Global initiatives
CIVICUS Civil Society Index: preliminary findings paper 2003-2005
An action planning tool for civil society
Authors:
Publisher:
CIVICUS - World Alliance for Citizen Participation, 2006
This document presents some preliminary results emerging from the implementation of the CIVICUS Civil Society Index (CSI). The CSI is a participatory needs assessment and action planning tool for civil society around the world, with the aim of creating a knowledge base and momentum for civil society strengthening initiatives.
The CSI is initiated and implemented by, and for, civil society organizations (CSOs) at the country level, and actively involves, and disseminates its findings, to a broad range of stakeholders, including government, donors, academics and the public at large.
The document first provides some background information about the project, with an emphasis on describing its conceptual framework and implementation approach. It then uses a regional comparative approach to engage with the emerging findings from a range of CSI projects at country level. This section also identifies a range of hypotheses and findings, which will be further explored once the findings from all participating countries are available.
The next section looks at the extent to which the CSI has succeeded in its action-oriented objectives, by providing the preliminary results from the CSI country study evaluations and presenting the first signs of the project’s impact for civil society. It concludes with a brief overview of the future of the CSI, outlining the various activities and products planned for the future.
