With the recent interest in increasing government contracting of community-based nonprofits, it is important that we explore how similar initiatives in other countries have impacted the nonprofit sector at large. This paper examines how health care reform programs in Latin America, that are promoting partnerships between governments and non-profit non-governmental organizations (NGOs), are spurring a new non-profit sector all together. The social goals of this new generation of NGOs are diminishing in importance, and their concerns about the "business side" of work have increased. Using an institutional analysis approach this paper analyzed 40 non-governmental providers in El Salvador and Guatemala.
The results show that reforms have increased the opportunity for NGOs to be subcontracted by the state as administrators of decentralized health systems. However since the contractual regime selected emphasizes the pecuniary aspects of health care delivery and disregards the qualitative dimensions of traditional nonprofit missions, the result has been that community-based providers have become more entrepreneurial, and are placing a greater interest in resource mobilization than on their social mission. Secondly "astroturf NGOs" or NGOs lacking any grassroots identification, emerge solely for the purpose of bidding on state contracts.
The paper concludes that while a more independent grassroot non-profit sector was perceived as being more likely to target underserved areas and address health disparities, the advent of service contracts are compelling NGOs to emphasize business cooperation, and efficiency over concepts of solidarity and distribution.
Learning Objectives: Participants will learn about 1) the lessons from publi-private partnerships in Latin America, 2) an anlytic framework for exploring the impacts of the partnerships, 3) the longterm changes the reforms have had on the non-profit sector.
Keywords: Public/Private Partnerships, Health Service
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.