Exploring service‐providing non‐governmental organization perceptions of shifting civic space in Ghana: Impacts of government and international actors
| Published date | 01 December 2023 |
| Author | Sandy Zook,Kelly Ann Krawczyk,Franklin Oduro |
| Date | 01 December 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.2027 |
Received: 16 December 2021
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Revised: 8 August 2023
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Accepted: 21 August 2023
DOI: 10.1002/pad.2027
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Exploring service‐providing non‐governmental organization
perceptions of shifting civic space in Ghana: Impacts of
government and international actors
Sandy Zook
1
|Kelly Ann Krawczyk
2
|Franklin Oduro
3
1
University of Colorado‐Denver, School of
Public Affairs, Denver, Colorado, USA
2
Department of Political Science, Auburn
University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
3
Ghana Center for Democratic Development
(CDD‐Ghana), Accra, Ghana
Correspondence
Kelly Ann Krawczyk.
Email: kak0037@auburn.edu
Abstract
Civil society space is constantly shifting, either negatively (e.g., shrinking, narrowing)
or positively (e.g., expanding). These shifts are predominantly attributed to actions
by central government actors, such as the implementation and enforcement of laws.
Emergent work, however, also recognizes that in the context of the Global South,
the international community can take actions to shrink or expand civil society space.
Recently, Ghana in West Africa—known for its democratic stability—has introduced
significant legislative and administrative reforms aimed at regulating the NGO
sector. We interview 20 Ghanaian service‐providing NGOs to explore perceived
shifts in civil society space and the impacts of these shifts, as well as strategies
service‐providing NGOs are employing in response to shifting civic space. Findings
identify perceived shifts in civic space caused by international actors and the
Ghanaian government, as well as strategies for combating and mitigating shifting
space.
KEYWORDS
civil society, global South, service‐delivery NGOs, shifting civic space
1
|
INTRODUCTION
Globally, civil society space is constantly shifting. We conceptualize
civic space aligned with Kumi (2022, p. 940) as “the place that civil
society actors (e.g. individuals, formal and informal groups) occupy
within society; it encompasses the conditions that affect the ability of
civil society actors to operate and their relationship with stake-
holders including the state, the private sector and the general public.”
Shifts in civil society space are predominantly attributed to formal
and informal actions by central government actors, such as the
implementation and enforcement of laws, and distribution of re-
sources. Emergent work, however, also recognizes that in the context
of the Global South, the international community can also take ac-
tions to shrink or expand civil society space (Anheier et al., 2019;
Brass, 2016; Sander, 2023).
Shifts in civic space are often portrayed as clearly negative (e.g.,
shrinking, narrowed) or positive (e.g., expanding). Shrinking space
includes the government overstepping its role to assert control
through oppressive regulation, such as reducing freedom to assemble
or express dissent. Expanding civic space occurs when civil society
and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) can operate indepen-
dently by expanding rights, such as freedoms to assemble or express
dissent.
1
Research into the phenomenon of shifting space often fo-
cuses on the institutional structures or conditions that facilitate
1
In reference to organizations in Ghana, we use the term non‐governmental organization (NGO), rather than civil society organization (CSO). InGhana, NGO is the term used to refer to formal,
legally registered entities operating within the broader umbrella of civil society. Several interviewees in the Findings section use the terms NGO and CSO interchangeably.
Public Admin Dev. 2023;43:343–354. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pad © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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