scholarly journals Transformation of Swedish CSOs Using the Strengths of Purpose and Empathy

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. p264
Author(s):  
Johanna Hallin ◽  
Nathalie Ahlstedt Mantel
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Appreciative Inquiry ◽  
Target Group ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
The Public ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
New Strategies

Civil society organizations in Sweden are facing new challenges and opportunities in a rapidly changing context. Demographical changes, a new political climate and a broad professionalization of the sector demand a transformational shift in business. In the project Tailwind, four leading CSOs in Sweden develop new strategies and policies to navigate the new landscape. The project explores the question of how these organizations will have to transform to be able to thrive in the future. Using positive psychology and appreciative inquiry as a method for this piece of research, key insights found include: the CSOs need to draw on the strengths of the organization when strategically developing the operations, to build their operations on empathic meetings with the target group, and to step up to claim an expert position in the public eye, sharing knowledge and insight with decision-makers about the needs of the target group.

scholarly journals Civil Society Capture by Early Stage Autocrats in Well-Developed Democracies – The Case of Austria

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Simsa
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
The Public ◽  
Gradual Process ◽  
Right Wing Populism ◽  
Framework Conditions

AbstractThe article presents the results of an empirical study on the current framework conditions for civil society organizations in Austria. The results are linked to findings on how authoritarian governments deal with civil society. The research shows that along with the current government’s gradual process towards right-wing populism and authoritarianism, the general political climate has changed with regard to civil society, possibilities of political participation, and the public financing of civil society organizations. The findings are linked to the concept of civil society capture and reflect the overall wave of autocratization discussed by other authors. The analysis of the gradual process of the development of authoritarian politics in a relatively stable and developed democracy reveals the relevance of the findings for current tendencies in many other countries.

scholarly journals Afforestation, reforestation and new challenges from COVID-19: Thirty-three recommendations to support civil society organizations (CSOs)

2021 ◽  
Vol 287 ◽  
pp. 112277
Author(s):  
Midhun Mohan ◽  
Hayden A. Rue ◽  
Shaurya Bajaj ◽  
G.A. Pabodha Galgamuwa ◽  
Esmaeel Adrah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
New Challenges

The Protective Shields

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kinda Mohamadieh
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Crowding Out ◽  
Arab Region ◽  
Arab Uprisings ◽  
Policy Debates ◽  
Human Rights Movement ◽  
History Of ◽  
New Challenges

This chapter examines the various roles undertaken by civil society organizations (CSOs), or nongovernmental organizations, in the Arab region and their implications for collaboration between CSOs and the United Nations, with particular emphasis on how CSOs figure in policy debates and the human rights movement. CSOs in the Arab region, mainly those working on policy and legislative issues, have been engaged with UN-led processes and conferences since the 1992 Earth Summit, and including the 1995 Summit on Social Development and the 2000 Millennium Summit. However, as some UN agencies, driven by a quest for funding, have moved into programmatic interventions, tensions have sometimes emerged between CSOs and UN agencies when some UN agencies have ended up potentially competing with CSOs for funding or crowding out the space available for CSOs. This chapter first traces the history of CSO-UN interactions in the Arab region before discussing the new challenges and possibilities raised during the period of the Arab uprisings.

Communicating Nation Brands through Mass and Social Media

2014 ◽  
pp. 409-425
Author(s):  
Maria De Moya ◽  
Rajul Jain
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Nation Branding ◽  
Destination Branding ◽  
Media Environment ◽  
The Public ◽  
Content Analyses ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Nation Brand ◽  
Nation Brands

Nation branding efforts are the means through which many countries attempt to influence how foreign publics perceive them. However, in a media landscape that now includes not only traditional one-way media but also two-way social platforms, countries undertaking these efforts are presented with a series of new challenges. This environment makes it more difficult to manage the issues associated with a nation brand, challenges countries to better communicate their advantages, and allows the public to create its own, potentially competing, messages about a country. Building on previous work on nation and destination branding, this chapter discusses the changing media environment in which nation-branding efforts are taking place, and—through a combination of DICTION®-assisted, manual, and qualitative content analyses—provides evidence of the new media landscape in which nation branding is taking place. The challenges and opportunities created by this new context are detailed, and potential avenues for further research are discussed.

scholarly journals Managing Dissent: Energy Pipelines and “New Right” Politics in Canada

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Raso ◽  
Robert J. Neubauer
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
New Right ◽  
The Public ◽  
News Analysis ◽  
News Discourse ◽  
Société Civile ◽  
Discourse Coalitions ◽  
Official Sources

This article explores the political controversy surrounding the proposed Northern Gateway bitumen pipeline by analyzing the modalities through which elite rationalities structure public news discourse. First, through a news analysis, the authors identify the most common pro-approval actors cited speaking in favour of the project. Next, they identify the most prominent pro-approval civil society sources and ascertain their level of embeddedness in conservative discourse coalitions. Finally, the authors identify the dominant framing techniques that disproportionately structure the public discourse around the Gateway project. The article ultimately argues that over-reliance on “official sources,” the prominence of industry-backed civil society organizations, and the influence of hegemonic discourses on journalistic practice all conspire to structure the public discourse on Northern Gateway in favour of elite preferences and rationalities.Cet article explore la controverse politique entourant l’oléoduc de bitume proposé par Northern Gateway en analysant les modalités selon lesquelles les rationalités d’élites structurent le discours tenu dans les médias d’information. D’abord, au moyen de l’analyse de nouvelles, les auteurs identifient les acteurs appuyant l’oléoduc que les médias citent le plus souvent. Ensuite, ils identifient les sources de la société civile les plus en vue et évaluent leur degré d’appartenance à des coalitions conservatrices. Enfin, les auteurs identifient certaines techniques de cadrage qui jouent un rôle disproportionné dans la structuration du discours public à l’égard du projet Gateway. Cet article se conclut en soutenant qu’une dépendance excessive envers des « sources officielles », la centralité d’organismes de la société civile appuyés par l’industrie, et l’influence de discours hégémoniques sur la pratique journalistique coïncident pour structurer le discours public sur Northern Gateway en faveur de préférences et de rationalités d’élites.

