Brazil – C4D Network

Activism, Art-ivism and Digital Media to Reduce Marginalisation: Sharing Experiences and Lessons from Brazil, Kenya, Syria, and Costa Rica (eVoices, 2019)

May 5, 2019

This guide focuses on four emblematic case studies: (i) media activism in Brazil and how favela residents use digital media to foster community engagement and active citizenship; (ii) art-ivism, the use of art to serve activism causes, and how Kenyan artists use digital tools to promote a dialogue around human rights and power structures; (iii) digital media for social good and how development organisations working with displaced populations in Syria use digital technologies to foster peace and reconciliation in the country; and (iv) digital media for active citizenship and how the state of Costa Rica is working with arts and technologies to promote inclusion and well-being among the youth.

Click here for full guide.

Big Data for Social Good Toolkit (GSMA, 2018)

March 17, 2019

Backed by 20 operators accounting for over two billion connections in over 100 countries, the GSMA’s Big Data for Social Good initiative is developing a consistent approach and processes mobile operators can use to share insights with public agencies and NGOs, while building an ecosystem to support timely planning and response.

The Big Data for Social Good online toolkit, is a comprehensive guide to the key components needed to implement mobile data-driven solutions. It has been designed so that it may read from start to finish or with direct access to the subjects of particular interest. There are a number of ways to navigate the toolkit, based upon interest area within the Big Data for Social Good topic.

Click here to access the full toolkit.

Civic Tech in the Global South : Assessing Technology for the Public Good (World Bank, 2017)

February 12, 2019

This book is comprised of one study and three field evaluations of civic tech initiatives in developing countries. The study reviews evidence on the use of twenty-three information and communication technology (ICT) platforms designed to amplify citizen voices to improve service delivery. Focusing on empirical studies of initiatives in the global south, the authors highlight both citizen uptake and the degree to which public service providers respond to expressions of citizen voice.

The first evaluation looks at U-report in Uganda, a mobile platform that runs weekly large-scale polls with young Ugandans on a number of issues, ranging from safety to access to education to inflation to early marriage. The following evaluation takes a closer look at MajiVoice, an initiative that allows Kenyan citizens to report, through multiple channels, complaints with regard to water services.

The third evaluation examines the case of Rio Grande do Sul’s participatory budgeting – the world’s largest participatory budgeting system – which allows citizens to participate either online or offline in defining the state’s yearly spending priorities. While the comparative study has a clear focus on the dimension of government responsiveness, the evaluations examine civic technology initiatives using five distinct dimensions, or lenses. The choice of these lenses is the result of an effort bringing together researchers and practitioners to develop an evaluation framework suitable to civic technology initiatives.

Click here to download book.

What’s Up with WhatsApp: The Widespread Use of WhatsApp in Political Campaigning in the Global South (Tactical Tech Research Analysis, 2018)

September 3, 2018

This research conducted by Tactical Tech and partners argues that WhatsApp is now a primary means of delivery for political messaging in many countries in the Global South, with particularly strong penetration in rural communities where internet is accessed mostly via smartphones.

The research reveals some of the many ways WhatsApp is being deployed as a major part of the political process in countries including Brazil, Colombia, Kenya and Malaysia.

Click here for full details.

Contested and Under Pressure: A Snapshot of the Enabling Environment of Civil Society in 22 Countries (CIVICUS 2017)

April 8, 2017

Between 2013 and 2016, civil society in 22 countries carried out an Enabling Environment National Assessment (EENA). The EENA is a civil society-led process that analyses the extent to which national conditions enable the work of civil society.

The EENA analysis explores in particular how laws and regulations relating to civil society are implemented in practice, and how they impact on civil society. The assessments, led by national civil society partners, employed a common methodology that encompassed interviews with key stakeholders, consultations, focus groups and desk research. In every country, six core dimensions were assessed: the ability of civil society groups to form, operate and access resources -all aspects of the freedom of association – plus the freedoms of peaceful assembly

and expression, and relations between civil society and governments.

Overall the EENA assessments reveal a picture of an environment for civil society that is volatile, contested and often under pressure, but also with some optimism in some contexts about the potential for progress.