Synopsis The rise of neo-liberalism and the so-called Washington consensus have generated a powerful international ideology concerning what constitutes good governance, democratization, and the proper role of the state and civil society in advancing development. As public spending has declined, the non-government sector has benefited very significantly from taking on a service delivery role. At the same time, non-government Organisations (NGOs), as representative of civil society, are a convenient medium through which office al agencies can promote political pluralism. But can NGOs simultaneously facilitate governments’ withdraw l from providing basic services for all the also claim to represent the poor and the disenfranchised? Are NGOs legitimate political actors papers which describe some of the tensions inherent in the roles currently played by NGOs, and tasks whether these organizations truly stand for anything fundamentally different from the agencies on whose largesse they increasingly depend.