NGOS, DONORS, AND THE STATE IN BANGLADESH

This article examines nongovernmental organization (NGO) partnership i ssues in the light of a 1996 World Bank report that seeks to promote a greater level of partnership between government and NGOs. The first p art of the article briefly reviews Bangladesh's now well-known NGO sec tor. The continuing status of independent Bangladesh as a major recipi ent of international aid has created an environment in which the growt h of most private voluntary development agencies is directly linked wi th the provision of external resources. While the World Bank report ur ges closer cooperation between NGOs and government, it ignores the fac t that many existing partnerships are often of a dependent character. The second part of this article presents a recent case study of NGO-go vernment linkages in aquaculture. The purpose is to examine the realit ies of the current rhetoric of NGO-government partnership that are fou nd to be driven primarily by resource priorities.