Resisting Democratic Backsliding: Malawi’s Experience in Comparative Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 858-882
Author(s):  
Peter VonDoepp
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Comparative Perspective ◽  
Economic Conditions ◽  
Collective Resistance ◽  
The Face ◽  
Democratic Rights ◽  
Action Theories

AbstractWhy does collective resistance to democratic backsliding emerge in some contexts and not others? The experience of Malawi in 2011–2012 offers an opportunity to explore this question. In the face of attacks on democratic rights and institutions, large-scale popular and civil society mobilization challenged the government’s authoritarian tendencies. Drawing on collective action theories and comparing Malawi’s experience to that of Zambia, VonDoepp argues that Malawi’s resistance arose in an environment that was favorable to its emergence. Economic conditions had generated grievances against government, polarization remained modest, and civil society organizations benefitted from credibility and the presence of allies that facilitated activism.

scholarly journals Why Join? How Civil Society Organizations’ Attributes Signal Congruence and Impact Community Engagement

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Simon Hoellerbauer
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Survey Experiment ◽  
Organizational Attributes

Abstract Civil society organizations (CSOs) can facilitate collective action. This makes understanding what shapes whether people are likely to engage with CSOs critically important. This paper argues that whether an organization is perceived as congruent – similar to an individual in values – is a key determinant of whether individuals will engage with it. I use a conjoint survey experiment to test how organizational attributes signaling congruence influence respondents’ willingness to attend a hypothetical organization’s meetings. I find that individuals are more likely to choose organizations that are more likely to be congruent with them, except when it comes to funding. These findings imply that an individual’s level of comfort with a CSO matters for engagement; thus, CSOs need to consider how they match to their publics when reaching out to potential joiners. Furthermore, donors seeking to support CSOs need to pay attention to their impact on perceptions of congruence.

scholarly journals A Ação Coletiva Transnacional e os Elementos que Contribuem para sua Sustentabilidade: o caso da MESA

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Moises Villamil Balestro ◽  
Marcelle Vaz
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Social Reproduction ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
National Organizations ◽  
Transnational Actors ◽  
Sociedad Civil ◽  
America Latina

O artigo contribui para entender melhor a dinâmica dos atores transnacionais, articulada com os contextos nacionais, lançando olhar sobre as diferenças nos casos brasileiro e argentino. O trabalho se insere em um contexto maior de transformações do capitalismo na América Latina e seus processos econômicos que têm impacto nos processos sociais. A América Latina não representa uma realidade única, homogênea e monocromática. Com base no diálogo entre teorias da sociologia e da ciência política com a teoria organizacional, o artigo apresenta categorias analíticas que contribuem para entender a sustentabilidade da articulação transnacional. Três elementos chaves para essa reprodução social da ação coletiva foram a identidade das organizações nacionais, a coordenação entre elas e a retroalimentação do campo estratégico de ação. A sustentabilidade da ação coletiva é entendida a partir da dinâmica dos atores nacionais, as organizações da sociedade civil (OSCs) do Brasil e da Argentina dentro da articulação transnacional. O cenário atual de crise econômica e de crise democrática na região, com a intensificação do neoliberalismo e a erosão dos espaços de participação cidadã no MERCOSUL permitirão testar o grau de resiliência da ação coletiva transnacional nos próximos anos.Palavras-chave: Ação coletiva transnacional; sociedade civil organizada; América Latina; reprodução socialThe Transnational Collective Action and the Elements Contributing to its Sustainability: the case of MESAAbstractThe article contributes to a better understanding of the dynamics of transnational actors embedded in the national contexts. The article scrutinizes the differences between the cases of Brazil and Argentina. The transnational actors are part of a larger context of transformations of capitalism in Latin America. Latin America does not represent a single, homogeneous and monochromatic reality. Based on the dialogue between theories of sociology and political science with organizational theory, the article puts forward analytical categories that contribute to understanding the sustainability of the transnational articulation. Three key elements for this social reproduction of collective action were the identity of the national organizations, the coordination among them and the strategic field of action. The sustainability of collective action is understood from the dynamics of national actors, civil society organizations (CSOs) in Brazil and Argentina within the transnational articulation. The current scenario of economic crisis and democratic crisis in the region, with the deepening of neoliberalism and the erosion of the arenas for citizen participation in MERCOSUR will be able to test the degree of resilience of transnational collective action in the coming years.Keywords: transnational collective action; organised civil society; Latin America; social reproductionLa Acción Colectiva Transnacional y los Elementos que Contribuyen a su Sostenibilidad: el caso de la MESAResumen El artículo contribuye a un mejor entendimiento de la dinámica de los actores transnacionales integrados en los contextos nacionales. El trabajo analiza las diferencias entre los casos de Brasil y Argentina. Los actores transnacionales son parte de un contexto más amplio de transformaciones del capitalismo en América Latina. Los países de América Latina no representan una realidad única, homogénea y monocromática. Basado en el diálogo entre las teorías de la sociología y la ciencia política con la teoría de la organización, el artículo presenta categorías analíticas que contribuyen para entender la sostenibilidad de la articulación transnacional. Tres elementos clave para esta reproducción social de la acción colectiva fueron la identidad de las organizaciones nacionales, la coordinación entre ellas y el campo de acción estratégico. La sostenibilidad de la acción colectiva se entiende a partir de la dinámica de los actores nacionales, las organizaciones de la sociedad civil (OSC) en Brasil y Argentina dentro de la articulación transnacional. El escenario actual de crisis económica y crisis democrática en la región, con la profundización del neoliberalismo y la erosión de los espacios de participación ciudadana en el MERCOSUR, pondrá a prueba el grado de resiliencia de la acción colectiva transnacional en los próximos años.Palabras clave: acción colectiva transnacional; sociedad civil organizada; América Latina; reproducción social

