PUSHING BACK: SUPPORTING HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IN CONTEXTS OF SHRINKING CIVIC AND DEMOCRATIC SPACE
This paper responds to a request from the international development federation ActionAid to assist the organisation and its partners to identify concrete examples of push back against restrictions on civic and democratic space and make a contribution to the exploration of viable development alternatives that expand civic space. The paper presents a situated ‘long view’ on these concerns through the analysis of interviews with in-situ civic space specialists, Human Rights Defenders (HRDs), and empirical, evidence-based case studies of civil society resistance and resilience.
Emilie Flower, December 2019