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Shrinking Space
Topic category
Securitisation and Militarisation
Rising repression and restrictions for civil society organisations and social movements have put the issue of 'shrinking space' on the NGO agenda. TNI believes that “political space” for civil society is not ‘shrinking’, but rather being taken away, closed down and rendered uninhabitable by the same forces that have hollowed out democracy and placed it at the service of corporations and private interests. TNI is working with activists and academics to probe the issue critically.
Latest
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Remembering the world's biggest peace protest
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Abolish national security
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Featured
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Counter-terrorism and the Arts How counter-terrorism policies restrict the right to freedom of expression
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Shrinking Space and The BDS Movement
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The shrinking space for solidarity with migrants and refugees How the European Union and Member States target and criminalize defenders of the rights of people on the move
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Key documents
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When a Temporary State of Emergency becomes Permanent France as a Case Study
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The shrinking space for solidarity with migrants and refugees How the European Union and Member States target and criminalize defenders of the rights of people on the move
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The Globalisation of Countering Violent Extremism Policies Undermining human rights, instrumentalising civil society
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On “shrinking space”
Framing paper
Individual and collective activism is facing a global pushback from states, corporations and the Far Right. How useful is the metaphorical concept of ‘shrinking space’ to examine such repression of civic society? This report deconstructs the shrinking space narrative and critiques some of its inherent problems, particularly its conflation with ‘civic space’. Thus a Government can profess support for ‘civic space’ and human rights defender initiatives abroad, while adopting repressive domestic policies and promoting collusion with corporations that contribute to ‘shrinking space’.
