CSB.net Newsletter (II)

Author(s): Julie Ferguson
Publication date: Thursday 13 October 2005

This quarterly newsletter is sent out to all members of Civilsocietybuilding.net. If you wish to receive these updates in future, please join the network as a new member.

 -- Contents:

1. Introduction
2. Publication highlights
3. Seminar

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1. INTRODUCTION

It has been just over 3 months that the Civil Society Building network has been up. Last week at the Institute of Social Studies (ISS), I ran into a member who was wondering when he would hear from us - as I am sure several of you have been too! So here we are, and we are delighted to inform you of a few developments since you joined.

Since our kick-off, almost 100 members have already registered, from all over the world, but with a certain concentration in the Netherlands, Africa and India. Beyond that - it is interesting to see people from a wide range of other countries learning about the network and more actively contributing their resources. To help network members get to know one another, may we encourage you to fill in your profiles. You can do this by logging in on the homepage, and then selecting 'my page' from the main menu. A sense of who people are in a group helps establish a strong environment in which information is shared, and knowledge is learned.

In the near future, new features will be added for network members only, including free online access to a renowned academic journal, 'grey' literature from well-known researchers, more programme evaluations, etc.

Please don't hesitate to drop us a line if you have comments, questions, or interesting material you would like to share with the network. You can of course also add your own contributions: login on the home page and go to http://www.civilsocietybuilding.net/csb/content/contribute.

We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you in the network!

Best regards, on behalf of the Civil Society Building Knowledge Network,

the editors
csb@hivos.nl

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2. PUBLICATION HIGHLIGHTS

The knowledge corner in particular has seen quite some development. In the articles and publications sections many resources have been submitted - most of which are unique publications on this site only. To
highlight a few:

* The Challenge of Democratic Empowerment
This paper is an attempt to examine social resistance and attempts at social change through the critical examination of popular terms and thus arriving at an understanding of the civil society debates in contemporary times. http://www.civilsocietybuilding.net/sitharam

* The Role of Women's Organisations in CSB
Contains an assessment of the role of women's organisations in civil society building in three countries in Africa: Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The authors conclude that women's organisations contribute to
strengthening of the social identity of women, increased participation of women in public life and decision-making, creation of new norms and values in society (for instance breaking down taboos concerning
HIV/Aids), and maintaining social cohesion. http://www.civilsocietybuilding.net/gwd

* Participatory budgeting, civil society and the struggle for democratic development
"Participatory budgeting" is an expression of more recent participatory development initiatives with an emphasis on citizen participation in economic policy making and budgeting. http://www.civilsocietybuilding.net/overbeke

* The Politics of 'Participation': Civil Society, the State and Development Assistance
The starting point for this paper are some of the key texts relating to the question of promoting ‘pro-poor’ political participation and organisation. This paper demonstrates how paying attention to politics challenges some of the assumptions within programmes pursued by donors involved in the promotion of ‘good governance’ and economic reform. Network member & active contributor David Sogge adds: 'Posing hard questions about aid for "civil society building", this paper is a must-read. Written by James Putzel, London School of Economics, originally for a DfID seminar, it reaches some sobering conclusions, such as: "By supporting the endless proliferation of NGOs as a site for both employment and organisational opportunities of the middle classes, donors may well be contributing to weaking the potential for consolidation of democracy".' http://www.civilsocietybuilding.net/putzel

For many more, visit www.civilsocietybuilding.net/knowledge
To comments and reviews on articles, log in and click 'new comment'. We look forward to hearing from you.

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3. SEMINAR

CONFRONTING THE STATE, ENGAGING THE STATE
Civil Society Building in Adverse Political Conditions

The Hague, May 10, 2005

This seminar, hosted by Hivos and ISS in The Hague, the Netherlands, is an opportunity for professionals in the field of civil society building to interact, bringing together research, policy and practice.

Civil society practitioners from a wide range of countries, who deal with this topic on a daily basis, will present their cases, and interact with researchers, students, policy makers and NGO-staff, to analyse strategies and approaches in support of their work. The seminar will bring together academics and practitioners who are dealing with the problem of civil society building in the context of weak, fragile or authoritarian states. The participation of representatives from Hivos and its partner organizations, plus students and staff from ISS and other invitees will guarantee a wide presence of key experiences in this area.

The aim of the seminar is to discuss the obstacles and opportunities for civil society building strategies in various political contexts. The broader framework of fragile states as well as concrete civil society building cases will be discussed and analysed by those dealing with this topic on a daily basis, often under adverse political conditions. This can be a context of conflict or post-conflict, it can be the framework of a transitional or of an oppressive state, but it can also be related to situations in which the state is weak because of corruption, lack of capacity, or limited resources.

As participants include Northern and Southern-based practitioners, academics, students of development studies and policy makers, all working in some way on the topic of civil society building, a highly interactive event is anticipated with ample opportunity for discussions and workshops. Plenary introductions will be provided by some of the key thinkers and practitioners in the area of state and civil society interaction.

One of the envisaged outcomes is a clear agenda for the civil society building knowledge network based on participants' input.

For more on this, visit www.civilsocietybuilding.net/symposium . Registration is now open. Login on the homepage, and then go to http://www.civilsocietybuilding.net/open/register.

Please note - participation in the seminar is free, but limited spaces are available and in view of this we cannot guarantee your participation. Travel and accomodation is covered for selected individuals only; all other participants are expected to cover their own expenses.