Publications on Civil Society & Democratic Institutions

Charles Cadwell, a University of Maryland expert on the political economy of reform in developing nations, the relationship of institutions to economic development, and the implementation of legal and judicial reforms, has joined the Urban Institute as the director of its International Activities Center.

This brief provides an overview of the report, The International Charitable Nonprofit Subsector in the United States. It provides a snapshot of the international subsector through an analysis of trends in their size, resources, and scope from FY 2001 to FY 2003 in three major areas of operation: international development and assistance, international understanding, and international affairs. The brief confirms the central role of private support and financing for foreign aid and provides a window into the financial health of these organizations. It also gives an overview of the geographic concentrations and the depth of U.S. international nonprofit activities and enumerates the importance of small organizations.

A new report from the Urban Institute shows that despite widespread public concern in recent years about the plight of people in foreign lands, 40 percent of U.S.-based international nonprofits ran deficits in 2003.

Since the 1970s, U.S. government funding of international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) has risen dramatically, however, there is little research examining this trend. This analysis of U.S.-based INGOs uses the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics/GuideStar National Nonprofit Database to provide new insight into the government funding of these organizations. Analysis finds that despite a steady increase, government funding is still limited to a relatively small percentage of INGOs and federal dollars only contribute about a fifth of the overall revenue for the sector. Also, government funding varies across different types of INGO activities and regions. Findings additionally show that changes in foreign policy after 2001 affected foreign assistance funding for INGOs.

The conceptual and legal framework for the development of an effective system of local governance in Pakistan was created in July 2001, and a review of the Local Government Ordinance of 2001 reveals that the rules and procedures to govern the process have been set in place. Yet, four and a half years into devolution, political decentralization has not been followed by adequate administrative and fiscal decentralization to ensure quality service delivery to the public. This report assesses the progress and challenges of effective and efficient service delivery in the health, education, and water sectors, local fiscal roles and responsibilities, and local government accountability and citizen participation under devolution. Conclusions presented in the report focus on "governance" issues impeding successful devolution. Many of the recommendations are aimed at donor organizations and several are already being addressed by ongoing USAID projects.