Civil Society Work Research Articles

The state-representative and corporate-legal nature of the benevolence of judges: a discussion on European standards

It is indicated that the right to a fair trial is guaranteed by Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The effective exercise of this right requires, in particular, that everyone has the right to be heard by «an independent and impartial tribunal established by law to determine civil rights and obligations or determine the merits of any criminal charge brought against him». The article is devoted to the analysis of the compliance of national legal regulation with European standards regarding the integrity of the judicial corps and the determination of the legal nature of this phenomenon in the public­authority and professional-labor sphere. It is indicated that the paradigm of the functioning of the judicial system contains the requirements of professionalism, independence and integrity of the administration of justice, which forms the basis of the development of statehood and the establishment of the principles of the rule of law, which is a requirement of international and European judicial standards. It is reasoned that the state-representative function of the integrity of judges is manifested in the high professional and moral compliance of the judicial corps with the requirements for the high position of a judge. The requirements are broader than for the integrity of other employees, let’s say, executive and local self-government bodies, due to the fact that judges are endowed with unique powers - to protect and restore rights and freedoms, legitimate interests on behalf of the state. The corporate and public nature of integrity is singled out as a professional criterion for judges (judge candidates) in order to meet the position held, which is due primarily to the fact that the judiciary takes place through the implementation of activities based on the judge’s legal awareness and the state provides them with a sufficiently wide discretion to implement powers This nature is manifested in openness and transparency, which is a guarantee of achieving the integrity of judges and the judiciary and judicial self-government. Based on the conclusions of the Advisory Council of European Judges, it is proven that overcoming corruption as a manifestation of dishonesty contributes to the general level of legitimization, where functional legitimacy is based on public trust, which is created through excellent work, transparency, accountability. The hypothetical effectiveness of the new model of corporate labor relations developed in our country has been proven - the joint coordination work of judicial self-government bodies, civil society and independent international experts.

Reforming School Choice Systems to Reduce Segregation in Schools: A Comparative Political Economy Study of Education Reform in Belgium, Chile, and the Netherlands

ABSTRACT This study offers a comparative examination of desegregation policy reforms in Belgium, Chile, and the Netherlands, addressing equity reforms to universal school choice systems. Through an analysis of the reform trajectories, we explore the evolution of policies, the causal mechanisms of change, efforts to institutionalize policies, and the sources of resistance to reform. We then undertake a cross-national comparison to discern trends and confirm or disconfirm theorized causes. Policy strategies from each context included nondiscrimination policies, fiscal incentives, and eventually reform of admissions procedures. Causal mechanisms facilitating equity reforms included shifts in political context, grassroots mobilization, generated focusing events through scholarly work and reports of civil society and transnational actors, and effective framing. Oppositional forces from non-state school networks and middle-class/white parents emerged in each context, affecting reform design and the path to institutionalization, but were unable to block reforms. The resulting reforms in each context were the products of compromise that retreated from deeper structural changes, likely mitigating the effects of reforms on school-based segregation.

Digital transformation as a catalyst for agri-food efficiency and a sustainable food future

The agri-food sector faces a number of unprecedented challenges, from climate change to natural resource scarcity to global population growth. These challenges require innovative solutions that will ensure sustainable food production while reducing environmental impact and promoting social equality. By using digital technology and innovation, we can increase efficiency, equity and sustainability across the food chain. To achieve this, however, it is imperative that governments, businesses and civil society work together to promote policies and practices that promote digital transformation in an inclusive and responsible way. The article outlines the results of a study to identify current trends in the development of the agri-food sector in the world and digital transformation, which opens a promising path to a more sustainable food future.

