Promoting Active Citizenship

"This paper pulls together insights and lessons from 10 case studies of Oxfam’s's work in promoting active citizenship. The case studies, written over the course of 2013/14, employ a 'theory of change approach' to explore how change happens in different contexts." 

This Oxfam paper analyses case studies from a range of programmes, both in terms of geography and sector ("humanitarian, long-term development, advocacy and campaigns"). This series forms part of a wider Oxfam research project on 'How Change Happens'."

Emergent elements (excerpted) are the following:

• "The right partners are indispensable...usually local NGOs [non-governmental organisations] or civil society organizations, but sometimes also individuals, consultants or academics. Good partners bring an understanding of local context and culture (especially important when working with excluded minorities...); they often have well-developed networks with those in positions of local power - crucial for brokering negotiations with citizens’ groups. And they will remain working in the area long after the programme has moved on....
• Start... with power analysis...building the power of citizens, starting with their internal 'power within' -self-confidence and assertiveness, ...[including] build[ing] 'power with' in the form of organizations that enable poor and excluded individuals to find a strong collective voice in confronting and influencing those in power. 
• A theory of change can help....[For example,] modifying a cross-country theory of change helped the process of reflection, enabling country programmes to spot gaps and learn from each other. In general, an explicit discussion on power and change helps programmes and partners identify a wider universe of potential tactics, partners and approaches.
• Building the grains of change....[T]he exercise of active citizenship is often built on collective organization. Marginalized individuals in any society are weak when isolated; coming together can transform their influence. [S]hort term surges in active citizenship are made up of myriad 'grains' - longer-lasting organizations that span everything from faith groups and trade unions, to sports club fans or funeral societies.... These groups are best placed to weather the storms of setbacks and criticism, and provide the long-term foundations for activism....
• The importance of broad alliances and coalitions: Who should the grains engage with?....[T]he broader the range, the better [for example]: work on violence against women and women's empowerment has made it a priority to work with men; sympathetic arms firms were critical allies in the campaign to win an Arms Trade Treaty; building relationships with conservative evangelicals and Republicans in the Deep South paved the way for success in a campaign to ensure the fines from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill truly benefited local communities....
• Individuals and relationships matter: Processes of change are driven by real people....[T]here will be some individuals on both sides of the negotiating table (or barricade) who are more able and willing to understand the dreams and demands of all sides, and more interested in seeking change and compromise. Other individuals will have 'hidden power' in the shape of critical, behind-the-scenes influence. Identifying, understanding and building relationships with them... is an essential part of making change happen.
• Building active citizenship takes time... [a] sustained investment of time and empathy....The end result may bear little resemblance to the initial plans....One approach is to agree a 10-20 year 'envelope' for a programme, and then try and fund 2-3 year modules within it, in which the long-term direction of the programme shapes the content and approach of the constituent components." 

The paper suggests that success may result from one or more of the following: 

• Identifying "quick wins" from the outset, targeting them, and celebrating those that are achieved, for example, previously marginalised women becoming sources of advice and expertise in their communities.
• Focusing on the gaps between existing rules and practice because those in power "cannot argue that the citizens' demands are unrealistic or wrong (they are already on the statute book)."
• Funding "windows of opportunity", for example, "new constitutions, decentralization processes, elections, floods in Pakistan, even an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, [which] all serve to shake up existing power relations and alliances, and make new movements and conversations possible."

Engaging with a state is described as "understanding its internal structures and incentive systems in order to identify potential allies (for example on community forest rights in India) as well as foes. Publicly congratulating officials and politicians when they do something right (rather than immediately moving the goalposts and issuing new demands) can help build trust. Framing demands in ways that make sense to politicians, whether local or national, can greatly improve the chances of success...."

There is a need to understand complexity and systems thinking through: designing for complexity; encouraging flexibility; and letting go. For example, supporting reaction to "fast changing situations in ways that could never have been envisaged by project planners", such as a Pakistani women's group that acted "for the rapid restoration of identity papers lost in [flood] waters (essential for claiming state benefits)." The gender component, whether gender is the programme focus or not, requires a full power analysis, including issues of "power within" and an exploration of both formal and informal relationships of power in a given community. 

Oxfam highlighted the possible added value of NGO involvement, including: linking and inspiring groups across borders for peer-to-peer contact; bringing together international action - for example, labour rights; increasing and using research and communication capacity; strengthening advocacy for public policy change, reducing the risks of backlash from those who feel threatened by change; and using NGO branding in situations where it can provide "a degree of international backing and legitimacy that reduced risks for local organizations."

Challenges can include: engaging properly with faith leaders; making income-generating schemes where there is a need; creating long-term sustainability; engaging in conflict versus cooperation - "context should determine the blend of approaches, based on a balance of impact and risk"; engaging in formal politics; and demonstrating results and value for money in evaluations.

The theory of change approach that was used for assessment included a standard set of questions to programme staff, interviews with them, and reviews of programme documents. Limitations of the methodology included some over-complicated questions and mixed willingness to talk about failures, disagreements, and corrections of processes.

"Positive results of the approach include:

• Building a timeline proved a useful aid both to memory and analysis, and a collectively agreed basis for subsequent discussion.

• Asking for an explicit power analysis helped fill in the context for programme design (often missing from more nuts and bolts type summaries).

• Similarly, asking explicitly about ‘critical junctures’ jogged people’s memories to some extent.

• Although blog comments were relatively few, some added significantly to individual case studies." 

Click here to find Active Citizenship case studies.