Operationalising Bottom-Up Learning in International NGOs: Barriers and Alternatives
Power, Grant, Matthew Maury, and Susan Maury. “Operationalising Bottom-Up Learning in International NGOs: Barriers and Alternatives.” Development in Practice 12, nos. 3-4 (2002): 272-284. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0961450220149663.
In this article, Power, Maury, and Maury address the question of whose interests international NGOs (INGOs) serve. The interests of stakeholders in INGOs are typically diverse. The authors explain that while the values of groups may often align with the communities they are trying to serve, organisations also must take into consideration the interests of their donors. Donors want to see results quickly, which results in the implementation of programs and the creation of structures that can be ultimately unhelpful to local communities. The authors describe this phenomenon as the alien hand syndrome and propose a solution known as Bottom-Up Learning (BUL). This article further highlights the importance of consultation with local communities in NGO work and demonstrates ways in which BUL can be used to change the systems and cultures of NGOs to properly serve communities. This forced self-reflection at an organisational level is part of a wider conversation on top-down and bottom-up peacebuilding that addresses these same issues. Top down-approaches, while well-intentioned, can be ineffective or even widen the disconnect between marginalised communities and INGOs without being properly informed from a bottom-up grassroots level. The authors argue that these community connections must be taken into account by INGOs and integrated into a top-down approach. This necessarily changes how a top-down approach might look for many organisations. The authors conclude by stating that organisations that are willing to adapt and reshape their organisational structure to give voices to those they are actually serving will ultimately gain the trust of communities and the ability to empower them, which promotes peace in the long term.
Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0961450220149663.