Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

"We are not leaving." Tunisian civil society organisations in the context of democratic backsliding.

Bernö, Linnea LU (2023) MIDM19 20231
Department of Human Geography
LUMID International Master programme in applied International Development and Management
Abstract
Recent decades have seen the emergence of a global trend of democratic backsliding, in which authoritarianism is gaining traction, leading to a weakening of democratic practices, institutions, governance, and norms. Interestingly, this trend is noticeable in Tunisia, which just over a decade ago experienced a political revolution and began a democratisation process in which civil society played a central role. Given the once again shifting political context in Tunisia, understanding its active civil society in relation to the current democratic backsliding is relevant. Thus, this thesis aims to investigate how civil society actors and organisations understand and manage Tunisia’s current democratic backslide. This was done through a... (More)
Recent decades have seen the emergence of a global trend of democratic backsliding, in which authoritarianism is gaining traction, leading to a weakening of democratic practices, institutions, governance, and norms. Interestingly, this trend is noticeable in Tunisia, which just over a decade ago experienced a political revolution and began a democratisation process in which civil society played a central role. Given the once again shifting political context in Tunisia, understanding its active civil society in relation to the current democratic backsliding is relevant. Thus, this thesis aims to investigate how civil society actors and organisations understand and manage Tunisia’s current democratic backslide. This was done through a thematic analysis using primary qualitative data collected from eight interviews with respondents engaged within Tunisian CSOs and applying the theoretical frameworks of Power and Systems Approach and Political Opportunity Structure. The findings show how Tunisia’s democratic backslide is understood as complex, interconnected changes in power dynamics across different levels in society, shaped by several political opportunities and threats, to which CSOs use strategies including elements of empowerment and unity in collective action to manage their agency. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Bernö, Linnea LU
supervisor
organization
course
MIDM19 20231
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
democratic backsliding, civil society, civil society organisations, Tunisia
language
English
id
9135343
date added to LUP
2023-09-12 08:52:51
date last changed
2023-09-12 08:52:51
@misc{9135343,
  abstract     = {{Recent decades have seen the emergence of a global trend of democratic backsliding, in which authoritarianism is gaining traction, leading to a weakening of democratic practices, institutions, governance, and norms. Interestingly, this trend is noticeable in Tunisia, which just over a decade ago experienced a political revolution and began a democratisation process in which civil society played a central role. Given the once again shifting political context in Tunisia, understanding its active civil society in relation to the current democratic backsliding is relevant. Thus, this thesis aims to investigate how civil society actors and organisations understand and manage Tunisia’s current democratic backslide. This was done through a thematic analysis using primary qualitative data collected from eight interviews with respondents engaged within Tunisian CSOs and applying the theoretical frameworks of Power and Systems Approach and Political Opportunity Structure. The findings show how Tunisia’s democratic backslide is understood as complex, interconnected changes in power dynamics across different levels in society, shaped by several political opportunities and threats, to which CSOs use strategies including elements of empowerment and unity in collective action to manage their agency.}},
  author       = {{Bernö, Linnea}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{"We are not leaving." Tunisian civil society organisations in the context of democratic backsliding.}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}