Impacts beyond experimentation ‐ Conceptualising emergent impacts from long-term real-world laboratory processes

Real-world laboratories are settings for joint experimentation on sustainability challenges, through the transdisciplinary collaboration of diverse actor groups. By approaching a real-world laboratory from three perspectives, this paper uncovers the emergent impacts of a long-term collaborative process.Real-world laboratories have become a recognised research format for addressing sustainability challenges. In these transdisciplinary settings, actors from civil society, local government, and academia work together using a transdisciplinary research approach to jointly experiment and learn about sustainability transformations. While these labs are considered to have potential, their impact has not yet been fully measured. Therefore, in our paper we explore the case of the Zukunfts-stadt Lüneburg 2030+ process to uncover the impacts that this long-term effort has generated over the past eight years. By examining the process and its design features from three analytical perspectives, we identify emergent impacts in three dimensions: education, governance, and the lab as an actor for sustainability. Based on our case study, we suggest that real-world labs contribute to sustainability on a local level, beyond the intentional experiments, through impacts that emerge over the course of the joint operation of the lab.

Finding climate smart agriculture in civil-society initiatives

International civil society and non-government organisations (NGOs) play a role in implementing agricultural projects, which contribute to the mitigation, adaptation, and food security dimensions of climate-smart agriculture (CSA). Despite the growth of CSA, it remains unclear how CSA is designed, conceptualised, and embedded into agricultural development projects led and implemented by NGOs, creating a lack of clarity as to the direction of future of agricultural development interventions. This paper examines the extent to which development programmes from the NGO sector actively incorporate CSA principles to benefit smallholder farmers under the major pillars of CSA. Drawing from six projects’ documentation since 2009, we conducted a thematic analysis to reveal the alignment of projects with the pillars of CSA and discuss the extent to which CSA allows for localised adaptability given the diverse agricultural contexts in which civil society and NGOs work. We find that despite a lack of clarity in CSA definition and focus, the agricultural practices in the six projects make heterogenous contributions to the adoption of CSA principles. We illustrate the diversity of ways in which CSA is ‘done’ by a global NGO across six areas: greening and forests, practices and knowledge exchange, markets, policy and institutions, nutrition, carbon and climate, and gender. We discuss the need for balance in contextual adaptability across the three pillars of CSA with explicit consideration of trade-offs to reduce unintended outcomes from CSA initiatives. We conclude with reflections on the role of civil society and NGOs as boundary agents in the agricultural development sector.

Supporting regional music production clusters in the post-pandemic era: placing business support at the heart of local cultural policy

ABSTRACT While the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the live music industry have received much attention, little consideration has been given to regional music production clusters more broadly. Evaluating the impacts of the pandemic on the music economy of North West England, this paper identifies key areas of support required as music businesses transition into a digitally-orientated post-COVID period. Findings demonstrate the ways in which the pandemic encouraged or forced music businesses to innovate with new digital ways of showcasing, promoting and distributing music. Yet, while digitalisation offers many opportunities, these are often difficult for businesses to capitalise upon. The paper argues the need to place business support at the heart of local cultural policy. More specifically, the paper makes the case for a soft institutionalist approach whereby local policymakers, the market and civil society work together to generate and distribute crucial resources of human, financial and social capital.

Legal Advocacy for all genders in Media practices: An Inclusive approach for Future Social Work Profession

The present paper aims to reflect on the interventional research that is required in the field of legal advocacy for inclusion of all the genders in the policies and broader development plans through legal advocacy being the core of social transformation. The present paper highlights that the gender based archetypes and prejudices are leading towards the digital world which is becoming much more exclusive in its existence. Due to this, the groups which have been marginalized on the basis of gender have been excluded from its democratic rights. The question of representation and participation are the elements of enquiry in the present paper. Based on the qualitative data collected from civil society, voluntary sector, legal forces and social work professionals, this research concludes that in the contemporary age of digital lives of divide we need to re-define and re-engage with the ethics of legal advocacy when it comes to gender equality and equity.

Civic engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic and the system of public support to non-governmental organisations

Civil society organizations and grassroot initiatives have not stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the COVID-19 pandemic swept Poland voluntary organizations and spontaneous civic initiatives have demonstrated huge potential of solidarity embodied in the Polish society and its readiness to genuine, creative and effective responses. The article highlights the irreplaceable role of voluntary organizations and spontaneous citizen led activities during the pandemic and before 2020 in mobilizing social support, providing frontline help and essential services and to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. Civil society organisations and grassroot initiatives provided food, personal protection equipment and essential sanitary items, often filling the gap when public administration was slow to respond. The article outlines the central and local governments policies aimed at creating an enabling environment for the work of civil society to respond to the spread of COVID-19.

