Civil Society Groups Research Articles

Manifesting symbolic representation through collaborative policymaking

AbstractCollaboration is a widely employed strategy for addressing “wicked” policy problems. While scholars have long recognized that the organizational composition of collaborative forums can have a dramatic impact on the efficacy and equity of associated forum outputs, little is known about whether such composition impacts the manner in which everyday citizens perceive forum processes and/or participating organizations. In this article, we bridge and extend concepts from the collaborative governance and representative bureaucracy literatures, arguing that when forums attract sufficient membership from organizations that citizens perceive as reflective of their own or their community's interests—what we refer to as “forum representation”—those citizens will have more positive perceptions toward all participating organizations. Conversely, failing to achieve sufficient representation can result in degraded perceptions. While there are theoretically multiple ways to increase forum representation, we focus on one potential pathway: the inclusion of civil society organizations in policy‐making processes. Empirically, we assess whether heightened representation of civil society groups within a specific collaborative policing forum impacts citizens' perceptions of the main participating agency—the police department—finding that greater knowledge of this highly representative forum results in positive spillover effects.

Decentralized Forest Governance and Resource Management: Assessing Community Dependence and Conservation Effectiveness in Broad-Leaved and Coniferous Forest Stands

Globally decentralized forest governance is being promoted to conserve and sustainably manage forest resources along with meeting local livelihoods. In the Central Himalayan region of India, it came into existence in 1931, long before the time when the concept of decentralized forest governance became popular globally, and the aim was to accomplish the subsistence needs of the smallholders in the region. This article discusses whether the species types (broadleaved and coniferous) affect biophysical conditions, species richness, and conservation effectiveness of community-owned forests (locally called Van Panchayat forests), and what could be done to improve their management in the near future. The findings are based on a household survey covering 16 villages as well as a biophysical assessment of 18 community forest stands (9 per forest type) covering an area of 1778 ha and 341 ha in both forest categories. It was found that farmers across the villages are intricately dependent on forest resources to support their livelihoods that are governed by a village institution (Van Panchayat) to maintain equity of benefit-sharing among all stakeholders. Both forest categories exhibited high dependence, however, there was a considerable difference in resource quality, viz. quality of fodder, fuel, and litter in broadleaved forests, therefore the community has more preference for such stands. The broadleaved Banj-oak stands revealed better biophysical status in terms of species diversity, tree density, total basal area, and regeneration than the coniferous Chir-pine stands. Although the local government has taken up selective policy initiatives to encourage decentralized forest governance, more needs to be done to strengthen it on the ground level, particularly in Chir-pine stands. It is suggested that the community management of forests needs to be improved in relation to leadership development, rationale use of bio-resources, and adopting site-specific management strategies. In areas with Chir-pine forests community need to be educated to reduce forest fire and promote the plantation of broad-leaved species. Also, the scope of community forests needs to be broadened by adopting and involving smallholders in various forest enterprise development and climate action programs. For this, developing proper alliances of village institutions with civil society groups and other partner institutions along with virtuous support from local government can lead to enhance social and environmental resilience of communities.

An Unlikely Rights Revolution: Legal Mobilization in Scandinavia Since the 1970s

ABSTRACT Why have civil society groups in Scandinavia increasingly turned to legal mobilization in recent decades? In Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, a legal-political culture based on parliamentary supremacy, deferential judiciaries, strong-state corporatism, and jurisprudential scepticism towards rights talk supposedly discourages groups in civil society from seeking societal change through litigation. Yet, in all three countries, diverse groups and organizations in civil society have increasingly adopted litigation strategies for a broad range of causes. In this paper, we seek to account for how and why this shift has occurred. Drawing on socio-legal mobilization theory, we compare Denmark, Norway, and Sweden across three episodes from the 1970s to today. Litigation has gradually moved from the political margins to the mainstream. Our findings suggest that while European law, domestic institutional reforms, and a proliferating human rights discourse have opened new ways for resourceful groups and entrepreneurial individuals to challenge the status quo, parliamentary and corporatist channels remain often viable and preferred alternatives for mainstream organizations. The paper thus contributes to the emerging literature on how civil society groups in Scandinavia employ litigation strategies by offering a comparative and historical assessment and contributes to knowledge about the factors that shape legal mobilization by civil society groups.

