Normative Governance for Green Policies: Exploring the Practices of Civil Society

Although many local civil society organisations (CSOs) involve in reducing the impact of climate change, the issue has been reported by a limited study. This paper addresses the gap by investigating the role of local CSOs in helping to anticipate the effect of climate change. This study looked into the case of Riau because it has many CSOs concerned with environmental problems. The objectives of this research are to classify the environmental CSOs in Riau and analyze their contribution to climate change resilience. Using a qualitative approach, the data were collected by using interviews on a series of participants, including CSO’s activists, government officials, academicians, and community leaders. We reveal that local CSOs can be classified as conservation, advocation, empowerment, and conflict resolution. Along with their own and government programs, the CSOs have been contributed to tackling climate change by ensuring forest and peatland preservation. The theoretical and practical contributions of the study are elaborated.

Without amelioration of the living conditions of marginalized section of a nation, the goals of development and the process of nation building cannot be achieved and completed successfully. These have been the indispensible conditions of progressive development of a nation state like India. In India as the former growth-oriented strategies of development have failed to make or bring significant improvement and amplification of socio-economic living conditions of poor people entirely, the fundamental role of the state has been reconsidered to mitigate the difficulties of poverty, socio-economic inequalities and unemployment. Following this, in the last part of twentieth century a new perspective of governance has come into existence. In this new perspective many national governments of developing countries like India have started to adopt such policies and strategies of development which are likely to alleviate the distress of poverty and make social inclusion of the marginalized sections. Curtailment of the role of Government and the extension of the role of civil society organizations and NGO's has been suggested in this new perspective to meet these ends. In India, it has become clear in recent years that the effectiveness of efforts to achieve human development goals depends largely on the quality of its governance and the extent to which its governments interact with civil society organizations to accomplish these goals. Moreover, the central government has started to allocate a plenteous part of national budget to local authorities, as the greater role of the civil society organizations can be achieved to solve the harsh realities. This paper intends to analyze the role and objectives of civil society organizations and those principles and processes through which the civil society organizations in decentralized governance have been working for eradication of poverty and social inclusion of poor people, especially the village dwellers. It also focuses on the reciprocal relationship between the state and civil society organizations in this area along with the various challenges and possible outcomes.

Role of civil society organizations for promoting green and blue infrastructure to adapting climate change: Evidence from Islamabad city, Pakistan

This chapter explores the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in addressing developmental disparities across the Middle East, focusing on the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, and the Near East. Covering Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Türkiye, it highlights the contributions of NGOs in economic development, human rights, education, healthcare, and environmental sustainability. The chapter examines the evolution of these organizations, their impact within complex socio-political contexts and analyzes challenges such as political restrictions, financial dependency, and operational barriers in conflict zones. It provides insights into how NGOs navigate these environments to drive sustainable development and equitable growth, offering valuable guidance for policymakers and stakeholders seeking to enhance the effectiveness of civil society in shaping future strategies.

-No doubt Nigeria and some continents across the globe are facing serious security challenges ranging from one reason to the other but with almost same agitation of both political or religious sentiment and extremism. One may not be wrong if affirm the link that is between Islamic insurgents splinters groups across the globe when on recent the Nigerian insurgent group (Boko Haram) paid allegiance to ISIS insurgent group which presently creating havoc, maim, massacre and destructions of properties in both Muslims and nonMuslims countries alike in the name of Holy war and exhibition of Islamic teachings and morals. The paper shall therefore debunk and distance Islam with such agitations and also,The paper shall examine the role of civil society organizations in the phase of contemporary security challenges: a global overview, considering Nigeria as the case study, it also highlighted the history of insurgency in Nigeria, insurgent groups, remote causes, the role of an ideal civil society organizations, the role of Muslims clerics, missionaries and scholars. The paper shall also discuss the inevitability of kin relationship between the government, the Ulama’u (Islamic scholars) and civil society in achieving sustainable security, peace and stability, short and long term measures, challenges and sponsorship for civil society shall form the concluding remark.

Nowhere is the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in development and democratization more critical than in countries at high risk of mass atrocities. In this article, we examine the actual and potential role of development CSOs in the prevention of mass atrocities based on an analysis of 302 CSOs in South Sudan. The article examines if and how service‐providing CSOs frame their work as contributing to the prevention of mass atrocities. The article seeks to understand how these CSOs deliver services and articulate their work regarding the prevention of large‐scale identity‐based violence. We aim to explore the degree to which organizations describe atrocity prevention as an intentional part of democratization efforts. The article is situated within the larger debates about the service delivery and civil society functions of CSOs. Specifically, we ask: To what extent do development CSOs articulate a contribution to the prevention of mass atrocities? We posit that the service delivery and civil society functions can be better achieved by giving deliberate attention to an atrocity prevention perspective.

