NGO/INGO

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) are umbrella terms that refer to organizations not directly controlled by the state or governments, mostly concerned with human rights of various kinds (including civic and political, economic and social, and environmental rights), professional and occupational interests, and various other enthusiasms. They range from very large organizations with considerable budgets and international recognition, through national organizations with a strictly domestic agenda, to small, locally funded neighborhood groups. Many are connected with, and overlap with, social and political movements. However, the existence of many domestically and internationally powerful QUANGOs (quasi‐NGOs) and GONGOs (government‐organized NGOs) suggests that, in practice, “nongovernmental” is not as straightforward as it at first appears. The close involvement of many NGOs/INGOs with governments, intergovernmental bodies (notably the United Nations and the World Bank), and transnational corporations and other organs of big business is a constant source of controversy. The study by Smith and Wiest (2012) represents the first major attempt to quantify the extent of transnational activism.