Understanding the History of the International Aid System and the Development Research Tradition: The Case of the Disappearing Religious NGOs

Abstract

This article asks why religious NGOs have been almost completely neglected in decades of research on development and NGOs, in spite of the historical fact that they have been central actors in the international aid system since its very beginning. In order to answer this question, fundamental issues are raised regarding how to approach and understand the history of the international aid system and development research in general. Revisiting this research tradition, examining its perspectives and normative concepts, and NGO activism, might help us better analyse the aid system itself, the roles of NGOs in general and religious NGOs in particular, and the impact of the international aid system on relationships between states and civil society.

Keywords:

• international aid system
• non-governmental organisations
• religious organisations
• development aid era
• universalism
• development research