Non-Governmental Organisations and the Law

This book examines accountability issues and the problems of regulating non-governmental organisations (NGOs) through self-regulation. It focuses on methods of self-regulation for NGOs in response to prominent scandals that revealed problems with their accountability, notably the 'Mafia Capitale' scandal in Italy and the Oxfam GB scandal in Haiti. It also touches upon other accountability failures, including the allegations against the WWF of facilitating human rights abuses of indigenous groups in Cameroon. The work brings a legal approach to the topic of NGO self-regulation and accountability, contributing to the academic and policy debate in several ways. It advances a brand-new theoretical model to explain the reasons behind NGOs non-compliance with self-regulation, examines the reasons for self-regulation failures, identifies new accountability routes, and recommends proposals for sectoral reform. The book will be of great interest to scholars, researchers and PhD students who work in the area of NGO regulation and accountability from a legal perspective as well as to accountability and NGO scholars working in other disciplines. It will also appeal to practitioners and policymakers who work on the development of NGO policies.

Domenico is a lecturer in Public International Law and Public Law at the University of Stirling (UK). He holds a PhD from the University of Aberdeen (UK), sponsored by the Centre for Citizenship, Civil Society and Rule of Law (CISRUL). Before commencing his PhD, Domenico qualified as a solicitor in Italy. His publications appear in leading journals, including the Leiden Journal of International Law and the Human Rights Law Review. Domenico's work has also featured in Forbes and Open Democracy.

INTRODUCTION. 1 NGO accountability, regulation, and self-regulation. 2 Making sense of NGO self-regulation non-compliance: the Roman third-sector and the "Mafia Capitale" scandal. 3 The end of NGO self-regulation? The charity sector's response to the Oxfam scandal. 4 Beyond NGO self-regulation: identifying alternative accountability routes. 5 The future of NGO accountability and reforming NGO self-regulation. 7 Bibliography