There is a dearth of comprehensive studies that look precisely at the ‘value added’ of working through civil society to reach excluded, marginalised and vulnerable groups. This helpdesk research report thus relies on a range of more general literature on civil society and thematic and country case studies, drawing out information and findings on positive impacts from civil society engagement with excluded groups.
There are several ways in which civil society benefits excluded groups:
- improving access to services
- influencing policy
- empowering the marginalised and facilitating voice
- promoting citizenship and social inclusion
- committing to the long-term.
It is important to recognize, however, that there is much variation in the extent to which civil society actually and effectively engages with and benefits marginalised groups. This is attributed to various reasons, including insufficient resources which results in the tendency for CSOs to rely on existing channels of assistance; systems of accountability which focus more on upward accountability to donors rather than downward accountability to constituents; and the fact that civil society and CSOs are often based on power relations and may themselves reflect inequalities rather than counter them.
Organisations that are considered to have the greatest potential for benefiting excluded groups are those that:
- adopt a solidarity approach and engage marginalised groups as equals;
- emerge from the grassroots with leaders drawn from within marginalised groups;and/or
- focus on a particular target group rather than a broader constituency.
