Editing Quango (section)

== History ==

The term "quasi non-governmental organisation" was created in 1967 by Alan Pifer of the US-based [[Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching|Carnegie Foundation]], in an essay on the independence and accountability of public-funded bodies that are incorporated in the private sector. This essay got the attention of David Howell, a Conservative M.P. in Britain, who then organized an Anglo-American project with Pifer, to examine the pros and cons of such enterprises. The lengthy term was shortened to the [[acronym]] <small>QUANGO</small> (later lowercased quango) by a British participant to the joint project, Anthony Barker, during one of the conferences on the subject.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/05/opinion/l-letter-on-quasi-public-organizations-whence-came-the-quango-and-why-969587.html?pagewanted=1 Letter: On Quasi-Public Organizations; Whence Came the Quango, and Why] – New York Times Opinion page by Alan Pifer</ref>

It describes an ostensibly non-governmental organisation performing governmental functions, often in receipt of funding or other support from government,<ref name=Wettenhall>Wettenhall, R 1981 'The quango phenomenon', Current Affairs Bulletin 57(10):14–22.]</ref> By contrast, traditional NGOs mostly get their donations or funds from the public and other organisations that support their cause.

An essential feature of a quango in the original definition was that it should not be a formal part of the state structure. The term was then extended to apply to a range of organisations, such as [[executive agency|executive agencies]] providing (from 1988) health, education and other services. Particularly in the UK, this occurred in a polemical atmosphere in which it was alleged that proliferation of such bodies was undesirable and should be reversed. In this context, the original acronym was often replaced by a [[backronym]] spelt out as "quasi-autonomous national government organisation, and often rendered as 'qango'<ref>[http://archive.lewrockwell.com/orig/watson4.html "You've Been Quangoed!"] by Roland Watson</ref> This spawned the related acronym ''qualgo'', a 'quasi-autonomous ''local'' government organisation'.<ref>"[http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodId=SPN.SP00 New body's waste plea]", ''[[The Times]]'', 18 April 1986: Gale Document Number:CJ117886677.  Retrieved 5 April 2008. ''"London Waste Regulation Authority, the first 'qualgo' formed after abolition of the Greater London Council...The new body is a joint board of councillors from London boroughs."''</ref>

The less contentious term [[non-departmental public body]] (NDPB) is often employed to identify numerous organisations with devolved governmental responsibilities. Examples in the United Kingdom include those engaged in the regulation of various commercial and service sectors, such as the [[Water Services Regulation Authority]].

The UK government's definition in 1997 of a non-departmental public body or quango was:

{{blockquote|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 [[Minister (government)|Ministers]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/caboff/bodies97/intro-1.htm|title=''Public Bodies 1997'', "Introduction"|access-date=20 May 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209190600/http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/caboff/bodies97/intro-1.htm|archive-date=9 December 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}