2.2 Pollet et al. (2020) Giving Religion a Place in Development Cooperation

Development Taboos

Religion and spirituality were historically considered “___” acc. to Ver Beek

Dichotomy between Secular vs. Faith-based Development

• Most benefits that distinguish FBOs from their secular counterparts, have to do more so with their embeddedness and informality

• This binary is often not useful in contexts where religion permeates all aspects of life—- esp. of a community doesn’t believe in one faith

Strengths of Religious-Embedded Development PM SEA

1. Perceived as more authentic

2. Mobilizes large constituencies

3. Staff Commitment

4. Established, trustworthy local partners

5. Access to difficult regions and messages

Why FBOs have large constituencies

• FBOs can leverage religious events (e.g., Lent for Catholics, Ramadan for Muslims) and shared values to mobilize donors and volunteers

• n contrast, other NGOs have to put more effort in explaining values and goals to their intended donors.

Why FBOs have staff commitment

• Employees often view their roles as a "calling or moral/ religious duty," leading to lower staff turnover and higher dedication

• Religious ‘packaging’ of values and the idea of belonging to a community of like-minded supporters, add to the credibility of the organization

• FBOs can pull from a portfolio of conservative philanthropic donors who would only put their trust (and money) in a like-minded Catholic organization, while other NGOs may struggle.

Challenges of Religious-Embedded Development D-PECP

1. Donor-driven and paternalistic

2. Proselytism

3. Exclusivity

4. Conservative Values

5. Paradigmatic “Universal” Tensions

Why FBos can be donor-driven and paternalistic

• Religious organizations still feature charity aid, without taking into account the structural causes of poverty and injustice

• Not as evident in research of NGOs. NGOs, whether religious or non-religious, need to demonstrate a structural approach in order to get public funds.’

Proselytism

Activities with the goal of conversion

NGOs must strictly separate development activities from "winning or recruiting souls” to maintain official NGO status and government co-financing

The prickliest of subjects!

Why FBOs can be exclusive

Perceived risk of favoring same-faith beneficiaries. NGOs counter this by emphasizing inclusivity and selecting partners based on socio-economic need rather than religious profile

Manifestation of conservative values

• Pragmatic Avoidance: Not pushing differences of opinion to the limit to avoid provocation

• Using religious texts to justify progressive changes, such as convincing imams that Islamic principles support schooling for girls

Paradigmatic Tensions

• The "universal" values of Western development (like human rights) may not be self-evidently universal in some religious contexts

• NGOs often seek common ground between human rights and local religious value systems to maintain dialogue

intrinsically meaningful part of their identity

For religious NGOs, faith is not just a "development strategy" or "window-dressing" but an ___

legitimacy, trust and commitment,

Giving religion a place in NGOs’ identities is said to strengthen ___ facilitating access to constituencies in the North, as well as actors and beneficiaries in the South.

Perception of proselytism

may not only hinder development efforts in communities with different beliefs, but also jeopardizes official NGO status, and thus the possibility of receiving government financing. The interviewed religious NGOs claim to cope with this‘overlap’ by strictly separating their religious rationales from their accountability structures (activities, outputs, budgets).

Dynamic factor

Instead of viewing religion as a static category to be “boxed” into development themes, it should be understood as a _____ that influences everyday practice in complex and shifting landscapes.