The Civil Society as Democratic Governance Agent in International Cooperation for Development. Case Study: The European Development Policy in Ghana

Documento de trabajo Nº 19 del Instituto Universitario de Desarrollo y Cooperación (UCM).

This paper examines the relationship between the idea of civil society, as understood by the major political theories of democracy, and the functions attributed to it by the European Development Policy. To this end, the paper focuses on the recent European development initiatives in Ghana. The paper argues that, in order to further advance citizen ownership, it is necessary to understand democratic governance and civil society as social processes in permanent (re)construction, instead of using them as mere conceptual categories for describing political institutions. Along the same line, it is argued that the establishment of effective channels for social participation constitutes an essential factor in order to deepen the participative aspects of Ghanaian democracy. To achieve this end, social participation ought to be understood beyond its simple instrumental conception so as to improve accountability and transparency in resource management, and consider it rather as an empowering process.

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