The Civil Society Actors and Policymaking Program was launched in 2015 as part of the Institute's ultimate vision of bridging the gap between produced knowledge and policymaking platforms in Lebanon and the Arab region. The program examined the role civil society actors play in shaping and making policy. Specifically, it focused on the following aspects: how civil society actors organize themselves into advocacy coalitions; how policy networks are formed to influence policy processes and outcomes; and how policy research institutes contribute their research into policy. In addition, it explored the expanding role of the media, which some claim has catalyzed the Uprisings throughout the region, as well as examined the role of funding in impacting activism and the relation between activists. The program ended in 2021.
Aims
- Conducted a systematic analysis of issues relating to the role of civil society in Arab countries that witnessed political and social changes;
- Explored the effect of civil society on tracing policy change and improving public awareness of social, political, and economic rights;
- Facilitated communication between Arab civil society actors and governmental entities responsible for current issues;
- Traced policy research institutes' role in translating knowledge into policies;
- Accomplished rigorous research on issues related to gender and women's rights in the region.
The program’s ultimate aim was to bridge the permanent and widened gap between civil society actors, academics working on civil society and policymaking issues, and journalists on one side and relevant policymakers on the other side. The program discussed and analyzed major cases where civil society actors stepped in to influence policy-making processes or to initiate them/alter their trajectories. Findings were always employed in a manner that speaks to Lebanese and Arab citizens, encourages their questions, and engages them in related debates, either through public conferences, policy dialogues, or through produced publications and visual products. The program adopted a research vision based on mapping activism in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. In a timeframe of two years, the program completed 92 case studies from these countries.
Main Contact: Fatima Moussawi