scholarly journals German Political Foundations in Central Asia: Promoting Democracy Through Civil Society

Author(s):  
Chiara Pierobon

The paper offers a critical analysis on the role of German political foundations as actors in democracy assistance and is aimed at detecting similarities and divergences in their operation with the civil society of the region. To this end, the article investigates the concrete programs implemented by two major German foundations – the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) - in Central Asia, with emphasis on the specific case study of Kyrgyzstan.

Author(s):  
Ewan Ferlie ◽  
Sue Dopson ◽  
Chris Bennett ◽  
Michael D. Fischer ◽  
Jean Ledger ◽  
...  

This chapter analyses the role of think tanks in generating a distinctive mode of policy knowledge, pragmatically orientated to inform and shape issues of importance to civil society. Drawing on political science literature, we argue that think tanks exploit niche areas of expertise and influence to actively mobilize policy analyses and recommendations across diverse stakeholders. Through our exploratory mapping of think tanks, geographically concentrated within London, we characterize their influence as significantly boosting knowledge intensity across the regional ecosystem. In particular, we study the empirical case of one London-based think tank which powerfully mobilized policy knowledge through its formal and informal networks to build influential expert consensus amongst key stakeholders. We conclude that such organizations act as key knowledge producers and mobilizers, with significant potential to influence policy discourses and implementation.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Amanda K. Winter ◽  
Huong Le ◽  
Simon Roberts

Abstract This paper explores the perception and politics of air pollution in Shanghai. We present a qualitative case study based on a literature review of relevant policies and research on civil society and air pollution, in dialogue with air quality indexes and field research data. We engage with the concept of China's authoritarian environmentalism and the political context of ecological civilization. We find that discussions about air pollution are often placed in a frame that is both locally temporal (environment) and internationally developmentalist (economy). We raise questions from an example of three applications with different presentations of air quality index measures for the same time and place. This example and frame highlight the central role and connection between technology, data and evidence, and pollution visibility in the case of the perception of air pollution. Our findings then point to two gaps in authoritarian environmentalism research, revealing a need to better understand (1) the role of technology within this governance context, and (2) the tensions created from this non-participatory approach with ecological civilization, which calls for civil society participation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 93-109
Author(s):  
Marta Salvador i Almela ◽  
Núria Abellan Calvet

Currently, many are the phenomena that occur around intangible cultural heritage (ICH), related to its politics and legacy. With a critical analysis perspective, this article aims to describe the processes of patrimonialisation, commodification, and touristification of ICH, especially of the Guatemalan Mayan fabrics. The ongoing movement of Guatemalan weavers to protect and vindicate the cultural value of this art brings to light the role of different actors that intervene in intangible cultural heritage and, of greater relevance, indigenous communities. The following analysis framework on the diverse conceptualisations of heritage, authenticity, commodification and touristification allows for a deeper understanding of the Mayan weavers’ situation. The methodology used in this article consists on a case study, through which the following main conclusions arise: the lack of protection of ICH of this case study given the complex definitions and categorisations; the need to identify the consequences of commodification and touristification of ancestral tapestries, highlighting the importance of tourism management from the communities; and, finally, the key role of women as transmitters and protectors of ICH, who have headed a process of movement and empowerment.


Geografie ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Grabkowska

Urban regeneration has become a key issue in the development of contemporary cities. The paper discusses bottom-up regeneration practices performed by inhabitants of a decaying inner-city neighbourhood under post-socialist conditions, which differ notably from the widely researched Western European context. Results of a qualitative study in Wrzeszcz Dolny, Gdańsk, have indicated the leading role of newcomers to the area in animating bottom-up regeneration efforts, which in turn translate into an activation and integration of the local community. Thus, it is argued that an in-migration into the inner city, usually interpreted as gentrification, does not necessarily generate losses for the indigenous inhabitants but can also bring a desired social change and significantly contribute to the building of inclusive civil society. The presented case study therefore signals the need for a careful investigation and precise labelling of the post-socialist inner-city transformation processes, as well as demonstrates how increasing participation might be employed as the potential antidote to ills associated with gentrification.


2021 ◽  

On the 30th anniversary of the dissolution of the USSR, this book collects selected contributions which analyse patterns of stability and transformation that characterise the politics and societies of three Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan—along with those of Central Asia as a region. In particular, this edited volume investigates gender equality discourses in Uzbekistan, the electoral rights of people with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan, neo-realism in the regional context of Central Asia, the role of Islam in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan as a provider of international security as well as the EU’s support of civil society and social capital in Kazakhstan. With contributions by Nora Becker, Dr. Shalva Dzebisashvili, Aziz Elmuradov, Prof. Dr. Matthias Kortmann, Dr. Aliia Maralbaeva, Laura Karoline Nette, Dr. Chiara Pierobon and Dr. Steve Schlegel.


2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 627-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Efendi ◽  
Agustiyara ◽  
Husni Amriyanto Putra

Since 1998, Indonesia has experienced a major transformation in the relationship between the rulers and the ruled. State–society relationships were previously subject-object, military-civilian, or superior-inferior. In other words, the state played a central role in all matters, while civil society ‘Muhammadiyah’ was limited to political and social activities. This tended to negatively impact community involvement in prevention and risk-reduction for natural disasters. This paper examines the role of civil society in disaster management in Indonesia. It does so in relation to the particular example of Yogyakarta, a special province where local values traditionally have more inherent authority than government-imposed law. The paper further discusses how there are important lessons for the future to be drawn from a Yogyakarta case study of how the national government has generally failed to build a private–public partnership and state–society relationship to deal with natural disasters based on local community needs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
Kesi Widjajanti ◽  
Nuryakin ◽  
Eviatiwi Kusumaningtyas Sugiyanto

The aims of this research is to empirically testing the role of quadruple helix, consisting of government, academic, business sector, and civil society on developing Small Medium Industry (SMEs) through developing innovation ecosystem. This qualitative study employs a case study design. The samples are small industry in Kudus Regency, Indonesia. The result of this study shows that implementing quadruple helix’s role may present innovation to solve some problems in small industry. This role implementation depicts the existence of innovation ecosystem in attempt to develop small industry. This study recommends the necessity to improve synergy and collaboration between of government regulation, academic support, business sector, and civil society through intense communication.


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