To examine the role of civil society organisations (CSOs), including non-governmental environmental organisations, in climate governance, a case study approach in the coastal zone of Quintana Roo, Mexico is utilised. Focus groups with key stakeholders, in-depth face-to-face, and online interviews were employed to examine key actor perceptions of climate change risk and their involvement in climate governance, across scale. Participation by CSOs is shaped by a variety of factors, including constitutional arrangements, regulatory regimes, administrative traditions and structures, and a wider set of beliefs about moral responsibility and the exercise of civic duty. CSO participation across multilevel governance scales provides an array of inputs to help address climate vulnerabilities in the coastal zone of Quintana Roo. Especially under conditions of weak administrative capacity and corrupt government, certain enabling institutional conditions are needed. This creates complex contexts in which CSOs emerge, networks develop, alliances are formed, and barriers to effective participation endure.

The findings presented here are based on a seven month research study conducted by the author in 2013/14 as part of her PhD dissertation. The study sought to examine the societal role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in Turkey. Five key questions guided this research. They were: How does the state and other powerful political actors (i.e. the European Union) influence CSOs?; What are the societal role of CSOs?; Do CSOs advance democracy and specifically women’s rights?; What is the nature of interaction between different categories of CSOs?; How do CSOs operate within the specific socio-political context of Turkey? A total of 50 qualitative interviews were conducted with CSOs from across the seven geographical regions of Turkey. The majority (38 of 50) of these interviews were with women’s CSOs, and it is the information to emerge from these interviews which is summarised here. This document is the short research report which was shared by the author with the women's organisations interviewed and is available in both English and Turkish.

Academic debates on the role and position of civil society organisations (CSOs) in welfare states largely refer to policies and practices outlined at the national level. They therefore fail to recognise variations within nations. Based on a comparative case study of three Swedish metropolitan cities, this article illustrates the importance of local, contextualised analyses. Through the concept of local civil society regimes, the study identifies three regime types, namely liberal, corporatist and social democratic. The key distinguishing factor between them relates to their different ideological positions regarding the role of CSOs in the marketisation and privatisation of public social welfare represented at the local level. The article argues for the need for further analysis to explore the implications of decentralisation from the perspective of local CSOs and their constituencies.

Background: This study explored how civil society organizations in British Columbia, Canada, obtained, shared, and communicated multilingual COVID-19 information with people whose first language is not English. Aim: The aim was to examine civil society organizations’ role as community-based knowledge brokers during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Commencing in December 2022, virtual semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees from civil society organizations in British Columbia (N=15). Results: Civil society organizations played a crucial role in sharing multilingual information with people whose first language is not English. They amplified public health messages, addressed confusion concerning public health orders, and engaged with community members to better understand and address local needs. Discussion: Civil society organizations contributed to health communication efforts and succeeded in reaching populations overlooked by mainstream communication channels. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity to reflect on the role of civil society organizations as community-based knowledge brokers that acted as intermediaries to support information-sharing from government public health communications to priority populations. Based on this study’s findings, we propose several recommendations to enhance equity-based preparedness, responses, and re­covery for health emergencies.

This article examines the role of Palestinian civil society organizations in resistance struggles against Israeli military occupation in the 1970s and 1980s. The research focuses on the civil society transformation and shift from national resistance in the politically motivated framework of Israeli–Palestinian conflict of the 1970s and 1980s to internal and depoliticized processes in the 1990s. The overall purpose of this study is to provide knowledge about the role of civil society organizations in Gaza and the West Bank in the Palestinian national struggle and promote a deeper understanding of the changing role of Palestinian civil society following the Oslo peace process in the 1990s. The research methods are based on a supportive and integrated combination of theory and field research including interviews with civil society and academic representatives. The main findings and conclusions suggest that the transformation of Palestinian nationalist and secular grassroots organizations and the shift towards depoliticization and liberalization in the 1990s is the result of the Oslo peace process and the subsequent creation of a Palestinian “liberal civil society” in response to the requirements of international donors and their liberalization agenda.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the role of civil society organizations as stakeholders in the public financial management process of sub-nationals in Nigeria. A qualitative research approach and a thematic research design were used in this paper. The study population included all civil society organizations registered in Plateau State, one of the 36 sub-nationals in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. A census sample approach was used, and 10 civil society organizations with public financial management thematic focus were identified using the state authorities' register. Data was collected from the civil society organizations using a semi-structured interview guide, and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings suggest that the inclusion and participation of CSOs in the public financial management process helps entrenches public financial management transparency and accountability of sub-nationals in Nigeria. The paper concludes that civil society organizations can play a critical role in entrenching accountability and transparency in the public finance process in developing countries. The paper proposes a comprehensive and robust framework for the public financial management process among sub-nationals that includes civil society organizations as key actors. Furthermore, information asymmetry can be reduced by demystification and simplification of published financial reports regularly by CSOs, allowing for feedback and input from the citizenry. Keywords: Sub-Nationals, Civil society organization, Public financial managemnt, Transparency, Accountability. DOI: 10.7176/IAGS/96-04 Publication date: August 31 st 2022

