scholarly journals Decoupling local ownership? The lost opportunities for grassroots women’s involvement in Liberian peacebuilding

2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodora-Ismene Gizelis ◽  
Jonathan Joseph
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Active Role ◽  
International Norms ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Theoretical Argument ◽  
Reconstruction Process ◽  
Practical Action ◽  
Grassroots Groups ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
External Actors

Civil society organizations and grassroots groups are often unable to play an active role in post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding. A possible explanation for the observed challenges in peacebuilding is the gap or decoupling between international expectations and norms from practical action, local norms and capacities. External actors are often overly instrumental and operate according to a general template that fails to start from what the local capacities might actually be. This often leads to the decoupling of general values from practical action, which helps account for the observed barriers of engaging local civil and community organizations in reconstruction. We examine the different types of decoupling and the challenges these present. We evaluate our general theoretical argument using evidence based on the experiences of Liberian women’s civil society organizations. Given the compliance of the Liberian government with international norms, we should expect external actors to have an easier task in incorporating civil society and women’s organizations in the post-conflict reconstruction process; yet, the record appears to be the opposite. While we present the ‘tragic’ aspect of this relationship between international norms and local practice, we also suggest opportunities for ‘hybrid’ alternatives.

Assessing Variation in Civil Society Organizations

2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (9) ◽  
pp. 1240-1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin L. Read
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Real Life ◽  
The United States ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
High Expectations ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Grassroots Groups ◽  
Collective Action Problems ◽  
Power Comparisons

Theories of civil society set high expectations for grassroots associations, claiming that they school citizens in democracy and constrain powerful institutions. But when do real-life organizations actually live up to this billing? Homeowner organizations in the United States and elsewhere have sparked debate among political scientists, criticized by some as nonparticipatory and harmful to the overall polity and defended by others as benign manifestations of local self-governance. With this as a backdrop, China's emerging homeowner groups are used as a testing ground for exploring variation in three criteria of performance: self-organization, participation, and the exercising of power. Comparisons are drawn cross-nationally, among 23 cases in four Chinese cities and over time within neighborhoods. The article puts forward several factors affecting the properties of grassroots groups, highlighting the role of conflict, the political—legal environment, and collective action problems in shaping the way they engage their members and take political action.

Between a rock and a hard place

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamama Afreen ◽  
Sushil Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Port Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stakeholder Interactions

Purpose Development project implementation involving ecological and social externalities is an iterative process due to dynamic challenges emerging from the need to reconcile multiple, and often conflicting, interests of stakeholders. Stakeholder interactions result in learnings for project developers as well as policy makers. This paper aims to track corporate-civil society organizations-state interactions and learnings in case of a port development project in an eco-sensitive and socially challenging region of India. Design/methodology/approach The authors try to unpack the interactions among various stakeholders in the case of development of Dhamra Port being developed by the Dhamra Port Company Ltd, in the state of Orissa, India. Findings The authors find that sustainable development policy formulation and implementation is an evolutionary process involving plugging of governance gaps at each successive stage with civil society actors playing an active role. Research limitations/implications The study is based on single case of a major port development in India. Practical implications The paper highlights that development in emerging economies through large projects is unavoidable. The development-sustainability dilemma cannot be overlooked any further; rather, it needs to be resolved with complete participation of all involved stakeholders. Originality/value The paper provides account of long and complex interactions among various players involved in developmental project in an emerging economy. The learnings from the paper will be relevant for policymakers, corporate executives and civil society activists.

Do members make a difference? A study of Transnational Civil Society Organizations

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Kotzian ◽  
Jens Steffek
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Global Governance ◽  
Political Behavior ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
International Level ◽  
Transnational Actors ◽  
Transnational Civil Society

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) play an active role in European and global governance, and many commentators see them as a link that connects the international level with citizens. But not all CSOs active at the international level do have a substantial number of members. The question we investigate in this article is to what extent membership distinguishes these CSOs from other transnational actors. To what extent do member and non-member CSOs differ in their roles and activities? Is it plausible to argue, as it quite often happens, that CSOs with members are more legitimate than others? On the basis of a survey of 60 exemplary CSOs we find that membership CSOs neither differ substantially from non-member CSOs in their political behavior, nor do they differ in important aspects of legitimacy, such as transparency or efforts to include beneficiaries.

