Since the early 1980s non-governmental organisations have become a major phenomenon
in development, and a focus of attention for academics and practitioners alike. The
study of NGOs tends to emphasise their role in the delivery of welfare services and
pays less at-tention to their political significance. This despite numerous claims
about the contribution of NGOs to civil society and democracy. The article draws on
ethnographic research carried out in Bangladesh to explore in more detail the
NGO–politics nexus. It demonstrates that there is a strong but complex
link between NGOs and politics. On the one hand it confirms the political nature of
NGO intervention and activity. On the other hand it highlights how the organisation
of politics through NGOs reproduces clientelistic forms of action. This apparent
paradox runs counter to most of the assumptions underpinning NGO research. The
article closes by exploring this paradox and offering illustrations of how it may
actually be an effective form of social action for the poor.
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