Public Engagement in Micro-hydro Technology in Central Java: A Call to Decentralize the Energy System

This article explores how the public might actively participate in renewable energy projects by studying the role of local and credentialed experts in the development of micro-hydro technology for self-supply (off-grid electrification) or commercialization (on-grid electrification) in Central Java, Indonesia. All of the data were gathered qualitatively, including semi-structured interviews with local experts and energy experts, as well as interviews with local entrepreneurs, private companies, government agencies, end users, and civil society groups. Other methods included document analysis, observations, and site visits. The research found that credentialed and local experts have distinct sets of expertise and roles that complement one another. This challenges the “deficit” model of public understanding of science, which often claims that energy projects fail due to a lack of policy-relevant knowledge. The expertise of locals, their financial situation, and their geographic location are all considered to be linked with the design of micro-hydro technology, which is most typically run-of-river. While micro-hydro design is often related to “decentralization,” standardized expertise has emerged as a critical impediment to alternative energy commercialization. This article concludes that public participation, supported by decentralized policies, is required to drive future growth and maintain the long-term viability of micro-hydro technology.

Media Frames in an Era of the Local

ABSTRACT: This article offers an analysis of contemporary American politics exploring white working-class Americans’ support for Donald Trump. The article draws on a definition of media organizations as people’s organizations or civil society groups and organizations from democratic populism’s political variant. The definition highlights the significant role that media organizations play in shaping political and social outcomes through choices media organizations make about how to present or frame information. The article contrasts political democratic populism as a general approach to the study of politics and the media with the approach from cultural studies drawing broadly on Marx. Michael Denning’s masterful account of the history of cultural studies provides the basis for discussion of the treatment of the media in cultural studies.

Urgent and long overdue: legal reform and drug decriminalization in Canada

The International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy recommend that states commit to adopting a balanced, integrated, and human rights-based approach to drug policy through a set of foundational human rights principles, obligations arising from human rights standards, and obligations arising from the human rights of particular groups. In respect of the Guidelines and standing obligations under UN Treaties, Canada must adopt stronger and more specific commitments for a human rights-based, people-centered, and public health approach. This approach must commit to the decriminalization of people who use drugs and include the decriminalization of possession, purchase, and cultivation for personal consumption. In this report, we will first turn to the legal background of Canada's drug laws. Next, we will provide an overview of ongoing law reform proposals from civil society groups, various levels of government, the House of Commons, and the Senate. We end with a three-staged approach to reform and a series of targeted recommendationscr.

Future of Uniform Civil Code in India: Strategies for Effective Implementation and Social Acceptance

The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) remains a contentious and pivotal issue in India's legal and social discourse, aiming to unify personal laws across religious communities under a common civil code. This paper explores strategies for effectively implementing UCC while addressing challenges related to social acceptance in the diverse socio-cultural fabric of India. The introduction provides a comprehensive overview of the historical context and constitutional mandate of UCC under Article 44, highlighting its significance for promoting legal uniformity, gender equality, and social justice. The literature review synthesizes existing scholarship on UCC in India, examining legal precedents, policy debates, and public opinion. It identifies key challenges hindering UCC implementation, including constitutional complexities, religious diversity, federalism, and concerns about minority rights and cultural practices. Building on this foundation, the methodology outlines a qualitative approach incorporating analysis of legal documents, policy documents, court judgments, and insights from stakeholders and experts. It discusses the rationale for selected methodologies to address research questions effectively. Strategies for overcoming implementation challenges are proposed, encompassing legal reforms, public awareness campaigns, community consultations, engagement with religious leaders, and capacity-building for judiciary and legal professionals. These strategies aim to foster dialogue, understanding, and consensus among diverse communities. The paper also examines the role of education, media, civil society, and advocacy groups in promoting social acceptance of UCC. Case studies from other countries provide comparative insights into successful approaches to managing similar legal reforms.

