The formal and informal worlds of state and civil society: What do they offer to the urban poor?

In recent years, a positive developmental role has been increasingly expected of civil society organizations. Focusing on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and grass-roots organizations (GROs), the extent to which these organizations exist, adopt pro-poor strategies and have a positive influence in governmental processes in nine cities in Africa, Asia and Latin America is analysed. The findings demonstrate that a number of issues identified from the wider literature about the internal governance arrangements of NGOs and GROs, their commitment and ability to represent and address the needs of the poor, and their relationships with wider political and administrative processes are also a matter for concern at city level. While there are some successful development NGOs, many only operate on a small scale and many do not empower poor people and their organizations. Formal interactions between government and civil society organizations are apparently becoming more common, but informal exchanges between GROs, politicians and officials continue, and may in some circumstances be more productive in terms of delivering practical benefits to poor areas. However, such clientelist relations reinforce undemocratic leadership at community level and perpetuate differential treatment of low-income settlements.