An Analysis on the Patterns of Legitimacy-Acquisition by the NGO in a Firm-NGO Alliance in the Bottom-of-Pyramid (BoP) Market

Abstract

NGOs are increasingly subject to scrutiny, even more so, as NGOs now enter into alliances with firms to collaborate on projects in the Bottom-of-Pyramid (BoP) market. The legitimacy of the NGO is at stake and the pressure to demonstrate legitimacy-acquisition increases. This paper analyzes the patterns of legitimacy-acquisition from the perspectives of development studies, organizational theory and the BoP Protocol. The three patterns of legitimacy-acquisition (Horizontal, Structural & Process), through which NGOs can maintain and enhance their legitimacy in firm-NGO alliances in BoP-based initiatives, are identified in this paper. Case studies of Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) and Carolina for Kibera (CFK) are presented to prove the validity of these three patterns of legitimacy-acquisition.