Getting it right : an account of the moral agency of NGOs
This thesis provides an outline for how we should think of the ethics of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) by giving sense to what it means to treat an NGO as a moral agent. That is, it aims to answer the following question: Which special moral obligations do NGOs have in virtue of the distinctive type of organisation that they are? In brief, the answer provided by this thesis is that NGO agency is defined by the multiple relationships that threaten to undermine its unity. Obligations are identified as what an NGO must do in order to maintain such a unified organisational self. In Chapter 1, I define an NGO as an autonomous, norm-enacting organisation not motivated by profit and reliant on voluntary interaction. The idea of NGOs as unique agents is then developed indirectly in the middle four chapters. Each chapter engages with a central topic pertaining to NGO ethics, arguing for a particular position with respect to the topics of accountability (Chapter 2), resource allocation (Chapter 3), contributions to domestic and global justice (Chapter 4), and NGOsâ impact on the viability of universal welfare rights (Chapter 5). The second task performed by each chapter is the identification of a particular
Obrecht, Alice
BJ Ethics ; GN Anthropology
Getting it right : an account of the moral agency of NGOs. This thesis provides an outline for how we should think of the ethics of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) by giving sense to what it means to treat an NGO as a moral agent. That is, it aims to answer the following question: Which special moral obligations do NGOs have in virtue of the distinctive type of organisation that they are? In brief, the answer provided by this thesis is that NGO agency is defined by the multiple relationships that threaten to undermine its unity. Obligations are identified as what an NGO must do in order to maintain such a unified organisational self. In Chapter 1, I define an NGO as an autonomous, norm-enacting organisation not motivated by profit and reliant on voluntary interaction. The idea of NGOs as unique agents is then developed indirectly in the middle four chapters. Each chapter engages with a central topic pertaining to NGO ethics, arguing for a particular position with respect to the topics of accountability (Chapter 2), resource allocation (Chapter 3), contributions to domestic and global justice (Chapter 4), and NGOsâ impact on the viability of universal welfare rights (Chapter 5). The second task performed by each chapter is the identification of a particular
getting right account_moral agency ngos provide outline think ethic non governmental ngos give sense mean treat moral_agent aim_answer follow_question special moral_obligation ngos virtue distinctive type organisation brief answer provide agency define multiple relationship threaten undermine unity identify must order maintain unified organisational self define autonomous norm enacting organisation motivate profit reliant voluntary interaction idea ngos unique agent develop indirectly middle four_chapter engages central_topic pertain ethic argue particular position_respect topic accountability resource allocation contribution domestic global justice ngos impact viability universal welfare right second task perform identification particular