Information AboutQuango |
|
The acronyms Qango and '''Quango''', variously spelt out as QUAsi Non Governmental Organisation , '''Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisation ''', and '''Quasi-Autonomous National Government Organisation''' have been used, notably in the United Kingdom to describe a range of organisations to which Government s have devolved power. Confusion over the meaning of the acryonym has been reflected in confusion over the use of the term, and may have contributed to its decline in use. The term originated as a humorous shortening of Quasi- (Fannie Mae) was created by the US government to provide mortgage insurance, and its performance of this task is assisted by a perception that it is backed by the government. In Australia and other countries, the Red Cross provides Blood Bank services, with government support and backing of various kinds. Examples in the United Kingdom include bodies engaged in self-regulation of various sectors, such as the Press Council and the Law Society . An essential feature of a Quango, in the original definition, was that it should not be formally part of the public sector. However, the appeal of the term was such that it was extended to a wide range of governmental organisations, such as Executive Agencies providing health, education and other services. Particularly in the United Kingdom during the 1980s, this extension took place in a polemical context, being associated with claims that the proliferation of such authorities was undesirable and should be reversed. In the course of this process, attempts were made to derive the acryonym from longer terms which did not carry the presumption that the organisation in question was non-governmental. The most popular was Quasi-Autonomous National Government Organisation, which, however, carries with it the false presumption that state and local governments cannot make use of Quangos. Similarly, the insertion of the word "autonomous" does not work in a descriptive sense: the main complaint about these organisations is that they have too much autonomy, rather than, as with the original term, that their apparent autonomy conceals a close relationship with government. The UK government's definition of a QUANGO is: :"A body which has a role in the processes of national government, but is not a government department or part of one, and which accordingly operates to a greater or lesser extent at arm's length from Ministers." Since most of such bodies are in fact part of the government in terms of funding, appointment and function, the Acronym does not work as a description - these are generally not Non-governmental Organisation s with less autonomy than others. As a result, it has largely been abandoned in official usage. The less controversial term non-departmental public body (''' NDPB ''') is now used to describe these organisations, in an attempt to avoid the pejorative associations of the term QUANGO. See also
References Wettenhall, R 1981 'The quango phenomenon', Current Affairs Bulletin 57(10):14-22.
Notes |