As with any discussion of NGOs, it will be useful to say which kinds of NGOs you are going to focus on – perhaps you’ll focus only on international NGOs, or perhaps you’ll compare the impact and effectiveness of two different types (e.g. INGOs vs. local organisations).
– Feel free to focus on humanitarian, developmental, or peacebuilding NGOs, or compare NGOs’ activities in all three areas. Of course, some NGOs try to do all three kinds of activities (multi-mandates).
– Feel free to focus on one or more detailed case study NGOs, or on one or more country case studies.
– Has NGO effectiveness in conflict zones improved over time? Have they become better at minimising the negative consequences of their work?
– This is one question where some reflection on the quality of evidence we have is warranted. Are a lot of the criticisms quite anecdotal? How many rigorous evaluations that look at the impacts of NGOs’ work do we actually have? Have NGOs actually been effective at putting ‘conflict sensitive’ approaches into practice.