Truth in Translation: An Ethnographic Exploration of the Everyday Practices of Monitoring in a Senegalese Sustainable Development NGO

Mathilde Gouin-Bonenfant

Journal of Development Studies, 2026, vol. 62, issue 5, 721-736

Abstract: This article, based on 12 months of ethnographic fieldwork in the Saloum Delta, in Senegal, investigates the relationship between Results-Based Management (RBM) and the difficulties, faced by many NGOs, to understand the needs and desires of the communities with whom they work. The article follows the day-to-day monitoring practices of one sustainable development NGO, and highlights the influence of RBM on the possibility of ‘knowing the truth.’ The article shows how the culture, language, and tools of RBM impact the ecosystem of relationships surrounding the NGO, creating a culture rooted in evidence production, justification, and suspicion. By taking an interactional and linguistic approach, the article also shows the limits and possibilities of producing coherence and success within monitoring activities.

Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2025.2569390

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