kernodle blog 4
William M Kernodle
Professor Shirk
Pols 170
20 March 2022
Fourth Blog
The influence Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have on world issues has the potential to be quite the double edged sword. On one hand, organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation or the Red Cross have demonstrated a massive capacity to provide aid and do good for the marginalized citizens of the world. On the other hand, they operate with little to no oversight and are not necessarily beholden to any authority. Throughout my blog I will explore whether NGOs are a net benefit or if they're more of a risk than they're worth.
A major part of what makes NGOs such an asset is that they are free from the bureaucracy of government that almost always results in slow, delayed action. For example, the Red Cross does not have to get approval from anyone to provide aid to hurricane victims. Similarly, foundations do not need to ask permission to work on cancer research for years and years. Another huge advantage of NGOs is that they can draw massive amounts of funding and are often extremely focused on a single effort. There are many NGOs that have had massive impacts on huge world problems like cancer, aids, and hunger because they are so well funded and do not have to worry about anything else.
However, all these benefits are not without their drawbacks. While most people accept that the work most NGOs do is great, some are understandably scared of that free reign they enjoy and of other things. NGOs are not beholden to much, if any, regulation and would face little accountability for their actions. In some sense, the idea of independent groups running around and, in some cases, doing the job of government without actually being the government is frightening.
In conclusion, I personally feel like NGOs are far and away benefits to the world and that many people would be much worse off without them. While they could maybe use a little more regulation, they are capable of solving problems in ways governments cannot. In the end the pros outweigh the cons.
I really liked this blog post, especially in that you weighed both the positive and negative effects of NGOs. Your "thesis" is immediately apparent, and you waste no time discussing your topic of choice. My only comment would be to provide examples of the "good" and "bad" qualities of NGOs that were a little more specific and detailed. Otherwise, great job.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on this post, I think you did a good job outlining how NGOs differ from government authority and how they can operate as a result. More specifically, I liked your point about NGOs ability to act quickly and efficiently. One question I might have is how NGOs and governments might interact with one another or change how the other might operate.
ReplyDeleteNice blog post! I think you did a good job describing how NGOs both benefit society but also have little to no regulation over them. I think it would have been interesting if you brought up an example of an NGO not being held accountable for their actions due to the unregulated aspect of these organizations. Other than that, I enjoyed the topic you chose!
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