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Gaventa J & M, Mayo
In J Gaventa & R Tandon (eds) Globalising Citizen Engagement. London: Zed.
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Gaventa J & R, Tandon
In Gaventa, J. and R. Tandon (eds.) Globalizing Citizens: New Dynamics of Inclusion and Exclusion, London: Zed Books
From Cancún to Copenhagen, from trade debates to climate debates and from financial crises to food crises, the impact...
From Cancún to Copenhagen, from trade debates to climate debates and from financial crises to food crises, the impacts of global forces on everyday life are becoming increasingly apparent. With globalization have come changing forms of power and new realms of authority, and with these, new spaces for public action. From local to global, fields of power and landscapes of authority are being reconfigured, affecting the lives and futures of citizens across the planet, while simultaneously reshaping where and how citizens engage to make their voices heard. If we believe in the ideals of democracy, in which citizens have the right to participate in decisions and deliberations affecting their lives, what are the implications when these extend beyond traditionally understood national and local boundaries?...
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Gaventa J
In Alan Fowler and Chiku Malunga (eds), NGO Management: The Earthscan Companion
This paper is drawn from a longer paper given by John Gaventa at a conference of the Development Research Centre on C...
This paper is drawn from a longer paper given by John Gaventa at a conference of the Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability (Citizenship DRC) in 2005. The Citizenship DRC is a network of scholars and practitioners which between 2000 – 2010 carried out an extensive programme on research on rights, participation and accountability, which has produced over 150 case studies in some twenty countries. The case studies and example used in this paper draw largely from this body of work. All of the work, as well as complete versions of most of the cases references cited, may be found at www.drc-citizenship.org, as well as in the eight volume Zed Book series on Claiming Citizenship (http://www.zedbooks.co.uk/citizenship).
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Gaventa J & R, McGee
In J Gaventa & R McGee (eds) Citizen Action and National Policy Reform: Making Change Happen. London: Zed
This is the full introduction to the edited volume that explores cases of citizen activism that resulted in national ...
This is the full introduction to the edited volume that explores cases of citizen activism that resulted in national policy change.
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Gaventa J & G., Barrett
IDS Working Paper Number 347
In this paper, we report on a meta-case study analysis of a ten-year research programme on citizenship, participation...
In this paper, we report on a meta-case study analysis of a ten-year research programme on citizenship, participation and accountability which analysed a non-randomised sample of 100 research studies of four types of citizen engagement in 20 countries. By mapping the observable effects of citizen participation through a close reading of these studies, we created a typology of four democratic and developmental outcomes, including (a) the construction of citizenship, (b) the strengthening of practices of participation, (c) the strengthening of responsive and accountable states, and (d) the development of inclusive and cohesive societies.
We find that citizen participation produces positive effects across these outcome types, though in each category there are also examples of negative outcomes of citizen participation. We also find that these outcomes vary according to the type of citizen engagement and to political context. These findings have important implications for the design of and support for participatory programmes meant to improve state responsiveness and effectiveness.
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Benequista, N & Gaventa J
Alliance Magazine, Vol. 12 (4): 56-58
For decades the field of democracy promotion has been dominated by an approach that is contrary to this spirit, one o...
For decades the field of democracy promotion has been dominated by an approach that is contrary to this spirit, one of telling rather than listening. Led by bilateral and multilateral aid and foreign assistance programmes, as well as private foundations, democracy promotion has been understood as the process of ‘exporting’ democracy from those who were considered to have it – largely the older and so-called ‘mature’ democracies of the global North – to those who needed it, such as the younger democracies in the global South, or the post-socialist states of Eastern Europe and southern Asia, with little attention to what could be learned from elsewhere to solve democratic deficits at home...
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Gaventa J & M, Mayo
IDS Working Paper 327
How do changing patterns of power and governance affect how and where citizens mobilise collectively to claim their r...
How do changing patterns of power and governance affect how and where citizens mobilise collectively to claim their rights? This paper presents a case study of the Global Campaign for Education (GCE), a civil society coalition that came together in 1999 to mobilise people across the world in a campaign for the right to quality, free education for all. The paper interrogates the experience of the GCE to better understand how advocacy movements meet the inherent difficulties of mobilising across different levels of governance to achieve globally recognised rights. The GCE is widely perceived as a successful example of a campaign coalition. Its deep, pre-existing roots in collective organisation in the global South were the foundation for this success. Inclusive and representative formal structures, collective framing of campaign issues and careful recognition of the different roles played by actors in different locations were key factors in building the campaign coalition. The case study discussed the way that involvement in a global campaign affects the citizenship identities of those involved. A sense of global citizenship amongst activists added to rather than replacing a sense of local and national citizenship; as governance is multiscaled, so citizenship can therefore be multidimensional. The challenge is how to continue to build and sustain inclusive and democratic coalitions which span multiple sites and spaces of citizenship.
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Benequista, N & Gaventa J
Article on Open Democracy.net, 3 August
The sense that democracy is in retreat worldwide has become widespread. But the emergence of citizen-centred, governa...
The sense that democracy is in retreat worldwide has become widespread. But the emergence of citizen-centred, governance-focused and development-oriented approaches suggests that a more complex and hopeful shift is also taking place, say Nicholas Benequista & John Gaventa.
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Brown, LD & Gaventa J
IDS Working Paper 302
Many contemporary issues of development and governance are complex beyond the capacities of single institutions or co...
