Face of Research on European Social Development: Abstract Reader

2005

The idea of" civil society"'hasachieved proiinnce i politicaland de; elopmental dis course over the past two decades, pirticularly in connection with success i ve waves of democratization beginning in Latin Arnica and Eastern Europe and spreading across the developing vorld. In normati ve ter1ms, cixvil ociety h, been Vidl 1 Seen as an increasingly crucial agent for lInitmgauthoritarian goernme nt, sttengthe Itg popular empoxwer mncit, reducig the socially atomizing and unsetthng effect, of.

2013

The review has been based on the use of the evaluation criteria of: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact; sustainability; coherence and the European Commission's added value. As mentioned, the review covers the period of the NSA-LA Programme implementation in Palestine (2007-2012 3) and the actions that have been financed in East Jerusalem, Gaza Strip and the West Bank through the local CfP including the support measures: the whole set of 28 projects, was analysed using basic documents, a visit to the concerned organisation and a questionnaire; a sample of 9 projects, has been considered for an "in-depth" analysis, including a wider set of information sources and documents. Priority targets for NSA calls in Palestine Projects targeting deprived territories especially but not limited to, Gaza Strip and seam zone Projects empowering community based organisations and grass root groups, with a special emphasis on social services delivery involving young people Projects that promote and demonstrate good organisational governance, including participatory approaches, accountability and evidence based needs analysis Projects that include capacity building at all levels 2008 Projects that strength coalitions, networking and alliances at all levels including national dialogue in order to consolidate the voice of Non State Actors and their advocacy capacity towards decision makers Projects that target population groups in the Gaza Strip that were affected by the so-called Israeli "Cast lead" operation, specially women, children and youth Projects that empower community based organisations and grass root groups, with a special emphasis on engaging young people to deliver social services in their communities 2009 Projects that facilitate interaction, networking and coordination between governmental entities and Non State Actors

Actual planning for developmental projects implemented by NGOs in the southern part of West Bank, 2007

Over the course of the years, Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations developed to become an important part of the Palestinian society. Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations witnessed a tangible increase in the size and the number of projects planned, presented for funding and executed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Contemporary Arab Affairs

This article uses game theory as a conceptual approach to gain a holistic understanding of the aid policy of donors supporting Palestinian nongovernmental organizations (PNGOs). It asks how the work of donor-funded PNGOs has impacted Palestinian societal common good in general, and who are the winners and losers as a result of their work. Quantitative methods are used to capture the perceptions of the main actors in relation to the societal outcomes of PNGOs’ work and actors’ political and socio-economic payoffs in the occupied West Bank. Most of the findings align with much of the critical research on the negative societal outcomes of the aid policy to the NGO sector, and corroborate that the Palestinian public is a major loser in political terms and the least beneficiary in socio-economic terms.

Journal of Comparative International Management, 2014

argue that the participatory approach in the development projects of a non-governmental organization, NGO, is more effective and sustainable than the externally imposed expert-driven approach. According to this research stream, the participatory approach promotes self-respect, dignity, inclusiveness, and empowerment of people involved in the project and, simultaneously, it improves the external local environment for the NGO. The key point of this paper is that adopting only the participatory approach may not be optimal, as this approach involves costs to learn about local culture, values and attitudes, and to design and implement feasible participatory development practices. Accordingly, an economically sensible and sustainable strategy for the NGO will be to use a mixture of both approaches. In this paper, the optimal level of participatory approach is theoretically derived and numerically illustrated.

2006

R o b e r t S c h u m a n C e n t r e f o r A d v a n c e d S t u d i e s Mediterranean Programme Series Abstract This paper offers an alternative approach to civil society by stressing the potential tension that might arise in the case of transnational civil society promotion. It analyses the historical evolution of the category of international donors, their ways of conceiving of civil society promotion in the case of the Palestinian territories and the way aid is given to local NGOs. It demonstrates that donors are far from being a homogenous category and that, despite the increasingly professionalized apparatus behind civil society promotion, donors' visions of civil society might actually be one of the reasons for the difficult democratisation of the Arab countries.

Journal of International Development, 1991

Cosmopolitan Civil Societies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 2020

This study presents factors that encourage Palestinian NGOs to embrace financial sustainability employing modern ideologies that encompass community engagement, voluntarism, collaboration, and business-like practices in order to meet societal challenges. The study explores the reliance of Palestinian NGOs on external funds (donor-driven funds) and the environment impact of their attempts at financial sustainability. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews with 22 NGOs in the West Bank and Gaza in 2019. The data were analyzed through thematic analysis using the computer software MAXQDA. Key findings were that Palestinian NGOs need to alleviate the dependency on a donor-driven model by functioning independently from donors’ agendas; and that Palestinian NGOs need to collaborate with each other to centralize their efforts and avoid fragmentation. Further, the Palestinian government needs to revisit the relevant laws to regulate the civil society sector and avoid competition...