Self-Undermining Rhetoric in the Past and Present

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Seth Levine
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Policy Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Political Change ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Economic Insecurity ◽  
The Past ◽  
Broad Concept ◽  
The Face

This chapter considers the prospects for political change in the face of communicative barriers to collective action. It begins to address this question by identifying several of the most well-known historical and recent moments in which there was large-scale mobilization on some economic insecurity issues. This discussion, in concert with the empirical findings in this book, helps clarify the prospects for political action (and policy change) on these issues. The chapter then uses the findings from the book to identify three types of people that are most likely to become active. It also talks about the implications of having this (narrower) set of people active as opposed to the full range of people that find the issues to be important. It concludes by reiterating how self-undermining rhetoric is a broad concept that can apply in many different situations beyond those considered herein.

Participatory Social Policies: Diverging Patterns in Brazil and Bolivia

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Niedzwiecki ◽  
Santiago Anria
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Institutional Context ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Social Policies ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Popular Participation

ABSTRACTBolivia and Brazil have universalized their pension and healthcare systems, respectively. Civil society organizations participated actively in social policy expansion, yet they have done so in starkly different ways, reflecting general patterns in each country. Whereas in Brazil, popular participation in social policies takes place through “inside” formal channels, such as conferences and councils, in Bolivia, bottom-up influence occurs mostly via “outside” channels, by coordinating collective action in the streets. Understanding forms of popular participation matters because policies that allow for popular input are potentially more representative, universal, and nondiscretionary. This article argues that differences in the forms of popular participation in social policy expansion can be explained by the characteristics of the institutional context and differences in the types of movements engaged in the policymaking process. By focusing on patterns of participation, these findings add nuance to the literature on Latin America’s welfare states.

scholarly journals Collective Action on Public Goods for Sustainable Development: Ethics in Action

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 14-27
Author(s):  
Lichia Y iu ◽  
Raymond Saner ◽  
Roland Bardy
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Stakeholder Group ◽  
Moral Foundation ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Private And Public

Maintaining and expanding public goods is synonymous with promoting sustainable development but discussions are needed to clarify how policies need to be coordinated to enable collective action on public goods. Collective action for Public Goods will only be successful if all who partake in such actions can gain complimentary benefits that would be either more costly or impossible to achieve without the collective effort. Such complementary benefits are possible provided all stakeholders contributing to the public good of social peace and social cohesion cooperate with each other and preserve this and other public goods be they citizens, civil society organizations, all public authorities and all business firms. This concerted effort for a good cause can certainly be coined “ethics in action” – a notion which exhibits the moral foundation of the private and public choices inherent in sustainable development implementation of which interactions amongst stakeholders are no longer transactional, but rather aspiring toward greater good. Civil society organizations are key stakeholders producing, maintaining, and benefitting from Public Goods. They should strive for full inclusion, as there are many people who are either excluded or under-provided with respect to public goods. Public authorities, another key stakeholder group, need to cooperate with other stakeholders through collaborative frameworks and mechanisms for collective action that bind states and international organizations at a global scale. Another important stakeholder group, private and public enterprises need to operate within a level playing field globally, conduct business based on Responsible Business criteria and be welcomed to contribute to Public Goods creation in a sustainable and proactive manner without causing negative impacts due to their business activities. This paper presents and discusses how collective action can be achieved through concerted efforts by all members of society aiming to produce and maintain public goods essential for the sustained and equitable functioning of society. The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development serves as a shared roadmap in achieving a shared future. Keywords: Collective Action, Public Goods, Sustainable Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, UN Agenda 2030.

scholarly journals State-Funded Activism: Lessons from Civil Society Organizations in Ireland

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-243
Author(s):  
Anna Visser
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Government Funding ◽  
Democratic Governance ◽  
State Funding ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Face ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Civil society organizations (CSOs) in Ireland receive significant state funding and institutional support according to the logic that they are important contributors to democratic governance, with the effect that the CSO sector has expanded and become more embedded in formal decision-making processes over the past several decades. At the same time, dependency on government funding exposes CSOs to three important challenges: to stay true to activist mandates in the face of pressure from state funders to focus on service provision; to maintain accountability to constituents while also satisfying the vertically oriented accountability requirements of the state; and to nurture collaboration among CSOs in a context of competition for state funding. University-based activists, who are also reliant on (increasingly scarce) government funding, face similar challenges, and therefore should pay more attention to debates regarding state funding in the CSO sphere. By working together to overcome common challenges associated with state funding, activists in both spheres can more effectively contribute to progressive social change.

