The NGOization of Civil Society in Sierra Leone and Guinea and the 2014-2016 Ebola Epidemic

• In Event: 2323 - Student Forum Refereed Roundtable
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: 5. Interrogating Social Action and Political Leadership II

Abstract

Despite significant investment in civil society organizations since a period of civil wars from 1989-2003, when Ebola struck West Africa in 2014, the international response largely marginalized local organizations. The 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic provides a crisis point to examine both micro and macro processes in terms of the capacity of international, national, and local organizations to generate social capital in West Africa. Extreme events, due to their large-scale excessiveness, enable examination of the facts of social life that may still exist at a smaller scale, yet involuted. Extreme events, due to their large-scale excessiveness, enable examination of the facts of social life that may still exist at a smaller scale, yet involuted. Though participatory approaches improve upon crisis response, international humanitarian response in practice marginalizes local organizations. International humanitarian organizations point to a lack of capacity and the political nature of local organizations—citing a violation of humanitarian neutrality—as reasons not to collaborate with local organizations. Concurrently, expanded professionalism in the nonprofit sector increases demands for performance metrics and specialization (Hwang and Powell, 2009). Professionalism, therefore, should enhance capacity and therefore cooperation between local and international organizations.

Author

• Michelle Reddy