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Can civil society influence policy and promote democracy in Africa?

Donors assume that they are helping African civil society to deepen democracy, by challenging human rights abuses and exposing the corrupt use of state power. However, is there evidence that aid really helps civil society organisations (CSOs) to influence policy and law and make governments more accountable?

A research project from the Institute of Development Studies UK, studies the contribution of CSOs to democratisation in Africa. The study examines their ability to influence the government in three countries: South Africa, Uganda and Ghana. First, examines the internal governance of CSOs which helps citizens to participate better in public affairs. Second, it examines how effective CSOs are in the political arena. The study also assesses how and whether foreign aid helps civil society organisations in their policy influencing activities.

Detailed case studies of 12 leading civil society organisations and their impact on public policy and legislation in South Africa and Uganda were conducted. The study found that although all CSOs consider it important to be involved with policy influencing, few are consistently or directly involved in it. Fewer make a significant difference to policy outcomes. CSOs that are closely linked to political parties and the state through different ways are most able to influence policy. Although donor aid can help CSOs in getting involved in the policy process and strengthen their ability to participate, it is not critical for successful policy influencing.

Good internal governance systems of the CSOs, which can organise people, and the CSO’s relationship with the state and its political arena, are the most decisive factors in achieving policy influence. By helping citizens to voice their opinions on policy decisions CSOs play an important in policy influencing and demanding accountability from the state.

The research also finds that:

Donor support can be helpful to CSOs which have limited access to resources and are vulnerable to government control and repression.
Donors mainly wish to strengthen institutions of formal democracy such as elections and parliaments. Support to CSOs is often intended to create intermediary institutions that can support such democratic institutions and a market-based economy.
Democracy assistance programmes benefit a few urban-based organisations with a middle class leadership. Organisations in rural areas representing poor people, or those with a mass membership, receive lesser aid.
Most CSOs heavily depend on foreign funding: this erodes their credibility and autonomy in the absence of mechanisms to ensure internal accountability and strengthen domestic resource mobilisation.
CSOs have limited capacity to influence government policy and effect changes in legislation. Aid strengthens the influence of only those with access to policymakers because of their political acceptability and support for official policy priorities.
CSOs can influence public policy when they have a secure resource base, supportive legislation, and when opportunities are created for structured consultation and dialogue.

Lessons relevant for policy include:

Aid donors should ensure that organisations based in rural areas and those with a mass membership receive adequate support.
Periodic assistance to individual organisations should gradually be replaced by long-term programme support and grants to strengthen capacity for policy analysis and advocacy.
Strategies to identify and establish local sources of funding from membership dues, local philanthropy, and internally-generated sources of income should be developed.
Aid donors should encourage governments to remove restrictive controls and simplify registration procedures.
Opportunities for structured policy dialogue with government for a more representative set of membership-based organisations and grassroots coalitions need to be created.

Source(s):
‘Civil society, democratisation and foreign aid in Africa’, Institute of Development Studies, Discussion Paper 338, by Mark Robinson and Steven Friedman, April 2005 (PDF) Full document.

Funded by: UK Department for International Development (DFID)

id21 Research Highlight: 21 March 2007

Further Information:
Michelle Kay
Institute of Development Studies
Brighton
Sussex BN1 9RE
UK

Tel: +44 (0) 1273 606261
Fax: +44 (0) 1273 621202
Contact the contributor: M.Kay@ids.ac.uk

Institute of Development Studies, UK

Steven Friedman
Institute for Democracy in South Africa (Idasa)
6 Spin Street
Cape Town
South Africa

Tel: +27 (0)21 4675648
Contact the contributor: sfriedman@idasa.org.za

Institute for Democracy in South Africa (Idasa)

Views expressed on these pages are not necessarily those of DFID, IDS, id21 or other contributing institutions. Unless stated otherwise articles may be copied or quoted without restriction, provided id21 and originating author(s) and institution(s) are acknowledged.

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