Northern NGO-centrism in localisation processes: reproducing power inequities in the aid field

This paper examines the process of discussing and designing actions to tackle power inequities by Northern and Southern NGOs. Drawing on 53 interviews with Northern and Southern NGOs, and NNGO networks, we argue that current localisation processes produce a form of cultural capital leveraged by competing Northern NGOs rooted in signalling solidarity with SNGOs and/or communities to donors through rhetorical and symbolic practices, reinforcing their access to and authority over social and economic capital as intermediaries. For Southern NGOs, leveraging their cultural capital, rooted in community affiliation, local knowledge and astuteness, places too great a demand on the scarce economic resources necessary for organisational survival. This study thus finds it improbable that current Northern-led localisation processes will go beyond extending the shelf life of power inequities. To disrupt these dynamics, we propose reorienting localisation towards the investigation and facilitation of locally-led competition for authority.