Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), popularly known as charities, are acknowledged to be pivotal to poverty alleviation, especially in African countries where government capacity and revenues are often limited. Despite their prominent role in poverty alleviation, little is known about how these organizations function in developing countries. This book charts a new path by considering the role of NGOs in African development and by using a number of new large-scale, representative data sets.

The book integrates a fragmented literature spanning many different disciplines by...