The multiple worlds of NGOs and HIV|AIDS: rethinking NGOs and their agency

In the last decade NGOs have been recognised as policy actors in general and in the HIV|AIDS field in particular within developing countries. While recognising the agency of these organisations by looking at multiple case studies, the literature has not focused on what is meant by this agency. Furthermore within the policy field the agency of NGOs is assumed and thus these organisations are incorporated as policy implementers in the HIV|AIDS field. This paper argues that there is a need to look at this assumption about agency and what it means for NGOs working in this field. The paper presents a brief theoretical discussion to understand agency within the larger socio-cultural institutionalisation processes and looks at the policy implications of this for NGOs involved in the HIV|AIDS field. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.