Building Global Advocacy for Nutrition: A Review of the European and US Landscapes

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan D. Dangour ◽  
Zoey Diaz ◽  
Lucy Martinez Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Strategic Commitment ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Donor Agencies ◽  
Donor Policies ◽  
Food Value ◽  
Bilateral Donor

Background An estimated two billion people globally suffer from undernutrition, and yet, despite consensus that improving nutrition is one of the best investments for promoting health and alleviating poverty, nutrition remains chronically underfunded and under-prioritized. Successfully scaling global efforts to address undernutrition requires an understanding of the landscape of potential donors and partners that can be mobilized toward improving nutrition globally. Objective To conduct independent reviews of the European and US landscapes of donors and partners focused on undernutrition, and identify opportunities to leverage outreach and advocacy efforts toward increased engagement and funding for nutrition. Methods We present the primary findings from two independent landscaping studies conducted between September 2010 and March 2011. Research methods included desk-based research and interviews with stakeholders in bilateral and multilateral organizations ( n = 19), private industries ( n = 46), private funders ( n = 16), and civil society organizations ( n = 29). We report the key thematic findings by sector and the challenges and opportunities for increased engagement and funding for nutrition. Results Nutrition is a growing priority for a number of stakeholders across sectors. Strategic commitment to nutrition is emerging across multilateral and bilateral donor agencies; the private sector is increasingly interested in engaging in addressing undernutrition; and nongovernmental and civil society groups are engaged in nutrition advocacy. Key opportunities to increase funding and partnership across sectors include leveraging bilateral and multilateral investments for nutrition across development priorities while ensuring sound commitments within donor policies, focusing on engaging the private sector across the food value chain, mobilizing new resources from private funders through effective communication and outreach, and continuing to prioritize ongoing impact assessment across a range of interventions. Conclusions Understanding the current European and US landscape of nutrition stakeholders helps to inform efforts to scale the type of investments and partnership needed to make effective impacts on undernutrition globally. Turning the existing opportunities into results will require effective coordination, strong communication, and active participation across sectors.

DEMOCRACY AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN RUSSIA

2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (02) ◽  
pp. 161-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
NICOLE KOVALEV ◽  
JOHANN KÖPPEL ◽  
ALEXANDER DROZDOV ◽  
ECKHARDT DITTRICH
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Democratic Deficit ◽  
Approval Process ◽  
The Public ◽  
Environmental Decision Making ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Russian Federation

Since 1988, the Russian Federation has required that laws, plans, programs and all kind of projects undergo an environmental assessment. A mandatory component of the EIA in Russia is public participation. In this paper different case studies are used to find out to what extent public could influence environmental decision making processes from the early eighties until 2002. The cases selected include several where the public was passive or where it had limited activities, but also some where the participation was strong and projects were improved or stopped. As far as these case studies highlighted, the civil society in Russia can be described as an organized and sometimes strong factor in the approval process. The behaviour displayed by decision-makers, however, revealed at times a remarkable democratic deficit.

Communicating Nation Brands through Mass and Social Media

2015 ◽  
pp. 1985-2002
Author(s):  
Maria De Moya ◽  
Rajul Jain
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Nation Branding ◽  
Destination Branding ◽  
Media Environment ◽  
The Public ◽  
Content Analyses ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Nation Brand ◽  
Nation Brands

Nation branding efforts are the means through which many countries attempt to influence how foreign publics perceive them. However, in a media landscape that now includes not only traditional one-way media but also two-way social platforms, countries undertaking these efforts are presented with a series of new challenges. This environment makes it more difficult to manage the issues associated with a nation brand, challenges countries to better communicate their advantages, and allows the public to create its own, potentially competing, messages about a country. Building on previous work on nation and destination branding, this chapter discusses the changing media environment in which nation-branding efforts are taking place, and—through a combination of DICTION®-assisted, manual, and qualitative content analyses—provides evidence of the new media landscape in which nation branding is taking place. The challenges and opportunities created by this new context are detailed, and potential avenues for further research are discussed.

Analysis on the Effect of China’s Overseas ngo Law under the Differences in Legal Thinking

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-43
Author(s):  
Xijin Jia
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
The Public ◽  
Political Purpose ◽  
Standard Procedures ◽  
Legal Thinking ◽  
The Law ◽  
Illegal Activities

The Law on the Management of Overseas NGOs’ Activities in Mainland China has come into effect on January 1, 2017. Ever since its second draft was unveiled to the public and then the final draft was adopted, Chinese and international civil society organizations have expressed their concerns and criticisms, far beyond the expectation of the Chinese government that intends to regulate illegal activities and protect legitimate rights with this law. This paper argues that the unexpected responses are provoked not only by the political purpose behind the adoption of this law – to safeguard national security – but also by the different interpretations of the law due to the differences in legal thinking. Beginning with an analysis of the law’s text, this paper continues to look at the regulatory framework and what has provoked the unexpected responses from the public, examines the differences in legal thinking – an underlying issue in this regard, and proposes that to ensure the effective enforcement of the law efforts should be made in three aspects, i.e. making clarification, establishing standard procedures, and protecting rights, to settle the idea differences between the legislature and the overseas civil society.

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