The overall effect of closing civil society space is to consolidate power in the state and its powerholders, to disempower civic actors, including Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and to restrict the expression of dissent and the ‘watchdog’ role of civil society, including in relation to the behaviour of state-owned or private corporate actors in key sectors such as the extractive industries. Yet little systematic analysis has been conducted, to date, of what the trend towards a closure of civic space means for development.
The most immediate and prominent effect of shrinking civic space is its association with declining respect for human rights, in particular civil and political rights such as freedom of expression and association and protection of human rights defenders and minority group rights.
IDS researchers will undertaken country case studies in Ethiopia and Pakistan.
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