Perera, Dominic Rohan; (2022) States, Non-State Actors, and the Imposition of Restrictions on NGOs. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Through “naming and shaming” strategies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) play a vital role in holding states to account. In response, an increasing body of work has focused on state restriction of civil society operation and advocacy. While existing evidence highlights the role of states in closing space for critical NGO advocacy, comparatively little is known about state collusion with non-state actors to impose restrictions on NGOs. This research assesses the frequency and importance of state collusion with non-state actors in this policy area and argues that there is a strategic advantage for states to enable, allow or even delegate more severe restrictions to nonstate actors. To do this, it draws on over 150 hours of in-depth interviews with activists and case evidence from a ten-year period (2009 to 2019) in Bangladesh, Israel and the Occupied Territories, and Zimbabwe. Using process tracing, its main finding is that nonstate actors in close proximity to the state have a more drastic impact on NGO activity than restrictions from states. These results pose important questions for a growing body of literature examining the global phenomenon of shrinking space for civil society.

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