Variance in Global Response to HIV/AIDS between the United States and Japan: Perception, Media, and Civil Society

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 514-535
Author(s):  
YOUNG SOO KIM ◽  
JOONGBUM SHIN
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Foreign Aid ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
International Norms ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Media ◽  
Aid Policy ◽  
Hiv Aids

AbstractThe US and Japan, despite their shared reputation as leading donors for international development, remarkably varied in their foreign aid policy for HIV/AIDS in the 1980s and 1990s. Unlike the US, who initiated and increased global AIDS funding dramatically, Japan was lukewarm in its contributions. I claim that the distinctive pattern depends on how the pandemic was domestically framed and understood. The policy commitment was more likely when the internationally shared idea (international norms) of threats requiring immediate international cooperation was congruent with the domestic perception of the epidemic. The research undertakes a comparative examination of the determinants of the distinctive domestic perceptions of the two cases, including the number of individuals infected with HIV, the attitude and role of the media, and the civil society organizations dealing with HIV/AIDS. They played significant roles as intervening variables that conditioned domestic diffusion or internalization of the international norms for foreign aid policy development. The US had a favorable domestic condition based upon the relatively large number of those infected with HIV, a media that adopted a constructive approach, and active civil society organizations associated with the disease. In contrast, in Japan the number of HIV cases was lower, the media had a distorted view of the epidemic, and civil society organizations were not strong enough to offer much support until the early 1990s.

Why are “we” called “them”?: Storytelling and the contested terrain of post-conflict public formation

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 306-324
Author(s):  
David J Marshall ◽  
Lynn A Staeheli ◽  
Vanja Čelebičić
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Political Community ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Youth Organizations ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Ethical Commitment ◽  
Post Conflict

Efforts to repair wounded social relations and rebuild political institutions typically target young people, who are viewed with a mix of hope and anxiety as the future leaders of the country. Efforts undertaken by civil society organizations, and funded by international donors, emphasize dialogue and tolerance through civic engagement. Dialogue, tolerance, and engagement aim at inclusive forms of peaceful community building and public togetherness, yet notions of what constitutes the political community are inherently contested. Moreover, tolerance efforts targeting youth often combine face-to-face forms of dialogue with the use of digital media aiming at broader public engagement, potentially introducing further anxiety over fraught forms of community and public-ness. This paper discusses a digital story/community mapping project conducted with two youth-led civil society organizations in Sarajevo/East Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although the youth organizations share an ethical commitment to dialogue promotion, the dialogue produced through this creative collaboration was fraught with conflicting views of how to commemorate past violence and different definitions of what constitutes community.

Health Movement and Civil Society Activism: An Interface of Overlap and Exclusion

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-217
Author(s):  
Skylab Sahu
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Immune Deficiency Syndrome ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Deficiency Syndrome ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Health Movement ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Hiv Aids

Of late, the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) has become a cause of concern for both the state and the non-state actors. The activism led by civil society on HIV/AIDS and health movements espouses the health needs and rights of HIV positive people. While playing politically active role, at times civil society organizations (CSOs) support health movements, and their activities overlap. Although these groups are different in nature, structure and strategies, there are some commonalities among them. This article discusses the opportunities for coalition between CSOs and health movement, and also analyzes problems that lead to exclusion. The joint efforts of movements and CSOs have influenced the policy formulation and implementation towards ensuring rights of HIV positive people. There are several conducive factors towards building a strong network between CSOs and health movement. However, due to limitations associated with their activities, a strong coalition has not been possible resulting in a lack of a strong social movement.

