Abstract:
This paper investigates non-governmental organisation (NGO) involvement in policy
processes related to Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) comparing four
countries: Norway, Brazil, Indonesia, and Tanzania. Based on documents and interviews, NGO
involvement is mapped using a conceptual framework to categorise and compare different roles
and modes of engagement. NGOs have co-operated with government in policy design and
implementation, albeit to varying degrees, in all four countries, but expressed relatively little public
criticism. Funding seems to have an influence on NGOs’ choices regarding whether, what, when,
and how to criticise. However, limited public criticism does not necessarily mean that the NGOs
are co-opted. They are reflexive regarding their possible operating space, and act strategically and
pragmatically to pursue their goals in an entrepreneurial manner. The interests of NGOs and NICFI
are to a large extent congruent. Instead of publicly criticising a global initiative that they largely
support, and thus put the initiative as a whole at risk, NGOs may use other, more informal, channels to
voice points of disagreement. While NGOs do indeed run the risk of being co-opted, their opportunity
to resist this fate is probably greater in this instance than is usually the case because NICFI are so
reliant on their services.
