Date of Award

2008

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Political Science

Keywords

Social sciences

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

This thesis evaluates donor funded efforts to utilise civil society as an agent of democracy promotion within their overall development policies. Democracy promotion has risen to the forefront of development aims and achieved prominence in the high politics of national security. In parallel, donors have emphasised civil society as a necessary and vital actor in this process. These dual pillars of donor policy have largely gone unquestioned, and little critical analysis regarding their compatibility and effectiveness has been conducted. The analysis was based on a case study from Sierra Leone, with the actors from the domestic environmental movement used as the primary subjects. The combination of qualitative and quantitative data was collected while working for a local civil society actor, active in the environmental movement. Results indicated that civil society has been ineffective in promoting democracy within Sierra Leone, and critically it may merely perpetuate existing undemocratic political norms.

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