The IPA, NGOs and the problem of accountability

The primary subject of this thesis is the case mounted against NGOs by Conservative Think Tanks (CTTs), in particular the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA). From approximately 1998 to 2006, the IPA was at the forefront of a public campaign questioning the legitimacy of NGOs such as Greenpeace, Amnesty International and Oxfam. The IPA essentially argued that NGOs have undue political influence over governments and corporations and are a distinct threat to democracy. NGOs as small groups of organised private interests marginalise the interests of the disorganised, compromising the obligation that governments owe to voters and corporations to shareholders. The IPA case is significant because the private agenda it advances is not well understood because of a distinct lack of appreciation for the way ideology has shaped the entire debate on the accountability of NGOs.

The issues surrounding NGOs are defined as problems of accountability, but there has been very little recognition of the influence of neoliberalism on defining the terms of accountability in practice. The difficulty of defining accountability is widely acknowledged, yet it remains an idea with enormous appeal. It is an idea that is held to be synonymous with notions of the public good and a defining feature of democracy. An entity that is perceived to threaten either usually faces demands to be more accountable. The question is who is making the demands and on what terms?

The critical examination of the NGO accountability debate undertaken in this thesis documents the underlying, ideologically driven campaign against NGOs. It has been conducted on a scale and impacts on NGOs in ways that have not been recognised. This thesis argues that it is not a problem of accountability, but a problem with accountability that is at the heart of the issues surrounding NGOs. An exploration of the contours of the debate, the conduct of NGOs and CTTs is used as a basis to support the principal argument advanced in this thesis: the practice of accountability is antithetical to democracy.