Representation by Development Organizations: Evidence From India and Implications for Inclusive Development

• Author: Suparana Katyaini,Margit van Wessel,Sarbeswar Sahoo
• Published date: 01 March 2021
• Date: 01 March 2021
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/1070496520983599
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Representation

by Development

Organizations:

Evidence From India

and Implications

for Inclusive

Development

Suparana Katyaini

1

,

Margit van Wessel

2

, and

Sarbeswar Sahoo

3

Abstract

This article focuses on development organizations’ construction of representative

roles in their work at the environment–development interface and on implications of

these constructions for inclusiveness. While much of the past literature on repre-

sentation has dealt with electoral representation, this article highlights the impor-

tance of nonelectoral representation. It follows a constructivist approach and is

based on 36 in-depth interviews with the staff of different types of India-based

development organizations working on disaster risk management. The article

shows how development organizations in India contribute to inclusive development

by representing groups that are vulnerable to disaster risk in diverse ways. Showing

this diversity and how it is mediated by organizations, the article makes clear that

representation is much more complex than literature commonly suggests. This

1

School of Livelihoods and Development, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad, India

2

Strategic Communication Chair Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the

Netherlands

3

Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India

Corresponding Author:

Margit van Wessel, Wageningen University & Research, Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN Wageningen,

Netherlands.

Email: Margit.vanwessel@wur.nl

Journal of Environment &

Development

!The Author(s) 2020

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DOI: 10.1177/1070496520983599

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2021, Vol. 30(1) 98 –123

Katyaini et al. 99

complexity enables organizations to engage with specific dimensions of inclusive

development. The article also illustrates how representation by development organ-

izations happens through opportunities found and created through the intertwining

of capacity development, service delivery, and advocacy. At the same time, the

mediated nature of representation, and its embeddedness in a wide set of relations,

makes representation by development organizations indirect and questionable in

ways beyond the commonly understood dominance of powerful nongovernmental

organizations.

Keywords

civil society, development organizations, disaster risk management, inclusive devel-

opment, India, representation

Representation is a crucial element of inclusiveness (Nunan, 2018), which is a

key principle of good governance. Representation, defined here as acting on

behalf of others (N€

asstr€

om, 2015), materializes through electoral and nonelec-

toral processes. Although past representation research focused on electoral rep-

resentation, nonelectoral representation has attracted increasing attention in

recent years. Urbinati and Warren (2008) traced the growing importance of

informal representation, and Saward (2005) described governance embracing a

widening array of actors, creating new spaces for and new forms of

representation.

Many development organizations engage in representation by acting for

others, articulating their needs and rights, advancing problem definitions impor-

tant to particular groups, and advocating solutions for specific groups’ prob-

lems. However, their representative role has received little attention, possibly

because international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) generally avoid

claiming to represent others (Jordan & Van Tuijl, 2012, p. 2053), making the

idea of representation problematic.They instead present themselves as partners

to groups and organizations they seek to support, empower, and collaborate

with (see, e.g., Rubenstein, 2014). Nevertheless, some authors have considered

the representative role of development organizations—formalized civil society

organizations (CSOs) working toward development objectives—with some

research constructing this representation as a legitimate and important part of

civil society’s role in democracy (Kamstra & Knippenberg, 2014). Most research

on the topic has focused on legitimacy. Holm�

en and Jirstr€

om (2009) showed that

development organizations often act as representatives despite having limited

interaction with those they represent, leading to biased and misinformed

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