Between Engagement and Reluctance: Governments’ Stand Towards Citizen Initiatives^†

† In 2013, the author was part of a team carrying out a mapping of Citizen Initiatives in Europe, which resulted in the research paper: Pollet et al. (2013), The Accidental Aid Worker. A Mapping of Citizen Initiatives for Global Solidarity in Europe, Leuven/Nijmegen: HIVA-KU Leuven/CIDIN – Radboud University of Nijmegen. This article is a shorter and adapted version of that paper, which has received notable comments after its initial presentation.

Abstract

Based on a mapping (2013) of citizen initiatives in 17 European countries, this article explores the diversity in which governments recognise, respond to and engage with such citizen initiatives, mainly through legal definitions, funding schemes, and support practices. In many cases, governmental policies consider citizen initiatives as vehicles of public support for international development and as an addition to the already plural field of development actors. Contrastingly, available subsidies and support programmes are mainly tailored towards increasing professionalism, aiming to impose a minimum of quality standards on projects deployed. Evidence from the mapping also shows that, recently, central governments have gradually withdrawn from existing funding programmes, leaving the dealings with citizen initiates to local levels (region, province or municipality). Depending on how citizen initiatives are perceived – vehicles of public support, a welcome addition to the plural field of development actors, or initiatives that simply make a difference on the ground – the question arises whether that disconnect from central government should be considered worrying or welcoming.

Keywords:

• development aid
• citizen initiatives
• development policy
• public funding

Notes on contributor

Ignace Pollet is a sociologist who caries out research regarding global development issues at HIVA KU Leuven (Research Institute of Work and Society, University of Leuven).

Notes

† In 2013, the author was part of a team carrying out a mapping of Citizen Initiatives in Europe, which resulted in the research paper: Pollet et al. (2013), The Accidental Aid Worker. A Mapping of Citizen Initiatives for Global Solidarity in Europe, Leuven/Nijmegen: HIVA-KU Leuven/CIDIN – Radboud University of Nijmegen. This article is a shorter and adapted version of that paper, which has received notable comments after its initial presentation.

1 Although in Germany, also the big established Non-Government Organisations are registered as Vereine.