ICANN: A Study of Its Working

Abstract: The Cyberspace is a borderless space and has led to many legal and jurisprudential problems and challenges for the enactment, enforcement and interpretation of laws. Governance of internet has always been a debated issue around the world. The internet society promotes net neutrality, open access, internet resilience and stability, freedom of expression, privacy and identity of the users. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international community where Member organizations and the civil society work together to develop Web standards. The governance structure and processes introduced by IGF provide opportunities to integrate social media ways that enhance both remote and local participation in the yearly forums and throughout the year.

On Social Networks, Anonymous Testimonies, and Other Tools of Feminist Activism against Sexual Violence in Egypt

On Social Networks, Anonymous Testimonies, and Other Tools of Feminist Activism against Sexual Violence in Egypt

Examining Diaspora Journalists’ Digital Networks and Role Perceptions: A Case Study of Syrian Post-Conflict Advocacy Journalism

ABSTRACT Using digital ethnography and in-depth interviews, this study offers a comprehensive understanding of how diaspora journalists maintain connections with their conflict-torn homeland and advocate for transnational human rights and political reforms after fleeing its repressive political sphere. To this end, the paper examines how Syrian diaspora journalists engage in transnational advocacy practices through building digital networks that blur boundaries between journalism, activism, human rights advocacy, social movements, and civil society work. The paper further investigates how these advocacy practices shape the diaspora journalists’ perceptions of their roles as well as their understanding of the different political, economic, procedural, organizational, and professional factors that influence how they perform them. Findings demonstrate that diaspora advocacy journalism poses various challenges to traditional journalism paradigms as journalists’ roles go beyond news gathering and publishing to include petitioning, creating transnational solidarity, collaborating with civil society organizations, and carrying out various institutional work. In so doing, the paper rethinks hybridity in journalistic role perceptions proposing two unique approaches for serving democracy from exile. A novel definition of diaspora advocacy journalism and comprehensive discussion of the various sources of influence on news reporting and advocacy networking in the unique transnational conflict context are further proposed.

ФІНАНСУВАННЯ ПРОЕКТІВ ЕЛЕКТРОННОГО УРЯДУВАННЯ У КРАЇНАХ ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКОГО СОЮЗУ ТА УКРАЇНІ

Анотація. Визначено, що важливим напрямом реалізації сталого розвитку та реформи публічного управління є ефективний процес електронного урядування, який має бути забезпечений відповідним фінансуванням. Мета статті — визначення подальших можливостей фінансування електронного урядування України в рамках реалізації проєктів та реформи публічного управління з урахуванням досвіду країн Європейського Союзу для реалізації цілей сталого розвитку та цифровізації країни. Методичною базою дослідження є аналітичні дані ПРООН України, Національного агентства з питань державної служби України, Європейської Комісії, дослідження цифрового уряду Організації економічного співробітництва та розвитку. Визначено ключові фактори держави в напрямі цифрового суспільства і сталого демократичного урядування (права людини, прозорість і доброчесність, парламентська реформа, громадянське суспільство та робота з молоддю, реформа охорони здоров’я та підтримка державних закупівель, цифрова трансформація). Проаналізовано особливості фінансування Стратегії реформування державного управління України, найбільшу частку фінансування якої становить бюджетна програма «Підтримка реалізації комплексної реформи державного управління» і бюджетна підтримка ЄС. Визначено особливості фінансування електронного урядування у країнах ЄС. Обґрунтовано необхідність зовнішніх джерел фінансування цифрових проєктів в Україні через недостатнє їхнє фінансування. Визначено найбільші країни — донори з фінансування проєктів електронного урядування в Україні (Данія, Естонія, Великобританія, Швеція, Швейцарія, Німеччина і Польща). На основі дослідження європейського досвіду моделей фінансування проєктів розвитку електронного урядування визначено чинні інструменти фінансування для України (кошти спільної міждержавної стратегії розвитку, гранти, благодійність, державно-приватне партнерство) і перспективні інструменти фінансування, використання яких дозволить підвищити відкритість, прозорість та ефективність роботи державних органів і забезпечити розвиток відкритих даних. Ключові слова: електронне урядування, фінансування проєктів, цифрова трансформація, реформа публічного управління. Формул: 0; рис.: 2; табл.: 2; бібл.: 14.