scholarly journals It Takes a Village: UN Peace Operations and Social Networks in Postconflict Environments

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
T. I. Gizelis
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Peace Operations ◽  
Postconflict Reconstruction ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Distribution Of Resources ◽  
Horizontal Networks ◽  
External Actors ◽  
Horizontal Network

AbstractWhy are civil society organizations so often unable to make a difference during the transition to peace? I argue that the contributions of local civil society organizations and women's organizations to postconflict peacebuilding should be understood in terms of the networks that emerge during the peacebuilding process. Horizontal network conditions are essential for successful postconflict reconstruction. Yet external actors often implement policies that strengthen hierarchical links at the expense of such horizontal networks. To explore the types of networks that emerge in postconflict reconstruction, I use semistructured interviews conducted in Liberia. The evidence suggests that emerging horizontal networks are more robust in areas where local communities and women have a tradition of organizing. However, these networks remain fairly unstable. The assistance is mostly channeled centrally, strengthening hierarchical ties and leading to distortions in the distribution of resources.

Why UN Peacebuilding Discourse Matters

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura J. Shepherd
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Women's Organizations ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Discursive Construction ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Conflict Situations ◽  
Women’S Organizations

Chapter 6 reflects on the dominant configurations of civil society, women, gender, and peacebuilding in UN peacebuilding discourse and why the author thinks these arguments are significant. It is notable that the foundational resolution that brought forth the UN PBC specifically identifies “women’s organizations”—and only women’s organizations—as a part of “civil society” with which the Commission is encouraged to consult, as noted earlier. This articulation, as discussed earlier, not only feminizes civil society organizations but also reproduces the association between women and civil society. Further, the discursive construction of civil society as a feminized subject in peacebuilding discourse relies on assumptions about women’s capacity to engage meaningfully in peacebuilding-related activities by virtue of their femininity and the concomitant assumption of pacifism and peacebuilding potential. Both of these constructions are problematic in the ways in which they make sense of women’s lived experiences in conflict and post-conflict situations.

scholarly journals Inclusive Landscape Governance for Sustainable Development: Assessment Methodology and Lessons for Civil Society Organizations

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koen Kusters ◽  
Maartje De Graaf ◽  
Louise Buck ◽  
Katherine Galido ◽  
Alphonse Maindo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Landscape Planning ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Landscape Governance ◽  
Collaborative Action ◽  
The Future ◽  
Forested Landscapes ◽  
Multi Stakeholder

Landscape governance refers to the combination of rules and decision-making processes of civic, private, and public actors with stakes in the landscape, that together shape the future of that landscape. As part of the Green Livelihoods Alliance, a program that supports civil society organizations (CSOs) to strengthen the governance of tropical forested landscapes, we developed and implemented a method that facilitates stakeholders to assess the status of governance in their own landscape and to identify options for improvement. In this article, we aim to reflect on landscape governance, based on our work within the Green Livelihoods Alliance. We present the method, summarize the results of its implementation, and draw practical lessons regarding the role of CSOs to improve landscape governance. We conducted workshops with stakeholders in 17 forested landscapes across 10 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. During each workshop, participants scored and discussed a set of governance indicators, developed a common vision for landscape governance, and identified the practical steps that would need to be taken to achieve that vision. Analyzing the results from the workshops, we found that landscape stakeholders tend to perceive that: opportunities to influence decision-making are unequal; integrated landscape planning efforts remain noncommittal; and implementation and enforcement of regulations is weak. To improve governance in the future, it is common to call for the development of multi-stakeholder processes, to allow different actors to discuss, negotiate, and develop collaborative action to address landscape-level challenges. CSOs can support such processes, by helping to develop a shared understanding of landscape governance, differences in interests, and possibilities for collaborative action. CSOs can also help stakeholders to develop multi-stakeholder procedures, and build trust and capacity among stakeholders to take an active role in such processes.

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