Published on 24 May 2021
Autocratic behaviour surged and democratic freedoms were excessively restricted during the pandemic last year – that is the finding of a new IDS study monitoring civic space in Mozambique, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
Researchers found that while restrictive measures to protect public health were necessary, Covid-19 was also used as a cover for curtailing offline and online freedoms integral to democratic debate and civic action, including implementing emergency measures without time limits, and silencing or eliminating critics.
The report ‘Navigating Civic Space in a Time of Covid’, by the Action for Empowerment and Accountability (A4EA) research programme, is based on a collaborative study that catalogued events through real-time research with civil society in three countries – Mozambique, Nigeria, and Pakistan – from June to December 2020.
Published on 24 May 2021
Autocratic behaviour surged and democratic freedoms were excessively restricted during the pandemic last year – that is the finding of a new study monitoring civic space in Mozambique, Nigeria, and Pakistan, published by the Institute of Development Studies.
Researchers found that while restrictive measures to protect public health were necessary, Covid-19 was also used as a cover for curtailing offline and online freedoms integral to democratic debate and civic action, including implementing emergency measures without time limits, and silencing or eliminating critics.
The report ‘Navigating Civic Space in a Time of Covid’, by the Action for Empowerment and Accountability (A4EA) research programme, is based on a collaborative study that catalogued events through real-time research with civil society in three countries – Mozambique, Nigeria, and Pakistan – from June to December 2020.
Pakistan Hub Mahbub ul Haq Distinguished Lectures | Institute of Development Studies ids.ac.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ids.ac.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Published on 15 December 2020 Niranjan Nampoothiri
There is increasing evidence that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the shrinking of civic space around the world. Several leaders responded to the health crisis and reduced civic freedoms, clamped down on dissent, and made politically motivated arrests. At first glance, it looks like State-society relations have shifted with States taking more power, particularly in more authoritarian States. However, societies across the world have also witnessed the rise of mass protests during the pandemic which suggests that civil society has sought to hold States accountable despite restrictions.
Credit: Kaizenify, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
One example is the farmers’ protest in India in response to the government’s hasty enactment of three laws relating to the deregulation of agriculture and were strongly opposed by opposition parties and farmer unions. The protestors d