Civil Society, Democracy and Budgeting: Citizens Engagement and Transformations in Nigeria’s Budgeting

ABSTRACT Democracy in the sphere of policy-making warrants fulfilling the popular will by opening spaces for citizen knowledge of the governance processes participation, inclusion and a framework for accountability. The four budget stages of preparation, approval, implementation, and audit necessarily ought to integrate the above principles for an essential nexus with democracy. Using the work of two groups of civil society partners working on Nigeria’s budgeting, we studied the 2016–2019 period around the principles of democratic budgeting as well as explored changes related to civic engagements over the period. We found a monopoly of budget preparation by cloistered bureaucratic experts. The approval stage is marred by politics of vested interests in the legislature and executive with resulting delays in implementation and limited monitoring of the process by citizens. Budget audit suffers delays and non-response to its sensitive findings. Nonetheless, participatory civic engagements have led to a legal framework for civic vigilance in budgeting and enabled the country to save US$500,373,421.40 from frivolous allocations as well as annual budget adjustments for pro-poor inclusiveness and fair distribution of capital projects. Hence, civil society work for democratic budgeting regime is slow but incremental and unfolds amidst encumbering political and institutional dynamics.

Survival in Autocracy

Russia has become an autocracy. The Putin system is trying to stabilize its rule by means of repression. This affects different segments of the population. Representatives from organizations working in environmental protection, gender equality, social inclusion, or human rights report that the work of civil society is growing more difficult. The regime is restricting their freedom of manoeuvre. But they are still there. Individuals and NGOs are trying to deal with the restrictions and repression. They practice solidarity and resist the pressure to atomize. They are sticking to their goals of participation and personal responsibility. They need staying power.

ДОСТИЖЕНИЕ УСТОЙЧИВОСТИ В СТРАНАХ С ТРАНЗИТНОЙ ЭКОНОМИКОЙ: НОВЫЕ ВОЗМОЖНОСТИ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ

The article examines Kazakhstan, the largest economy in Central Asia, which, on the way to sustainable economic growth, adequately responds to systemic challenges and adapts the experience of advanced countries. The generalizing indicators of the effectiveness of state regulation of the processes contributing to the growth of the stability of the national economy are given. The reasons for the weak involvement of entrepreneurs and citizens in measures for the sustainable development of Kazakhstan have been identified. It has been substantiated that the development of a strategy for the country's sustainable development and the achievement of inclusive economic growth require coordination of the work of government bodies, business and civil society. It is shown that in Kazakhstan the main drivers for the implementation of the culture of sustainable development are large enterprises and the quasi-public sector. Private enterprises do not yet see the opportunity to profit from integrating sustainable development goals into business processes. The paper emphasizes that in order to increase the stability of the poorly diversified economy of Kazakhstan, emphasis should be placed on the transformation of the mining sector, which has the potential to maintain investment attractiveness, both for domestic and foreign investors. Based on the results of the study, the authors highlight the most important aspects of building a new model of sustainable development in the foreseeable future.

