No nonprofit acts in an empty space. A government can be a funder, partner, regulator and opponent; international support can expand local action while shifting authority away from communities; and the same organizational form can carry different meanings in Nepal and Japan. This unit widens our lens from the organization to the systems around it.
About two and a half hours in total, in four lessons of 35 to 40 minutes each, plus a short quiz.
We first examine the changing roles nonprofits and governments play in relation to one another. From there, we follow money and decision-making through the international aid system. The final two lessons place those relationships in the histories of Nepal and Japan, allowing us to compare without assuming that one national experience is the norm.
4.1 Nonprofits and the state. How can partnership, gap-filling and conflict coexist?
4.2 Local organizations in a global system. Who controls the categories, money, timetable and knowledge?
4.3 Civil society in Nepal. How have political change and international funding shaped participation and leadership?
4.4 Civil society in Japan. How did the sector develop, how does the public see it and which roles receive recognition?
When you have finished the four lessons, take the Unit 4 quiz. It has ten multiple-choice questions, gives feedback on every answer, and you can take it as many times as you like. No sign-in or email address is needed.
This ten-question quiz gives your score and feedback immediately. No sign-in or email address is needed, and you may retake it as often as you like.
If you are following the applied track, complete Part 5 (major stakeholders) and Part 7 (social, economic, political and legal environment) of the project template, including the V-Dem graph in Part 7b. Then use Part 7d to explain how the environment creates opportunities and constraints for your organization.