Squeezing civic space: restrictions on civil society organizations and the linkages with human rights

Abstract

In many countries civil society is under pressure. Collective citizens' efforts, especially when they have political salience, seem to be regarded with increasing suspicion and even to be actively countered. Anti-NGO laws, arbitrary inspections, harassment, and criminalisation all strike at the roots of civic space. Is this part of a trend of 'reverse transitions', in which countries slide away from democracy? Or is this maybe an even wider shift, manifestations of which can also be observed in more established democracies? What are the possible causes of this shrinking or closing civic space, how does the closure manifest itself, and what are the linkages to human rights? This article will focus on anti-NGO measures as part of a broader global trend.

Why Civil Society Cannot Battle it All Alone: The Roles of Civil Society Environment, Transparent Laws and Quality of Public Administration in Political Corruption Mitigation

“…Perhaps, it is only when the quality of engagement with civil society is improved that the positive effect, that is reduction of political corruption, of CSO consultation transpires. Moreover, several scholars have warned of the effect of current trends toward democratic recession such as the squeezing of civic space (Buyse, 2018) and on how state elites have increasingly used the NGO legal environment as a ruling strategy to disable dissent (Dupuy et al, 2015;Gilbert & Mohseni, 2018) on the vibrance of civil society and by extension, its contribution to the enhancement of democracy and governance. However, it is puzzling but very important to note yet again that as found out in this study, similar to CSO consultation but unlike CSO repression, CSO entry and exit, defined here as the extent to which the government achieves control over the entry and exit of CSOs into public life, did not lead to a reduction in political corruption as the regression models provide.…”

The populist turn in EU politics and the intermediary role of civil society organisations

“…Aware of this difference of foci among radical right-wing populists, CSOs tend to direct their gaze to those issues that are more relevant to them, even if their messages are often mixed. This is partly because they also need to establish coalitions, and, for instance, sign common documents, which focus on a variety of themes but often concentrate on issues such as threats to human rights that are common to many organisations, and more generally to the perception of a state of siege among all CSOs (Buyse, 2018).…”

The Third Sector in Public Governance in Nigeria: Concept, Identity and Prospects

“…The interaction between government and the third sector in the last three decades, although idiosyncratic, is on the rise in both intensity and scope in and out of Nigeria (Buyse 2018;ICNL Nigeria 2016;Salamon 2016;2012). This is not the result of government generosity, magnanimity or progressiveness, but rather the compelling demands of people for a better life, including, in the context of Nigeria, the attractiveness of "donors" funds, and the mutual advantage associated with such engagements.…”