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the role of civil society organizations in pro-poor local government budget processes, with Dokolo District as a case study. The specific objectives of the study are (i) To examine the extent to which CSOs contribute to local government revenue enhancement; (ii) To examine the extent to which CSOs influence the enactment of pro-poor local government budget allocations/priorities (iii) To examine the extent to which CSOs promote pro-poor implementation of enacted local government budgets; and (iv) To examine the extent to which CSOs prevent leakages to local government budget resources.
 Methods and materials: The study adopted a descriptive and correlational design, employing both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The population of the study included officials of 10 civil society organizations and both technical and political leaders of 6 local governments in Dokolo district. The sample size of the study was 89 respondents determined using Krejcie and Morgan Table (Krejcie and Morgan, 1970). The target respondents included both males and females.
 Findings of the study: The findings of this study suggest that civil society organizations contribute to local government revenue enhancement, building the capacity of local governments in revenue mobilization, providing off-budget and on-budget support to local governments; that civil society organizations promote pro-poor local government budget allocations through forums such as budget conferences and budget dialogues; that civil society organizations influence local governments to implement their budgets in ways that serve the best interests of the poor and/or the underprivileged and/or their priorities; by pressurizing local governments to implement pro-poor priorities that local governments would otherwise not implement and by speeding up or reducing delay in the implementation of pro-poor priorities or projects; and that civil society organizations promote pro-poor local government budgets by preventing leakages to pro-poor local government resources by among others checking shoddy work in pro-poor projects, Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys (PETS) to check loss of funds meant for pro-poor projects.
 Conclusion: Civil society organisations remain in the pro-poor budgeting processes at both the central government level as well as the local government level in Uganda.
 Recommendations: From the findings, it is encouraged that local governments should leverage civil society organizations as an important resource in enhancing their revenue; that local governments should involve civil society organizations in all phases of the budget circle; that local governments should embrace the use of social accountability forums and tools such as barazas, Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys (PETS) and social movements for checking local government budget resource leakages to enhance decentralized service delivery. Based on what remains unknown, this study suggests future research on the role of social accountability in fighting poverty.

In this paper, we address the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in Italy with regard to the integration of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees (MRAs) in the labour market. The paper analyses the role played by CSOs in practice, looking at the dynamics of demand and offer of services through the perspective of both the CSOs and MRAs. To achieve this, we combine qualitative data from semi-structured interviews to CSO representatives as well as MRAs. Our findings point out that the fragmentation of the policy framework in terms of employment and integration, and an unfavourable legislation (above all, migration law) shape the kind of prevalent activities of CSOs and negatively impact the potential for integration of MRAs in the labour market. In general, much is left to the single CSO to fill in the needs of MRAs beyond minimal provisions established by law, with just asylum seekers and refugees having better opportunities and support. Furthermore, we can also observe how economic migrants generally tend to be less supported.

The introduction to this special issue identifies an analytical and empirical gap in studies on European civil society organisations (CSOs) in the wake of the rise of populism. It explains how different contributions address these gaps. To this end, it first provides a definition of the main terms, including populism and anti-populism. It reconsiders assumptions regarding the role of CSOs and social movements as agents of European democratisation and legitimation. The main argument is that the populist turn has led to significant changes regarding the role of CSOs in the EU policy process. These changes are visible in three different but interrelated ways: the relations between European institutions and CSOs, the changes in CSOs goals and strategies, and the changes in the patterns of interaction between CSOs and populist groups. The final part of the introduction gives a brief overview of the contributions to this special issue and highlights how they provide further insights into the overall topic of relations between the EU and CSOs.