Privacy as Public Good – A Comparative Assessment of the Challenge for CoronApps in Latin America

<p> </p><p>Much of the reporting of the tracing apps, tracking programmes, and privacy concerns during the developmental processes and the initial stages of the Covid-19 pandemic have focussed on pitting digital rights and privacy against public health interests. Undoubtedly, there is best practice in establishing a tracing app to respond to Covid-19 while the work of civil society and NGOs in scrutinising the apps in various nations is vitally important and provides the core analysis of the scope of the data to be collated and retained. The holding to account of tracing systems and governments in utilising technology that is by its very nature invasive is vital in protecting digital rights. In times of crisis in particular, accountability is incredibly important to ensure that digital rights are not pushed aside in light of other concerns.</p><p>To balance digital rights and privacy, and public health, accountability and transparency are essential – the scrutiny of the track and trace systems in Germany, the UK, and Colombia is therefore undertaken in this paper, which questions from interdisciplinary perspectives the scrutiny, accountability, and privacy concerns in each nation’s app before offering some conclusions and recommendations for the improvement and development of privacy and digital rights in Latin America. The conclusions offered here highlight good practice and outline the need for a holistic consideration of tracing systems, rather than advocating for a ‘one size fits all approach’ by positioning privacy as a public good, rather than an opponent of technological tracing systems.</p>

Transnational organizing, the boosting effect, and women’s legislative caucuses in Africa

ABSTRACT The share of women holding legislative office in Africa more than doubled between 1998 and 2019, reaching almost 24%. Despite this increase in women's descriptive representation, women members of parliaments (MPs) continue to encounter exclusionary masculinized environments. One way to facilitate women’s work in these male-dominated parliaments is through the creation of Women’s Legislative Caucuses (WLCs). This article explores the diffusion of WLCs across Africa and examines the factors that influence caucus functioning. The establishment of WLCs in Africa began in 1993 with the creation of a women’s caucus in Ghana. Caucus formation sped up in the 2000s, peaking in 2007. This trend has touched all regions of Africa, with 38 countries having established WLCs as of 2015. We identify critical actors at international, regional, and national levels involved in WLC establishment and examine how their collaboration generates a boosting effect that amplifies the voices and gender equity work of women MPs and feminist civil society. We argue that transnational collaboration can boost domestic advocacy but only when it leverages global and regional resources in ways that bring domestically situated civil society organizations into the halls of formal political power.

Along the Academe‐Policy Frontier: A Tribute to Aileen S.P. Baviera

Along the Academe‐Policy Frontier: A Tribute to Aileen S.P. Baviera

Janus-faced activists: the social and political embeddedness of civil society in Niger

AbstractThis article discusses the workings of civil society and its leaders in Niger. Tracing the country's historically sedimented socio-political order, it argues that Niger's civil society is characterized by a twofold embeddedness. Since the introduction of multiparty politics in 1990, the political game in Niger has been exemplified by co-optation, bribery and corruption. These spoils are a central focus for civil society leaders who have become experienced in the political game. Indeed, actors’ social embeddedness in networks of solidarity demands that they capture and redistribute the spoils they receive. At the same time, however, their social and political legitimacy as civil society leaders rests on their ability to avoid becoming entangled in the game, and to avoid accusations of ‘playing politics’. In other words, civil society activists are embedded in the same social and political structures as state bureaucrats and politicians. In this context, civil society activists cannot maintain the moral high ground they often claim to occupy.

Ethical consumption applications as failed market innovations: exploring consumer (non) acceptance of ‘quasi’ market devices

ABSTRACTIn this paper, I conceptualise ethical consumption applications (ECAs) as market innovations inflected in processes of configuring market actors and market (re)framings. The introduction of ECAs through the work of civil society is not only about changing frames of market exchange, but also work in the register of making ‘good consumers’ and consumers as ‘agents of change’ and moralising markets. Thus, a more accurate concept for these devices is suggested: ‘quasi’ market devices. The main aim of this paper is to analyse how consumers attached to and resisted use of ECAs designed to assist in product choices and shape responsible everyday practices. Based on qualitative fieldwork in Sweden, the article applies a methodology grounded in Science and Technology-inspired market studies in combination with Consumer Culture Theory’s (CCT) interest in identity work and sense-making associated with technology consumption. Although available at the time of the empirical data collection period of the study, all three apps were off the market during the analytic work of this paper; a major argument for focusing on barriers to acceptance of the apps and trying to conceptualise how such non-acceptance can be understood.