Principles for facial recognition technology: A content analysis of ethical guidance in the United States

BACKGROUND: Facial recognition technology can significantly benefit society if used ethically. Various private sector, government, and civil society groups have created guidance documents to help guide the ethical use of this technology. OBJECTIVE: The study’s objective was to identify the common themes in these ethical guidance documents and determine the prevalence of those themes. METHODS: A qualitative content analysis of 25 facial recognition technology ethical guidance documents published within the United States or by international groups that included representation from the United States. RESULTS: The results show eight themes within the facial recognition technology ethical guidance documents: privacy, responsibility, accuracy and performance, accountability, transparency, lawful use, fairness, and purpose limitation. The most prevalent themes were privacy and responsibility. CONCLUSIONS: By following common ethical recommendations, industry actors can help address the challenges that may arise when seeking to develop, deploy, and use facial recognition technology. The research findings can inform the current debates regarding the ethical use of this technology and might help further the development of ethical norms within the industry.

EXAMINING THE SUITABLE PALLIATIVES IN CUSHIONING THE REMOVAL OF FUEL SUBSIDY IN NIGERIA

Various operational indicators pinpoint fuel subsidy as a major instrument in poverty reduction in Nigeria. However, its removal in 2023 by the administration of president Bola Ahmed Tinubu may have constitute a major obstacle to Nigeria’s Poverty reduction. It has been contended and reiterated that several interventions in the form of palliatives may have significant improvement in cushioning the economic hardship of fuel subsidy removal. Plagued with the challenges of Conflicts, insecurity and insurgency, the debate on the suitable operational palliatives to cushion or reduce the economic hardship of fuel subsidy removal exacerbate this study. Putting into consideration the economic fragility of the most populous country in Africa which palliatives best suit Nigerians. The operational theory for this study includes Progressive Social Theory, Geographical Disparities Theory, Cyclical Interdependence Theory and theory of Social Exclusion /Cumulative Disadvantage. The nature of the study was a qualitative one, and the content analysis method was used to analyse the secondary data. The study found that lack of transparency in previous palliatives particularly during Covid-19 pandemic fueled public skepticism in the present government fuel subsidy removal palliatives. It, therefore, recommends that there should be accountability and transparency in the distribution of fuel subsidy removal palliatives as a way of enhancing public confidence in the process. It also recommends the inclusion of other stakeholders besides party loyalists, such as community leaders, civil society groups, opposition party, and academia in the palliative committee.

Understanding the social and physical menstrual health environment of secondary schools in Uganda: A qualitative methods study.

Adolescent girls face social, psychological, and physical problems managing menstruation in schools in low-resource settings. This study aimed to evaluate the social and physical menstrual health environment of secondary schools in Wakiso and Kalungu districts, Uganda, in preparation for a subsequent menstrual health intervention trial to improve education, health and wellbeing. We conducted a qualitative rapid assessment in 75 secondary schools in Uganda. This involved conducting in-depth interviews with 150 head/senior teachers and 274 students, 26 Focus Group Discussions with students, and 13 transect walks to observe school Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities between May and October 2021. Due to COVID-19 related school closures, face-to-face research activities were halted and in-depth interviews were conducted over phone and replaced focus group discussions. We employed a thematic framework analysis approach using the social-ecological model (which focuses on the complex interplay between individual, interpersonal, institutional, and societal factors) to generate themes and key concepts. Participants described the social and physical menstrual health environment of secondary schools at the individual level (knowledge gaps on menstruation before menarche, negative norms and beliefs about menstrual health); interpersonal level (limited psycho-social support, myths and misconceptions about the disposal of sanitary materials and pain relief, menstrual hygiene management (MHM) support from school nurses, peers and senior teachers); institutional level (non-implementation of Government circulars on MHM, lack of school-level guidelines policies and programs on MHM and poor WASH facilities, i.e. lack of soap, safe water and unclean toilets); and societal level (MHM programmes provided by civil society groups, health workers, and students' school associations). The findings showed individual, societal and institutional burdens related to menstrual experiences. Multi-level evidence-based interventions aimed at improving the social and physical environment for menstrual health among school-going girls are needed.

