Suchergebnisse

This book considers the challenges of building democracy in post Soviet Armenia, and the role of civil society in that process. It argues that, contrary to the expectations of Western aid donors, who promoted civil society assuming that democratisation would follow automatically, democratic regimes have failed to materialise

This book considers the challenges of building democracy in post Soviet Armenia, and the role of civil society in that process. It argues that, contrary to the expectations of Western aid donors, who promoted civil society assuming that democratisation would follow automatically, democratic regimes have failed to materialise.

Across the globe, movements are confronting states and elites, challenging inequalities and mobilising for greater justice, a stronger voice, and progressive policy changes. In this article, I bridge the divide between Social Policy and the interdisciplinary field of Social Movement Studies. I examine how and why social movements, as actors in policy fields and social movement theories, matter for social policy. I argue that research on social movements as actors and engagement with social movement theories can open new horizons in Social Policy research by advancing our understanding of the politics of policy from a global perspective and strengthening our analytical and explanatory frameworks of agency, ideas, and power in the study of continuity and change of policy.

In this article, I examine the relationship between social movements, Brexit and social policy and consider how political and socio-economic developments since the 2008 financial crisis helped create a fertile ground for Brexit. I query the assumption that Brexit was simply a result of those left behind by globalisation and instead explore why and how actors from across the ideological spectrum supported Brexit and examine the sources of discontent which created the conditions from which Brexit emerged. To understand the relationship, role and impact of social movements and, more widely, civil society on social policy, I argue that it is important to critically examine how diverse actors within civil society are campaigning for the recognition of unmet needs and challenging systems of redistribution and the ways in which they interact and engage with governance institutions and policy processes.

The revolution … ended the hopelessness, apathy, and indifference that had come to characterize the post-Soviet period.

A popular uprising that brought a charismatic opposition leader to power this spring was driven by a tech-savvy younger generation tired of stale, corrupt rulers.

Focusing on the domestic violence sector as a case study, this article examines how the Big Society agenda, coming alongside public spending cuts, is affecting the independence and ability of women's organizations to engage in progressive policy shaping. By situating the analysis of the Big Society agenda within the broader context of international civil society strengthening programmes, the article considers how the processes currently unfolding in England, share certain similarities to what has happened globally wherever neoliberal policies aimed at instrumentalizing civil society for service delivery have been implemented. It contends that the policies of the Big Society agenda, which are aimed at strengthening the 'capacity' of civil society, are instead creating a situation where the independence and ability of civil society organizations to engage in progressive policy making is weakened.

AbstractFollowing the collapse of the Soviet Union, donor agencies embraced the idea of civil society development as critical to democratisation and successful transition. The belief was that stronger civil societies would promote good governance, increased civic participation and social trust. Examining NGOs' participation in Armenia's PRSP process, this paper asks whether NGOs have played or have the potential to play a part in promoting good governance and sustainable development in Armenia through their participation in such initiatives as the PRSP. The paper uses the 'inclusion', 'exclusion' and 'hybrid' stances1 to analyse the diverse approaches that local NGOs have embraced vis a vis the PRSP during the implementation stage. By analysing these stances, the paper demonstrates the diversity of Armenian civil society and considers how these stances affect NGOs ability to influence policy. Albert Hirschman's (1970) study of exit, voice and loyalty was very useful in examining the stances of the NGOs, but his framework was not entirely applicable given the nature of the organisations under discussion as well as the politics and power dynamics involved. 'Stance' is used here to signify both the strategy and political or ideological positions of the NGOs. Michelle Rivkin‐Fish (2004) uses a similar approach in discussing the strategies of global actors engaged in collaborative encounters with Russian health workers.
Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.