose to control the funds are spent according to their policies and standards. Several studies have shown how these control mechanisms impact the daily work of the local NGOs. By looking at daily practices of local NGOs through an ethnographic approach in both Bangladesh and Jordan, this research sheds light on the dynamics among actors through reporting systems and questions the preconceived subordination of local NGOs to international organizations and donors. In practice, accountability mechanisms take place through filling out reporting templates, channeled through Word processing software such as Microsoft Excel and Word. Current studies have not yet addressed the controversies around the control mechanisms in their material forms such as reporting templates in the international development sector. This research aims to address this gap. In an era where computer technologies are defining more and more our human interactions and ways of working, the use of these control mechanisms is at the center of relations among stakeholders of a network.