Hmm good question.. yes, the grey literature produced in and around the aid industry is very focused on the technical issues. But there’s plenty of historizising of aid debates that has been done in academia.. just not sure whether it’s accessible to you (costly scientific journal business..), and whether it covers the angle you’re interested in?

This one’s good: Banks, N., Hulme, D. & Edwards, M. (2015) NGOs, states, and donors revisited: still too close for comfort? World Development, 66, 707–718. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.09.028

Here are a couple available pieces about or by these guys: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/aug/17/faultline-ngos-future-development

http://hummedia.manchester.ac.uk/institutes/gdi/publications/workingpapers/bwpi/bwpi-wp-17112.pdf

As for a ‘decolonial’ angle, have a look at my previous post here; you’ll find a bunch of links in it: https://medium.com/the-good-jungle/five-questions-you-need-to-ask-yourself-if-you-want-to-work-in-international-development-79b32b8c8f6d And there’s Dambisa Moyo’s work of course.

Then, on the more organisational side of things, and the history of “the NGO” more widely, there’s the book “NGO Management” edited by D. Lewis.

Have a look and see if any of this covers what you have in mind…