DEEPENING DEMOCRACY, BUILDING CITIZENSHIP AND PROMOTING PARTICIPATION

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Deepening Democracy, Building Citizenship and Promoting Participation Research Programme(‘Citizenship’ in short) is part of a larger research programme under the Development Research Centre (DRC) on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability, Institute of Development Studies, Sussex University, UK. Eight countries (Angola, Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria and South Africa) across three continents are involved in this partnership. The programme receives support from Department of International Development (DFID), UK.

The Bangladesh research looks at the mobilization and mediation practicesof grassroots development organizations (NGOs, workers' associations, microfinance institutions) as an avenue through which democratic practices are being expanded or intensified through citizenship building at the grassroots level. In particular, the research attempts to understand the processes by which members of these organizations gain citizen consciousness and identity, assert their citizenship and strengthen their engagement with the state. Some of the specific outcomes that the research attempts to identify are the improvements in economic and social status of their members, reduction in vulnerability, improvement in access to services, participation in the community and the economy, increase in cognitive skills, awareness and meanings of citizenship and rights, and political participation.

The research in Bangladesh was conducted in 2007 in partnership with 8 grassroots development organizations, ranging from primarily micro credit delivery to rights-based organizations. The research is based on a quantitative survey of 2400 members of the 8 organizations, qualitative interviews of organizational staff and participatory videos made by the members of the organizations.

In its current and last phase (April 2009-Sept 2010), the emphasis has been in communicating the research findings at the grassroots level, to ordinary citizens, and to the NGO, government and donor communities.