Civil societies at crossroads: lessons and implications

Abstract

The papers in this Special Issue are drawn from a larger set of cases of citizen activism and civil society evolution developed by the “Civil Society at Crossroads?” initiative. What can be learnt from comparative analysis across these stories? In this concluding paper we seek to identify lessons that emerged from comparative analysis across cases and to explore their implications for civil society practitioners and policymakers.

Des sociétés civiles à la croisée des chemins : enseignements et implications

Les documents figurant dans ce Numéro spécial sont tirés d'un ensemble plus large de cas d'activisme citoyen et d’évolution de la société civile préparé par l'initiative « Civil Society at Crossroads? ». Quels enseignements peut-on tirer d'une analyse comparative de ces différentes histoires ? Dans ce document de conclusion nous cherchons à identifier les enseignements qui se sont dégagés d'une analyse comparative de tous les cas et à examiner leurs implications pour les praticiens et les décideurs de la société civile.

Las sociedades civiles en la encrucijada

Los artículos para este Número Especial se seleccionaron de un conjunto más amplio de casos de activismo ciudadano y de evolución de la sociedad civil, a partir de la iniciativa “¿Se encuentra la sociedad civil en la encrucijada?” ¿Qué hallazgos pueden generarse a partir del análisis comparativo de estas historias? En este artículo final, los autores pretenden identificar los aprendizajes surgidos del análisis comparativo de varios casos y examinar sus implicaciones para los operadores de la sociedad civil y para los formuladores de políticas.

Sociedades civis na encruzilhada: lições e implicações

Os artigos desta Edição Especial foram retirados de um conjunto mais amplo de casos de ativismo de cidadãos e evolução da sociedade civil desenvolvido pela iniciativa “Sociedade Civil na Encruzilhada?”. O que pode ser aprendido com uma análise comparativa entre estas histórias? Neste texto de conclusão, buscamos identificar lições que surgiram da análise comparativa entre os casos e explorar suas implicações para profissionais da sociedade civil e formuladores de políticas.

Additional information

Rajesh Tandon (corresponding author) is founder-President of PRIA, New Delhi. Over the past three decades, under his leadership, PRIA has extensively engaged in building the capacities of civil society organisations around the world. Rajesh has an electronics degree from IIT (Kanpur), an MBA from IIM (Calcutta), and a PhD in Organisational Behaviour from CWRU (Cleveland). He provided foundational leadership to International Forum of Capacity Building of Southern NGOs (1997–2001), CIVICUS (1993–1999), FIM-Forum for Democratic Global Governance (1998–2011), and Voluntary Action Network India (1988–2008). He has written extensively, with manuals, research papers, books, and training materials on civil society, capacity development, participatory research, and democratic governance.

L. David Brown is semi-retired as Senior Research Fellow at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard University. He has been President of the Institute for Development Research, a non-profit centre for development research and consultation, and taught at schools of management at Boston University and Case Western Reserve University as well as the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. His research and consulting focuses on civil society organisations, inter-organisational networks, and multi-sector partnerships that foster sustainable development, accountable governance, and social justice around the world.