Progress in Development Studies

One of the most striking features of the anglophone literature on NGOs is the diversity of NGO sectors and their contributions to civil society and democracy; yet, exploration of this complexity is often eschewed in favour of a normative approach in which the apparently mutually enhancing relationship between NGOs, civil society and the state is underpinned by liberal democratic assumption rather than an engagement with wider debates about the politics of development. Following a critique of this approach to NGOs, civil society and democracy, the paper argues that the role of NGOs in the politics of development is far more complex than much of the NGO literature would suggest, and calls for a more contextualized and less value-laden approach to the understanding of the political role of NGOs.

Software and globalization provide both opportunities and challenges to developing countries. Whether these opportunities are successfully utilized depends upon the availability of infrastructure and educational skills, a conclusion arrived at by many development debates over the past few decades. We will consider the impact of the software industry on development, drawing on the case of India. We show that in India, a number of factors have come together to contribute to the success of this industry, in spite of relatively poor infrastructure and education levels. In this case, however, the inadequacy of infrastructure and education have manifested themselves in an uneven spread of the benefits of this industry, leading to enclave-type development in urban centres in the southern and western parts of the country. While this is improving, the government has to take an active role to ensure a more even spread of the benefits accruing from this industry.