Introduction to the Symposium: China and the Campus

The US-China relationship has worsened dramatically in recent years. After decades of pro-engagement policies toward China, a bipartisan consensus began to emerge around 2016 that engagement had neither accomplished US policy goals (such as encouraging China to liberalize politically) nor served US citizens well.1 At the same time, political changes within China have pointed to a declining appetite for engagement with the United States and sidelined the domestic constituencies who remained interested in cooperation and exchange. Further restrictions have shrunk the already limited space for media, civil society groups, and academic exchange in China. Pandemic-related border closures eliminated in-person exchanges almost completely for nearly three years. And some are concerned that China’s 2021 Personal Information Protection Law could be used to prosecute foreign researchers who conduct research in China (Lewis 2023).

The coalitional politics of the European Union Regulation on deforestation-free products

This paper analyses the belief- and interest-driven coalitional politics of the new European Union Regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR) by applying the Advocacy Coalition Framework and Baptist & Bootlegger Theory. Our results first show how two PRO-Regulation Coalitions advocated for new European Union (EU) trade rules: key members of a Sustainable Development Coalition and an Environmental Coalition include key sustainability- and environmentally-oriented EU institutions, import-dependent EU Member States, non-governmental organisations, civil society groups, and some food and forest certifiers. Second, a PRO-EUDR Business Coalition – mainly composed of multinational business actors such as consumer goods companies and retailers, import-dependent European companies, some EU domestic producers from the agricultural sector, and their respective associations – joined the PRO-Coalitions in a strategic cross-coalitional PRO-Regulation Alliance to pursue business-oriented pro-regulatory interests. Third, the building of this Alliance facilitated political momentum for the EUDR's agenda-setting, drafting and adoption despite opposition from a weaker CONTRA-Regulation Coalition of status-quo-oriented policy advocates among some EU institutions, forest-rich EU Member States, agricultural certifiers, tropical producer country governmental authorities, as well as European and non-EU companies and their associations from the forest, agricultural and food sectors. Fourth, the EUDR's final legislative text is a compromise solution, institutionalising different core beliefs and interests of pro- and contra-regulatory state and non-state actors. Pro-change actors were more powerful in institutionalising their beliefs and interests.

Public Enterprises and Employment Generation in Akwa Ibom State: A Study of Greenwell Technologies

Despite the Akwa Ibom State government’s efforts at industrialization, the rate of unemployment in the state remains high. This study examined the extent to which governmentowned industries have contributed to employment generation in Akwa Ibom State. The theoretical framework for the study was predicated on Kaldor’s growth model to explain the relationship between the state’s industrial programmes and socio-economic development. As a survey study, the methodology involved a survey instrument and the administration of a questionnaire on 400 respondents using the simple random technique to select respondents from the study population of 177,500. The main statistical tool used in analysing the data was the Chi-square technique. The study revealed that there is no significant relationship between Greenwell fertilizer Technologies and employment generation in Akwa Ibom State. Based on the findings, the study recommended that the Akwa Ibom State government should establish a single framework of action for a clear understanding of the purpose, direction and priorities of State-owned enterprises, which will enhance the coming together of private sectors, transnational agencies, civil society groups that will work together to ensure sustainable development and poverty reduction within the State.

An investigation of social media labeling decisions preceding the 2020 U.S. election.

