Dynamics of interaction in contexts of shrinking civic space

Since the turn of the millennium, political developments in numerous countries worldwide have been shaped by a phenomenon that is discussed as shrinking civic space: the increasing use of legal, administrative and extra-legal instruments of state coercion and the related usage of enforcement institutions in order to restrict the scope of action of civil society actors and their international supporters.

The project, which is currently in a pilot and development phase, aims to investigate the interaction between governmental strategies of restriction and domestic and international responses. The comparative analysis of countries in which different types of restrictions predominate will be used to assess to what extent the specific type (form and intensity) of state coercion is decisive for its consequences: Do different strategies of restriction lead to different domestic and international responses? To what extent do response patterns vary in different policy areas? Which combinations of restriction and response types make it possible to maintain (certain) civic space? And: Which (domestic and external) context conditions favor the maintenance of civic space?

The project ties in with research on shrinking civic space conducted within the framework of the project "Justice Conflicts in the Promotion of Democracy" and the International Consortium on Closing Civic Space (iCon). It is also embedded in the work of the research network "External Democratization Policy" (EDP). For important preliminary work, see the article "The contested spaces of civil society in a plural world: Norm contestation in the debate about restrictions on international civil society support" and the special issue with Democratization entitled "The negotiation of democracy promotion". A dissertation project that focuses on elections has already begun. A pilot study is devoted to the analysis of resistance to so-called NGO laws, i.e. legal restrictions on civic space.

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International Conference Dealing with Autocracies in a Fragmented World Conference Report | 2023

Abb, Pascal / Weipert-Fenner, Irene / Wolff, Jonas / Driedger, Jonas J. (2023): International Conference Dealing with Autocracies in a Fragmented World Conference Report, PRIF Conference Report, 11.12.2023.

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2
The EU Response to Foreign Interference | 2023

Harth, Lukas / Kriener, Florian / Wolff, Jonas (2023): The EU Response to Foreign Interference, in: Heidelberg Journal of International Law (HJIL)/Zeitschrift für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht (ZaöRV), 83:2, 197–207, DOI: 10.17104/0044-2348-2023-2-197.

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Shrinking Civic Spaces as a complex challenge to human rights and peace | 2023

Wolff, Jonas (2023): Shrinking Civic Spaces as a complex challenge to human rights and peace, in: Zeitschrift für Menschenrechte/Journal for Human Rights, 17:1, 171–184, http://www.wochenschau-verlag.de/Reihe/(...).

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4
Lockdown of Expression | 2023

Felix S. Bethke, Jonas Wolff, Lockdown of Expression, Civic space restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic as a response to mass protests, 2023.

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From the Varieties of Democracy to the defense of liberal democracy | 2022

Wolff, Jonas (2022): From the Varieties of Democracy to the defense of liberal democracy. V-Dem and the reconstitution of liberal hegemony under threat, in: Contemporary Politics, DOI: 10.1080/13569775.2022.2096191.

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Defending Civic Space: Successful Resistance Against NGO Laws in Kenya and Kyrgyzstan | 2021

Berger-Kern, Nora / Hetz, Fabian / Wagner, Rebecca / Wolff, Jonas (2021): Defending Civic Space: Successful Resistance Against NGO Laws in Kenya and Kyrgyzstan, in: Global Policy, Special Issue, Restricting NGOs: From Pushback to Accommodation, 84–94, DOI: 10.1111/1758-5899.12976.

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Demokratien auf der Kippe: Globale Trends und Bedrohungen (Transnationale Sicherheitsrisiken) | 2021

Albrecht, Stephen / Bethke, Felix S. / Hegemann, Hendrik / Junk, Julian / Kahl, Martin / Janina, Pawelz / Wolff, Jonas (2021): Demokratien auf der Kippe: Globale Trends und Bedrohungen (Transnationale Sicherheitsrisiken), in: BICC/HSFK/INEF/ISFH (Hg.), Friedensgutachten 2021. Europa kann mehr!, Bielefeld: Transcript, 137–155.

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Die Corona-Pandemie als Bedrohung zivilgesellschaftlicher Handlungsspielräume | 2020

Bethke, Felix S. / Wolff, Jonas (2020): Die Corona-Pandemie als Bedrohung zivilgesellschaftlicher Handlungsspielräume, in: Forschungsjournal Soziale Bewegungen, 33:3, 671–676, DOI: 10.1515/fjsb-2020-0057.

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COVID-19 and shrinking civic spaces: patterns and consequences | 2020

Bethke, Felix S. / Wolff, Jonas (2020): COVID-19 and shrinking civic spaces: patterns and consequences, in: Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, 9:2, DOI: 10.1007/s42597-020-00038-w.

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Preventing Civic Space Restrictions | 2019

Baldus, Jana / Berger-Kern, Nora / Hetz, Fabian / Poppe, Annika Elena / Wolff, Jonas (2019): Preventing Civic Space Restrictions. An Exploratory Study of Successful Resistance Against NGO Laws, PRIF Report 1/2019, Frankfurt/M.

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