Toward a digital civil society: digital ethics through communication education

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophia Kaitatzi-Whitlock
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
General Education ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Research Tool ◽  
Communication Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Digital Ethics ◽  
The Face

Purpose In the face of the enormous rise in digital fraud and criminality, resulting in diverse afflictions to millions of user-victims, emanating from users’ horizontal interactive and transactive exchanges on the internet, but due significantly to internet’s deregulation and anonymity, this study aims to showcase the need for a socially grounded self-regulation. It holds, that this is feasible and that it can be achieved through large scale, comprehensive digital communication education (DCE) programs. Design/methodology/approach The composite methodology of the study comprises four types of components, namely, analytic, exploratory-discursive, constructionist and propositional. The construction-creation element consists of the design of an original combinational research tool: triangular relational pattern (TRP). Through TRPs, researchers can locate the types of relations involved between three implicated entities, namely, the affliction, the culprit and the victim and can study them in-depth. Subsequently, based on the TRP, DCE programs are composed, which are, also, proposed to be deployed by educational authorities and digital civil society associations. Findings The created, applied here and proposed TRPs can be used by other researchers aiming to locate, map and analyze the variants of internet criminality and victimhood and their implications across the global frontierless world and in the digital human condition, educational purposes but also to create social cohesion. Originality/value The study offers two original contributions. The TRP as a significant relational research tool-grid. The DCE programs that are linked to the repertories of digital relations and can be introduced in the general education programs.

Regulations of Large-Scale Acquisitions of Land: The Case of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Land, Fisheries and Forests

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenza Paoloni ◽  
Antonio Onorati
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Negotiation Process ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
International Agreement ◽  
World Food Security ◽  
Responsible Governance ◽  
Voluntary Guidelines

AbstractThis article focuses on the recent international agreement now known as Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Land, Fisheries and Forests. The drafting process for this international agreement, achieved through a transparent consultation activity, started by FAO and finalized through intergovernmental negotiations led by CFS (Committee on World Food Security, a body of the U.N.), also including the participation of civil society organizations, international organizations, private sector representatives, academics and researchers. The engagement of rural social movements and other Civil Society Organizations in the negotiation process is an unprecedented effort in influencing governments to establish guidelines to gain greater access to land resources at the global scale. The Guidelines aim to promote food security and sustainable development by improving secure access to land, fisheries and forests, especially for small food producers, and protecting the legitimate tenure rights of millions of people against forms of grabbing, concentration, commodification and privatization of land which are shaping agrarian systems. They have been elaborated on the basis of human rights and in respect of local communities rights. From a strictly legal point of view, the Guidelines are not mandatory and hence they are not a source of legally binding effects for every single State. They do not derive from a formal legislative proceeding, and they are the result of a consultation and negotiation process coming from the bottom. Every State and international organization is called on to guarantee the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Guidelines. The authors contend, with critical arguments, that the process of consultation and negotiation that led to the endorsement of the Guidelines is quite relevant – in the current context of the large-scale land acquisitions – and very significant because it involved civil society and social movements, giving rise to an innovative instrument of soft law.

scholarly journals Nye former for samfunnsengasjement og kollektiv handling

2018 ◽  
pp. 7-30
Author(s):  
Bernard Enjolras ◽  
Ivar Eimhjellen
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Civic Engagement ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Main Question ◽  
Digital Networks ◽  
Formal Organizations ◽  
Selective Incentives ◽  
Connective Action ◽  
New Form

This chapter introduces the book’s main topics and analytical frame. With the development of societal meta-processes of change such as digitalization, individualization and globalization, the condition of collective action are under transformation. The main question, addressed by this book, is whether a new form of collective action – connective action – can be empirically identified when looking at the late developments in Norway. The need for formal organizations and selective incentives has been emphasized as a solution to the “collective action problem”. Digitalization, by enabling “organizing without organizations” is expected to enhance new forms of collective action that are more individualized and do not require formal organizations. Additionally, since digital networks cross territorial boundaries, collective action is expected to take a transnational character. With such a backdrop, the contributions assembled in this book, based on extensive empirical investigations, examine the extent to which digitalization transforms civic engagement, whether the boundary between volunteerism and political activism are becoming increasingly blurred, whether new organizing forms are emerging in the wake of digitalization, and whether it is possible to identify new forms of transnational collective action. Taken together, the contributions to this book do not support the emergence of a new form of collective action. On the contrary, in spite of the transformations affecting the forms of collective action and civic engagement, the empirical evidence emphasize the continued importance of the infrastructure constituted of civil society organizations for supporting collective action.

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