Since it is difficult to determine whether social media content moderators have assessed particular content, it is hard to evaluate the consistency of their decisions within platforms. We study a dataset of 1,035 posts on Facebook and Twitter to investigate this question. The posts in our sample made 78 misleading claims related to the U.S. 2020 presidential election. These posts were identified by the Election Integrity Partnership, a coalition of civil society groups, and sent to the relevant platforms, where employees confirmed receipt. The platforms labeled some (but not all) of these posts as misleading. For 69% of the misleading claims, Facebook consistently labeled each post that included one of those claims-either always or never adding a label. It inconsistently labeled the remaining 31% of misleading claims. The findings for Twitter are nearly identical: 70% of the claims were labeled consistently, and 30% inconsistently. We investigated these inconsistencies and found that based on publicly available information, most of the platforms' decisions were arbitrary. However, in about a third of the cases we found plausible reasons that could explain the inconsistent labeling, although these reasons may not be aligned with the platforms' stated policies. Our strongest finding is that Twitter was more likely to label posts from verified users, and less likely to label identical content from non-verified users. This study demonstrates how academic-industry collaborations can provide insights into typically opaque content moderation practices.

What is accounting? What should it be? What should we profess and teach?

Differences between accounting researchers and many accounting practitioners and professional institutions on what constitutes the domain of accounting has grown considerably over the past fifty years. In contrast to the frequent allegations that accounting researchers pay insufficient attention to the needs and problems of practice, this paper argues the converse, namely that accounting education and training within universities and professional courses neglect accounting research. This has consequences for the legitimacy of accounting as a profession, inhibits developing skills sought by prospective employers, and can blind practice to the emergence of important new issues. Recently, there have been calls from academics to redefine accounting. In addition to including technical practices, they seek greater emphasis on ethics, morality, theory, sustainability, and accountability. This broader, interdisciplinary approach focuses on public rather than private interests; seeks broader, often non-financial reporting on sustainability goals; serving a wider range of stakeholders; and devising new processes of accountability, especially to empower civil society groups. Illustrations of these themes are explored in the paper. It concludes by offering ways to reform accounting courses. Ideally academic and professional leaders could devise, on an equal footing, courses leading to qualification as a professional accounting that better serve the needs of employers and utilise scientific academic research. Failing this universities could offer two accounting degrees, one emphasising technical material and exemptions from professional examinations, and another more oriented to contemporary accounting research and develops skills sought by employers relating to communication, continuouslearning, critical analysis, and multi-functional teamwork.

The ‘asean Way’ of Women, Peace and Security: Norm Rhetoric or Implementation?

Abstract Women, peace and security (wps) is a global normative agenda that seeks to address the vulnerability and victimization of women in armed conflict situation and recognize their agency to transform post-conflict societies. In over two decades, various international institutions, states, and transnational and domestic civil society groups have taken on various initiatives to advance wps through international policy frames, regional commitments, and national operationalization. In Southeast Asia, even though women’s human rights have gained traction in the region through cross-cutting issues on gender equality and violence against women, not much has been said in the context of these in armed conflict and peacebuilding situations. In fact, to date, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (asean) was the latest regional body to have adopted a framework for action on wps. This study uses the norm life cycle model to explain the emergence and cascade of wps in the asean and explains the challenges to the internalization of the norm in the region.

文化交往与认同

Chinese Buddhism has played an undeniable role in the construction of ethnic communities through the process of communication, shaping, and reconstruction in the development of various ethnic groups in Yunnan. The dissemination of Han Buddhism in Yunnan has promoted the communication between Han culture and ethnic minorities; Ethnic minorities engage in rational communication between the culture and understanding of Chinese Buddhism, reflecting the process of ethnic integration and cultural consciousness. This study examines the cultural identity factors of various ethnic minorities in Yunnan in their communication with Chinese Buddhism, in order to analyze ethnic unity and strengthen the sense of Chinese national community. Local governments, chieftain elites, civil society, and different ethnic groups, through the absorption of Han Buddhist culture, are closely related to minority cultures, moving from inequality to equality, from heterogeneity to homogenization, and jointly constructing an ethnic culture with the strengths of a hundred schools of thought, integration and inclusiveness, melting into a Chinese culture with a sense of national community.

