QUANGO

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A quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization (QUANGO) is a hybrid between a fully private non-governmental organization and a government agency, typically providing some sort of assistance, usually reporting to a government but sometimes to a board of "stakeholders". They can operate within a country, be associated with single countries, or have a multinational scope.

Examples in democracy promotion include the "party foundations" (Stiftungen) of the German Federal Republic and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in the United States. The former was a collaboration among political parties, while the latter combined political parties with organized labor and business promotion.

On the international level, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is a QUANGO that takes care of a core of technical functions for internet operations, which also have a major policy impact on the development of the Internet. Its model contrasts with formal international bodies such as the International Telecommunications Union.