The comparative advantage of NGO (non-governmental organizations) in the health sector--a look at the evidence.

Attention being given to the development of an appropriate public/private mix in health-care delivery should not exclude the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). There is a widely accepted thesis of NGO comparative advantage over government, but evidence to support this thesis is generally more anecdotal than analytical. This paper considers evidence available in the literature and from field research in southern Africa, especially with regard to efficiency, innovation and reaching grass-roots communities. The paper concludes that the comparative advantage of the NGO sector needs to be analysed in relation to both the private for-profit sector and the public sector.