RINGO Book Club: The INGO Problem by Deborah Doane

We invite you to con­vene a book club to dis­cuss The INGO Prob­lem; Pow­er, Priv­i­lege and Renew­al, a pow­er­ful cri­tique of inter­na­tion­al NGOs (INGOs) by Deb­o­rah Doane.

Draw­ing from the work of the RINGO Project and her own expe­ri­ence in the sec­tor, the book chal­lenges the effec­tive­ness of INGOs in address­ing glob­al injus­tices, argu­ing that they often rein­force the very inequal­i­ties they aim to fight. This book sparks urgent ques­tions about pow­er, decoloni­sa­tion and the future of aid, while pro­vid­ing insights into how we can move from char­i­ty towards true sol­i­dar­i­ty and sys­temic change.

Pub­lished at a time of intense scruti­ny of inter­na­tion­al aid and devel­op­ment work, espe­cial­ly in light of recent aid cuts, The INGO Prob­lem aligns with broad­er con­ver­sa­tions about decoloni­sa­tion, anti-racism and sys­temic reform with­in the INGO sec­tor and fund­ing com­mu­ni­ty, across human­i­tar­i­an, devel­op­ment, human rights and envi­ron­men­tal organ­i­sa­tions.

Click here for your Book Club guide!