Beyond Good Intentions: The Structural Limitations of NGOs in Haiti

The catastrophic earthquake which devastated Haiti on 12 January 2010 revealed the deep socio-economic divides which plague the nation. The vivid scenes of trauma led to a massive influx of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on behalf of the goodwill of the global community. However, more than on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Critical sociology 2013-05, Vol.39 (3), p.439-452
Main Author: Edmonds, Kevin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Committees
Delivery Systems
Development
Earthquakes
Haiti
Haitians
Imperialism
Legislation
Natural Disasters
Neoliberalism
NGOs
Non-governmental organizations
Nongovernmental Organizations
Political economy
Poverty
Privatization
Reconstruction
Socioeconomic factors
Trauma
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Summary:The catastrophic earthquake which devastated Haiti on 12 January 2010 revealed the deep socio-economic divides which plague the nation. The vivid scenes of trauma led to a massive influx of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on behalf of the goodwill of the global community. However, more than one year later the reconstruction process has been shown to be a very lucrative undertaking for many private organizations. Haiti remains in ruins, with NGOs benefiting from the extreme privatization of the Haitian state, resulting in a patchwork system of services which are unaccountable to the Haitian people. The Interim Haiti Reconstruction Committee, led by Bill Clinton, seeks to entrench the same neoliberal policies which laid the foundation for much of the pre-earthquake poverty and dependency. Such efforts raise serious questions about the legitimacy of the current reconstruction and whether these organizations are committed to help Haiti, or themselves – and what alternatives exist.
ISSN:0896-9205
1569-1632
DOI:10.1177/0896920512437053