Resumen de Third sector organizations in rural development
Perpetual underinvestment in rural public goods leaves rural areas without viable paths out of backwardness and poverty. This paper examines possible roles, third sector organizations could play, in local public goods provision within different theoretical frameworks. Expert consultation is utilized to find support for some hypotheses. Third sector organizations may occupy a niche on the rural level where for-profit and state delivery fail and demand is heterogeneous. Local initiatives’ sustainability appears to not only depend on whether they were “homegrown” or “externally induced” but also on local socio-economic characteristics. Exercising “voice” may be an effective development tool if properly utilized. Raising social capital via community-based interventions, with some reservations, appears to be an effective development instrument in a developing country setting.