PATIENT ADVOCACY-01 WHY IS NEURO- ONCOLOGY MISSING FROM CIVIL SOCIETY CANCER ADVOCACY AGENDA?

Abstract BACKGROUND Cancer civil society and patient groups across Africa play a major role in pressuring governments to develop, fund, and implement national cancer control plans and to keep their commitments to international declarations. Additionally, community cancer awareness is mainly driven by lay cancer advocates and cancer survivors. The cancer policy and legislation landscape in Kenya has largely been shaped by the civil society through consistent advocacy OBJECTIVE Explore barriers and enablers to meaningful engagement of cancer civil society advocates in advancing neuro-oncology in Africa. METHODOLOGY This is a desk review of current developments and literature in advocacy for neuro-oncology with insights and perspectives of practicing oncology nurses and civil society cancer advocates in Kenya. FINDINGS Cancer advocacy in Kenya has traditionally focused on creating awareness on the more common cancers, breast, cervical prostate and Gastro-intestinal cancers. Over the last 10 years’ attention has gradually shifted to access and cost of care. Cancers of the central nervous system such as gliomas, neuroblastomas and meningiomas, though not uncommon do not feature prominently in advocacy discourses. This is due the fact that they are perceived as ‘rare’, complex, difficult to explain and with poor outcomes. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS There is a growing appreciation of the need to develop a framework through which civil society can contribute to the development of quality neuro oncology services. Cancer civil society organizations, neurosurgeons, neurologists, oncologists, academicians, and other healthcare professionals must work together to overcome structural barriers so that neuro oncology is not left behind in the national cancer plans. Stakeholders will need to establish guidelines with well defined mechanism for engaging, involving and acknowledging the contribution of cancer advocates in advancing neuro-oncology. This will require a cultural shift from neuro-oncology professionals to accommodate the input of lay civil society advocates.

Utopian constitutionalism in Chile

AbstractIn this article, we argue that the 2022 Chilean draft Constitution helps to articulate the distinction between a transformative constitutional project and a utopian one. Whereas a transformative project lays down markers for social change that will take time to achieve, a utopian project sets out goals that are unlikely to be achieved within any reasonable timeframe. Utopianism is a product of two relationships. The first is the internal relationship between the transformative goals laid out in a constitution and the institutional pathways through which changes will occur. The second is the external relationship between the goals in the text and the views and support of key groups. In Chile, both relationships were problematic. First, the Convention adopted a draft that was heavy on ambitious programmatic content but lacked a clear vision of how to implement it. Second, the Convention produced a draft that was supported by the ephemeral civil society groups galvanized by the 2019 protests but divorced from the vision of Chile’s parties and public opinion. Some of this was a product of the peculiar electoral context in which the Convention acted, which has already been corrected. But some of it reflects deeper tensions within transformative constitutionalism.

Virtual Civil Society as a Platform for Gender Advocacy: Exploring the Role, Effectiveness, and Influence on Facebook

This paper aims to examine the role of virtual civil society on Facebook as a platform for gender advocacy, focusing on its capacity to advocate for gender equality, assess the effectiveness of online advocacy strategies, and explore the potential for virtual civil society to and shape public opinion on gender issues. Through qualitative methods and analysis, this study provides insights into the dynamics of virtual civil society, its impact on gender advocacy, and the opportunities and challenges it presents for promoting meaningful change in society. This study also explores the role of virtual civil society on social media platforms, especially on Facebook, as a platform for gender advocacy. Utilizing netnography, as a research method, the study also observes the participation and engagement of individuals. By examining the effectiveness of online advocacy strategies, the influence on policy discourse and public opinion, and the opportunities and challenges faced by virtual civil society groups, this study aims to contribute to our understanding of how digital spaces can advance gender equality. The study concludes with such virtual civil society groups and their practices, which advocate women’s empowerment. The findings offer insights for activists, policymakers, and organizations working towards creating a more inclusive and equitable society.