Ragged Trousered NGOs

At a time during which the complex world of NGOs is often framed rather simplistically in terms of over-paid professionals or naive do-gooders, Charles Buxton offers a different view of the NGO worker as political activist engaged at home and away. Wide ranging, well informed and deeply personal, Ragged Trousered NGOs deserves to be read by anyone interested in civil society and social change. - David Lewis, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK This is a great book which invites us to reflect on civil society work in different contexts and different points of time. The book excellently compares civil society in post-Soviet Russia and Kyrgyzstan as well as in the UK in the 1970s. The thought-provoking questions which the book focuses on can only be asked by someone who has a wealth of international NGO experience as well as the high ability for shrewd reflexivity. The author is well-positioned to do this. The story-telling style of the book is very appealing and vividly demonstrates the rich experience of the author and his critical reflection on his work. It is an inspirational book for NGO practitioners to reflect on their work and take actions that will really benefit those who need it most. For the academic audience including students, the book will offer a fresh perspective on civil society and development from the standpoint of civil society worker. - Kanykey Jailobaeva, Queen Margaret University, UK This new book traces Charles (Charlie) Buxton's personal journey from East London, where he combined political activism with community organisation, to the Soviet Union, Former Soviet Union, and Central Asia. This is not simply a narrative of Charlie's rich and varied experiences from 1996 to 2001 as regional programme manager for Voluntary Service Overseas for the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and from 2001 as programme manager for Central Asia for the International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC for civil society), but presents a deep and critical reflection on the theory and practice of international development and civil society capacity building. He challenges the very aid system on which the work of INTRAC largely relies. Charlie has not lost his radical politics, which illuminated and enriched his previous books on the region. This book is clearly written, accessible to all interested activists and scholars, and is very well organised. A serious and important contribution. - Bill Bowring, School of Law, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK This is a fascinating account of NGO struggles in both Europe (East London) as well as Russia and Central Asia (in particular Kyrgyzstan). It is based on personal experiences encompassing four decades of civic activism by the author and offers great insights in the complex political dilemmas of NGOs. The book generates unique excellent case material that can be of use for students interested in the history and current challenges for NGOs as well as for NGO practitioners. - Kees Biekart, International Institute of Social Studies, Netherlands