Troubled Terrain of NGO Credibility in Public Arena-A need for Technology Application

Abstract

The debate about NGO credibility has become more forceful and flashing in recent years.On one side there are prominent scholars who accredit the NGOs with 'social skill' and potential to make the development more humane and delivering. At the other extreme there are scholars who maintain that NGOs do not qualify the 'distinction of their own claims'. The findings of the investigating agencies in some Third World nations have unearthed the ‘secret agenda’ and unholy alliances of the foreign funded NGOs. Such contentions call for micro level analysis of NGO credibility, particularly, in the context of sustainable development. The present study is a scientific attempt in this direction. The authors have adopted an explorative-cum analytical study design with the tools of content analysis of the 'media portrayals' of the NGOs and field observation for a holistic analysis. The findings of the study underline the need for adoption of innovative technology by the NGOs for refreshing their public legitimacy in the changed socio-economic setting.