Civic education can be broadly defined as ‘the provision of information and learning experiences to equip and empower citizens to participate in democratic processes'. The education can take very different forms, including classroom-based learning, informal training, experiential learning, and mass media campaigns. Civic education can be targeted at children or adults, at the ...» more
Democracy & elections
Electoral support interventions
Electoral support interventions by international actors have increased greatly since the 1990s. They comprise primarily of electoral observation and electoral assistance. Electoral observation should be of an impartial nature based on the principle of non-interference. It involves the gathering of information on electoral processes and making informed judgments about the ...» more
Effects of political quotas for women
Many countries have introduced gender quotas (or political reservations), in order to increase female participation in policy-making. This helpdesk report surveys research on the effects of political quotas for women on (1.) political processes; (2.) service delivery; and (3.) social processes. There is limited empirical evidence on these issues and research that does exist has ...» more
The Arab Spring and its impact on human rights in the MENA region
The Middle East and North Africa region is large and diverse, and it is difficult to make regional generalisations about the impact of the Arab Spring on human rights. Long-standing authoritarian rulers have been overthrown in Tunisia and Egypt, and in Libya, a new interim government controls much of the country. In other countries, changes have been less radical but ...» more
Political Trends in Sub-Saharan Africa
This report uses data from the World Governance Indicators dataset, the Ibrahim Index, Freedom in the World, Afrobarometer and Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) to map political trends in Sub-Saharan Africa between 2000 and 2010 both in terms of numbers and weighted by population. The population-weighted values are strongly influenced by the performance of Nigeria, Ethiopia, ...» more
Governance in Southern and Eastern Africa
This literature review identifies key governance issues and trends in Southern and Eastern Africa. Some of the issues and trends reflect developments and challenges common throughout the continent. This review highlights a range of governance issues and trends, including: the emergence of hybrid regimes mixed results on human rights and rule of law the persistence of ...» more
Impact of Communication for Development (C4D)
Development agencies are increasingly recognising the potential of communication for development (C4D) to improve development outcomes and to enhance the overall effectiveness of aid programmes. This coincides with growing evidence of the impact of C4D on the MDGs. This report provides some practical, tangible examples of where C4D activities have improved development outcomes ...» more
Violence against Women (VAW) and political engagement
The link between violence against women (VAW) and women’s political engagement is a complex one, deeply rooted in patriarchal systems of gender relations.In the literature consulted for this query, convincing arguments are made about the connection between VAW and women’s engagement in political processes. The link between VAW and women’s under-representation in politics is ...» more
Women’s Participation in Elections in Afghanistan
This review attempts to synthesise the available literature addressing women’s election participation in Afghanistan, spanning a period of 6 years. Press coverage around the recent presidential elections in Afghanistan emphasised the low turnout of women voters, the perceived lack of security at voting stations, and election fraud. However, things are clearly changing in ...» more
Community Empowerment Outcomes – South Asia
Key findings: The vast majority of the literature focuses on the empowerment of women in the community. Of these, some evaluate the contribution of the underlying activity (e.g. micro-finance) in promoting empowerment outcomes, rather than assessing the outcomes of empowerment programmes, more generally. Nonetheless, outcome findings do overlap for both and there is value in ...» more
Political Economy and Governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
This report is based on some of the recent literature on governance and political economy in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It should be read in conjunction with the helpdesk research report on ‘New Literature on Conflict in the DRC’, which includes a section on political issues. The report outlines the following key governance and political economy issues discussed in ...» more
NGOs in the Palestinian Territories
From the small number of evaluations available, there is evidence to suggest that Palestinian NGOs have been effective in providing services and contributing to a variety of social, rural and private-sector development goals. Although smaller, locally-oriented organisations tended to be more effective at reaching the most marginalised groups and were deemed to be more ...» more
Decentralisation and Statebuilding
Decentralisation and the building or restoring of sub-national government institutions can significantly alter centre-periphery relations. Much of the literature cites the potential for these processes and structures to contribute to improving state-citizen relations and advancing state legitimacy.The contribution that decentralisation and sub-national government can make to ...» more
Performance of Civil Society Organisations
There is no clear consensus that civil society organisations necessarily perform better or worse than private sector, government, or multilateral organisations. Few studies make direct comparisons of performance, but those that do show mixed results. This is not surprising, considering the wide range of organisations and country contexts.This report focuses primarily on the ...» more
Social Movements and Poverty Reduction
There is limited research available on the role of social movements in development processes. It is widely acknowledged that establishing a causal relationship between social movements and any observed change in societies is problematic. In particular, attribution is difficult because there are usually multiple variables involved in any process of social change, including other ...» more
Research on Social Movements
A number of specific research programmes and projects are using a multidisciplinary approach to probe the questions surrounding the dynamics, influence and prospects of social movements (as variously defined). The prominent programmes are located in the United Kingdom, but operate through international partnerships with other universities and research centres. Social movement ...» more
Community-based Approaches and the Extractives Sector in Situations of Fragility and Conflict
The literature offers a number of recommendations on community engagement in the extractives sector. The following are particularly relevant to fragile and conflict-affected contexts:Engage with local communities as partners in preventing and managing conflict, rather than approaching them as a threat or risk.Distribute any benefits from the project (including jobs, development ...» more
Civil Society Funding Mechanisms
Two general points emerge in the literature on civil society funding mechanisms. The first is that support to civil society actors is desirable and should be continued or scaled-up. Civil society is considered to play a key role in development and the theme of ‘partnership’ is widespread in the literature. Secondly, capacity building is an essential component of all support to ...» more
Donor Activities Supporting Women in Elected Political Spaces
Donors mainly engage in the following types of activities to promote women‘s participation in electoral politics:Training women already in or aspiring towards leadership rolesStrengthening the capacity of women‘s groups to monitor government commitments on gender equality and women’s empowermentUsing the media to disseminate information and change attitudesSupporting networks ...» more
Gender and Elections in Afghanistan
Press coverage around the recent presidential elections in Afghanistan emphasised the low turnout of women voters, highlighting the shortage of female staff at polling stations, proxy voting by male family members, and the threat of retributive violence against women voters and candidates as key factors. However, the academic literature is largely silent on these issues, both ...» more
