FLIRTING WITH THE ENEMY - CHALLENGES FACED BY NGOS IN DEVELOPMENT ANDEMPOWERMENT

This article addresses the challenges faced by Mexican non-governmenta l organizations (NGOs) in attempting to perform their role as agents o f development and empowerment among poor populations. Recently, NGOs h ave expanded and have gained a much greater capacity to respond to the problems of the poor populations. The issue at stake for many Mexican NGOs is that with their new-found capacities, they might reproduce a patron-client relationship with local communities. This article examin es the redefiniton of NGOs goals and objectives and the changes in the relationship of NGOs with the state and the poor during the last thre e decades. It also discusses the effects of these changes on NGOs' met hodology and approach in responding to the needs of disadvantaged comm unities. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.