Many contemporary issues of development and governance are complex beyond the capacities of single institutions or countries. As a result, in recent years we have seen growing attention paid to the importance of networks – ranging from advocacy networks to multi-stakeholder partnerships – for the solution of development problems. This paper is particularly interested in the construction of transnational action research networks that effectively bridge the differences that separate the local from the global, practice from research, North from South, and many relevant disciplines from one another. Such networks must span inequalities in power and resources as well as differences in cultural and intellectual perspectives. Using a unique ‘insider-outsider’ perspective, the paper examines the emergence (during the period 2000–2005) of the Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability, a network of seven partners – from the UK, India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, South Africa, Mexico and Brazil – concerned with research, capacity building and policy influence on these issues
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Gaventa J
IDS In Focus Policy Briefing, 5
Citizen action plays a critical role in confronting poverty and social injustice at the national level. It can bring ...
Citizen action plays a critical role in confronting poverty and social injustice at the national level. It can bring about significant changes to policy and help to build responsive and accountable states. The challenge is not only how best to support and enable national-level advocacy, but how to ensure the changes it brings about are sustainable. This In Focus Policy Briefing explores positive examples of citizen action and highlights how government, donors and civil society organisations can help citizens bring about pro-poor national policy change.
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Gaventa J & A, Dwivedi
Champions of Participation Case Study Series, the Citizenship DRC: Brighton
In many parts of India a quiet revolution is taking place in the relationship between citizens and local governments....
In many parts of India a quiet revolution is taking place in the relationship between citizens and local governments. Strengthened by new opportunities created by constitutional changes and strong legislation, citizens are increasingly aware of their rights and speaking out for improved services and government performance at the local level. At the same time, elected officials and government officials are increasingly aware of their duties to involve citizens and how they can link with NGOs and local civil society groups to strengthen local government capacity. This case study focuses on how NGOs can play a critical intermediary role, working to build awareness of citizens on the one hand and also to find and strengthen the champions of participation inside government on the other. Anju Dwivedi is the state coordinator in Rajasthan of one such NGO, the Society of ParticipatoryResearch in Asia (PRIA).
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Dunn, A & Gaventa J
ID21 Focus, July
Many citizens are disillusioned with government and democracy. Corruption, state failures to respond to poor people’s...
Many citizens are disillusioned with government and democracy. Corruption, state failures to respond to poor people’s needs and a lack of connection between citizens and elected representatives and bureaucrats are major concerns.At the same time, citizens are challenging corporations and global institutions to be more responsible. This four-page policy briefing draws upon the Citizenship DRC's research to look at how policy can help address these issues.
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Gaventa J
ESRC Seminar Series. Mapping the Policy Landscape
If we stop to look at the state of the world, it is easy to assume there is little we can do that will have a positiv...
If we stop to look at the state of the world, it is easy to assume there is little we can do that will have a positive impact on the major global issues of our time, such as South-North inequalities, injustice, poverty, armed conflict, famine, endemic disease, global warming and damage to the environment.We may be aware that 800 million people worldwide do not have enough to eat, although there is more than enough food for everyone, or that 40 million people are currently living with the AIDS/HIV virus; and we may even realise that the developing world spends $13 on debt repayment for every $1 it receives in grants. However, despite this we may still be tempted to say,‘I’m just one person, what can I do about it?’
From local to global is the latest topic to feature in the ESRC’s Public Policy Seminar Series, in which we present independent research in key policy areas to potential users in Government, politics, the media, and the private and voluntary sectors.We see such events as an opportunity to establish further dialogue with the users of our research, and we welcome any subsequent contact.
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Gaventa J
IDS Working Paper 264
Around the world concepts and constructions of democracy are under contestation. Some analysts see the spread of demo...
Around the world concepts and constructions of democracy are under contestation. Some analysts see the spread of democratic institutional designs as evidence of democracys triumph. Others - across north and south - point to growing democratic deficits and how they threaten democratic legitimacy. This paper focuses on emerging debates within what is often referred to as the deepening democracy field, a school of thinking that focuses on the political project of developing and sustaining more substantive and empowered citizen participation in the democratic process than is often found in representative democracy alone.
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Gaventa J
In R Mohanty & R Tandon (eds) Participatory Citizenship: Identity, Exclusion and Inclusion. New Delhi: Sage Press
This document is not currently available
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Gaventa J
Report, Neighbourhood Renewal Unit, Office of Deputy Prime Minister, July
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Gaventa J
IDS Bulletin 33(2)
Around the world, a growing crisis of legitimacy characterises the relationship between citizens and the institutions...
Around the world, a growing crisis of legitimacy characterises the relationship between citizens and the institutions that affect their lives. Traditional forms of expertise and representation are being questioned. In the past, there has been a tendency to respond to the gap that exists between citizens and institutions in one of two ways. One the one hand, attention has been paid to strengthening the processes of participation. On the other hand, growing attention has been paid to strengthening the accountability and responsiveness of these institutions and policies through changes in institutional design and a focus on the enabling structures for good governance. Increasingly, however, we are beginning to see the importance of working on both sides of the equation. The articles in this issue of the IDS Bulletin explore three related areas: meanings and expressions of rights and citizenship; concepts and practices of participation, and dimensions of accountability.
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Gaventa J & E, Jones
IDS Development Bibliographies, No. 19, February
The review essay in this Development Bibliography provides a broad map to contemporary thinking around citizenship, i...
The review essay in this Development Bibliography provides a broad map to contemporary thinking around citizenship, in order to provide a theoretical frame of reference for empirical work on the contextual relations between citizenship, participation and accountability. The attached section of annotated references provides brief summaries of recent texts that we have found to be particularly helpful. Other papers in this series explore participation, accountability and inclusion as they relate to citizenship, and thus both complement and give greater depth to the summaries provided in this Development Bibliography.
