Nongovernmental Organizations in Environmental Struggles; Politics and the Making of Moral Capital in the Philippines

by Raymond L. Bryant

• ISBN13: 9780300106596
• ISBN10: 0300106599
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2005-05-10
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

Why are nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) so successful in today's world? How do they empower themselves? This insightful book provides important new perspectives on the strategic thinking of NGOs, the way they identify themselves, and how they behave. Raymond L. Bryant develops a novel theoretical perspective around the concept of moral capital and assesses that concept through in-depth case studies of NGOs in the Philippines. The book's focus is on perceptions of NGOs as moral and altruistic and how such perceptions can translate into social power. Bryant examines the ambiguous qualities of NGO strategizing, the ways in which the quest for moral capital is bedeviled by the need to compromise with political and economic elites, and the possibilities for NGOs to achieve political goals as moral leaders.

Author Biography

Raymond L. Bryant is reader in the Department of Geography, King’s College London. He has extensive experience investigating and teaching issues of politics and the environment in Southeast Asia.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction	1	(8)
CHAPTER 1. Capitalizing on the Midas Touch	9	(24)
CHAPTER 2. The Quest for Moral Capital	33	(28)
CHAPTER 3. Doing "Good" in the Philippines	61	(21)
CHAPTER 4. Political Virtuosity	82	(36)
CHAPTER 5. Financing Prophets	118	(46)
CHAPTER 6. Mapping the Mission	164	(38)
CHAPTER 7. Conclusion: Morality Plays	202	(15)
Notes	217	(8)
Bibliography	225	(38)
Index	263