Absract Since 1948, the Israel's illegal occupation in Palestine has witnessed substantial political instability, economic blockade, military violence and social unrest. In response to that humanitarian crisis, many international Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), including Malaysian NGOs have come forward to render assistance and lessen the plight of the Palestinians. This paper evaluates the contributions of three Malaysian NGOs namely Aqsa Syarif, Aman Palestine and Viva Palestina Malaysia to Palestinian people and organizations. The aims of this study is to examine the roles of these NGOs in assisting and strengthening Palestinian economy by studying the strengths and weaknesses of their projects' implementations in Gaza.

Refugee Survey Quarterly, 2010

This article traces the evolution of the approach of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to refugee participation over the past 60 years through a discussion of the Agency’s programmes and its relationship with the refugees it serves. The article identifies a range of participatory approaches: participation in economic reintegration; participation in the manage- ment and delivery of Agency services; participation in project planning, implemen- tation, monitoring, and evaluation; and stakeholder participation. The article illustrates how the evolution in UNRWA’s approach to participation represents a significant shift in the Agency’s relationship with the Palestine refugees. While UNRWA traditionally viewed participation as a means of programme implementa- tion, the new approach acknowledges participation as a human right with the pri- mary objective of empowering refugees to realize their rights and improve social equity within the framework of the Agency’s mandate, values, and other UN prin- ciples. The article concludes that the fundamental challenge for stakeholder partic- ipation will be to find ways to facilitate the participation of refugees in the search for and realization of durable solutions to their long-standing plight.

Journal of Peacebuilding and Development , 2016

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are considered crucial stakeholders in the Gaza Strip, mobilising and empowering society as key drivers of politics and change processes. They deliver actions in the fields of human rights, community development, conflict resolution, sports, women’s empowerment and more. This briefing discusses Palestinian NGOs in the Gaza Strip in their historical perspective; notably their peace and development policies and practices. It examines social, economic and political factors, circumstances and notable changes that have influenced NGO responses to changing circumstances in the region. It also discusses how NGOs participate in shaping the Gaza Strip’s social power structure. The briefing examines the established interests, reactions and responses of NGOs in light of societal needs stemming from multiple consecutive crises in the region. Indeed, there are many challenges facing NGOs in the recent political environment. The briefing also provides insight into their self-accommodation policy after Gaza’s breakaway from the West Bank in 2007–2013.Finally,it hints at challenges facing Gaza-based NGOs fol- lowing the Israeli assault on Gaza in the summer of 2014, which caused enormous destruction for citizens and the environment.

2009

The role of United States of America Aid in promoting economic growth and improving the social welfare of people has been the subject of much debate among development specialists, researchers, aid donors as well as recipients in general and Palestine in particular. This study explores the effect of USAID funding on developing the Palestinian Community using descriptive statistics for data that spans from 2000 to 2008. The study concludes that the USAID funding has contributed to the basic Human development requirements for Palestinian community but it did not fully meet Palestinian aspirations and expectations. Although those funding resulted in some V

Development in Practice, 2016

Despite their growing significance in the development field, academic research regarding development NGOs from emerging donors, such as South Korea, is almost non-existent. This study is based on a case study of LotusWorld, a Korean NGO, and its two recent projects conducted in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Based on interviews with Korean staff and with a group of villagers in the local community, the article examines how LotusWorld’s vision and practices of participation have evolved from the first project to the second, as well as the challenges that they faced. Suggestions for further community participation are made for key actors.

This article explores perceived shifts in roles for NGOs and religious actors after the creation of the Palestinian National Authority with the 1993 Oslo Accords, using original data from a survey of more than 1,000 community members in the West Bank and Gaza. The survey data show a centralisation of requests for assistance from the Palestinian National Authority, with a decrease in requests from local government, NGOs, and religious actors after the creation of the Palestinian National Authority. The support the empirical findings lend to theories of government and voluntary failure is discussed. Cet article traite de l’évolution perçue des rôles pour les ONG et les acteurs religieux après la création de l'Autorité nationale palestinienne avec les Accord d'Oslo de 1993, en utilisant des données originales tirées d'une enquête menée auprès de plus de 1 000 membres de communautés de Cisjordanie et de Gaza. Les données de cette enquête montrent une centralisation des demandes d'aide émanant de l'Autorité nationale palestinienne, et une diminution des demandes émanant des entités gouvernementales locales, des ONG et des acteurs religieux après la création de l'Autorité nationale palestinienne. Le fait que ces résultats empiriques soutiennent les théories concernant l’échec des gouvernements et des entités volontaires fait l'objet d'une discussion. Con base en información original aportada por una encuesta aplicada a más de mil habitantes de Cisjordania y de Gaza, el presente artículo examina los cambios que estos perciben en el rol desempeñado por las ong y los actores religiosos tras la creación de la anp a partir de los Acuerdos de Oslo de 1993. En este sentido, la información obtenida revela que, una vez formada la anp, las solicitudes de asistencia se centralizaron en esta, produciéndose, al mismo tiempo, el decremento de solicitudes provenientes del gobierno local, de las ong y de los actores religiosos. Al respecto, el artículo examina hasta qué punto los hallazgos empíricos apoyan las teorías de gobierno y del fracaso voluntario.

2000