New results from the Hivos-ISS research programme: 4 case studies during 2006.

Author(s): Administrator CSB Admin
Publication date: Thursday 04 January 2007

A major component of the CSB-KN is the 'research programme': ISS research capacity on Civil Society connecting with Hivos' programme experiences in supporting Civil Society in the global South, in an effort to generate useful insights for improved practice, for Hivos and hopefully also for our partner organisations.

In May 2005 Hivos & ISS hosted a joint 2 day-seminar entitled "Confronting the State, Engaging the State; Civil Society Building under Adverse Political Conditions". Among the participants were a number of representatives from Hivos partner organisations in Africa, Asia and Latin America. This seminar, among other things, contributed to the formulation of a research agenda for the network in the coming years.

For 2006 two topics from this agenda have been chosen for further elaboration:

Civil Society engaging the State, especially in the context of so-called Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers,

The changing relations between NGOs and Social Movements.

Research projects were conducted by MA students of the ISS under the supervision of the Institute's academic staff. ISS students come from all over the world, with a very large proportion from the global South. Four case studies were conducted in Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa and Ecuador:

Contesting the Role of Social Movements in Post-Apartheid South Africa: The Treatment Action Campaign, by Rina M. Alluri

Seizing and Stretching Participatory Space: Civil Society Participation in Tanzania's Policy Processes, by Hermine Engel

Civil Society Building and the Indigenous Movement in the Ecuadorian Amazon, by Brian Wallis Fiallo

New governance: the changing role of civil society organizations in process monitoring and implementation of the poverty reduction strategies in Uganda: "study of Uganda Debt Network (UDN) and Kabarole research centre (KRC)" by: Banya Emmanuel Natal

These are all relatively short research projects, completed few weeks ago. They all included a period of field study in the period July/September and leaded to a successful graduation from the researchers.