THE CHANGING ROLE AND SPACE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN TANZANIA’S FLUID POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

Globally, progressive civil society and their organizations have experienced different forms of restrictions for effective functioning and optimization of expected contribution in governance and development processes. Both in the developed and developing world, the phrase “shrinking civic space” has become a buzzword in academic and development discourses. The phrase is used to illustrate government repressive actions that constrain the ability of progressive civil society to organize and function autonomously. The shrinkage of civic space is more serious in areas where civil society engages in advocacy and watchdog activities as compared to those involved in direct basic service delivery. The trend of constrained civic space is widely understood to be mainly caused by autocratic governance and social conservativism. Consequently, the trend has and continues to compromise potential benefits embedded in the role of civil society in form of coerced collective action around shared interests, purposes and values. Therefore, this paper examines how progressive civil society in Tanzania builds resiliency in the context civic space changes and withstand challenges that constrain their ability to organize.