Adaptation and Nongovernmental Organizations: An Ecological Approach for Understanding NGO–State Interactions in the Struggle to End Violence against Women

Abstracts Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have mobilized for decades in response to violence against women and femicide, and in the process have evolved into hybrid forms, continuing traditional advocacy while also providing wide-ranging services. In this article, we explore the ways in which NGOs have changed over the years to dissect the complex relationship that NGOs have with the state. We draw on evolutionary theory and the literatures on organizational ecology, management, and governance, and develop an ecological approach to NGO change. Our ecological approach brings to light the various adaptive responses that NGOs have used over time and, in doing so, clearly identifies different types of symbiotic interactions between NGOs and state actors. Through interviews and secondary data from Latin American countries, we demonstrate how NGOs have engaged in different morphological (structural) and behavioral responses, as NGOs have had to learn to work closely with, within, against, and beyond the state to continue their mission of ending violence against women.