ORIGINAL PAPER
INTRAC’s Experience of Working with International NGOs
on Aid Withdrawal and Exit Strategies from 2011 to 2016
Rachel Hayman
1
•
Sarah Lewis
1
Published online: 24 August 2017
Ó International Society for Third-Sector Research and The Johns Hopkins University 2018
Abstract In recent years, the international development
sector has been affected by major new dynamics in the
global political economy, with significant shifts in the aid
policies of many donor agencies and changes in funding
patterns for recipient countries. This article offers insights
into what researchers at INTRAC—a not-for-profit organ-
isation which provides capacity building support to dif-
ferent types of civil society organisation around the
world—have learned about the interests, priorities and
strategies of international NGOs (INGOs) in relation to aid
withdrawal and exit processes based on its experiences of
promoting debate and supporting organisations over sev-
eral years. We identify gaps in the evidence base, including
the experience of partners, and changes needed in the
policy and practice of INGOs to ensure that responsible
exit planning becomes the norm rather than an exception.
Keywords Aid withdrawal Á Civil society Á Exit Á
International NGOs Á Sustainability
Introduction
A shift in the focus and location of the work of donors and
international nongovernmental organisations (INGOs) is
not unusual in the life cycle of aid. Over the years, INGOs
have responded to emerging needs, new strategic priorities
and funding opportunities by adapting where and how they
work. As a consequence, a cycle of short- and medium-
term project interventions and programmes can be con-
sidered normal, with a resultant expectation of old activi-
ties ending and new activities beginning. At the same time,
many INGOs have built up long-standing partnerships or
relationships with counterpart organisations and civil
society groups and actors in countries of operation. One
project intervention is often followed by others, based on
ongoing mutual goals and availability of resources. Hence,
in many places the aid system has fuelled the growth of
aid-dependent nongovernmental and not-for-profit organi-
sations (Banks et al. 2015; Fowler 2016). Even with an
expectation that local organisations or actors would carry
on the work after a particular project intervention comes to
an end, often alternative sources of external funding have
been readily available.
However, since about 2009 there have been significant
shifts in the aid policies of many donors, and numerous
countries that hitherto were high recipients of foreign aid
have witnessed a change in funding patterns (Alonso et al.
2014). This includes reductions in overseas development
aid to countries that have been classified as lower-middle
or middle income, and shifts in the forms of external
assistance, for example more direct support for government
initiatives or a focus on trade. These changes have had
knock-on impacts on INGOs, as well as NGOs and other
types of civil society organisation located in countries
where aid is being reduced.
This article explores how INGOs and their counterparts
are managing aid reduction in practice. Taking an auto-
ethnographic approach, the article examines what
researchers at INTRAC—a not-for-profit organisation
which provides capacity building support to different types
of civil society organisation around the world—have
Update 10 May 2018 The PDF version of this article was
reformatted to a larger trim size.
& Rachel Hayman
rhayman@intrac.org
1
INTRAC, Oxbridge Court, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0ES,
UK
123
Voluntas (2018) 29:361–372
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-017-9901-x
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