Abstract

The process of democracy consolidation in many African countries since the early 1990s, has deepened with popular voices from civil society. Although civil society organizations (CSOs) come in different shapes and formations, the democratization process has very much benefited from a category of CSOs that work in the advocacy sector. Civil society has therefore come into play as the “third force” and policy advocacy has become an arena of concentration in the work of CSOs alongside the demands for participation in policy formulation, and to a certain extent, advocacy on policy implementation. The literature which has been reviewed in this study point to significant number of CSOs that are conducting policy advocacy in sectors such as education, health, environment, economic governance, and human rights. However, this study reveals a participation gap which translates to a democratic deficit as CSOs have a weak presence in the foreign policy sector. This study unearths the factors that determine the state of civil society presence in foreign policy, with a specific focus on the role of CSOs in the formulation and implementation of Malawi foreign policy. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to establish the extent to which CSOs participate in foreign policy processes. The gap in CSO advocacy in foreign policy has the potential problem of subjecting the sector to elite capture, and this could reverse popular participation and dampen prospects for the democratization of foreign policy in Malawi. This is a qualitative study and is designed around qualitative methods of data collection using interview guides administered, predominantly on Malawi CSO leaders and government officials. Apart from in-depth interviews, document analysis also forms the backbone for data collection in the study. The data is manually processed and is analyzed using the thematic analysis and trends analysis methods. In terms of findings, the study establishes the key determinants to CSO participation in the foreign policy process in Malawi. The study proposes a model for effective participation of CSOs in foreign policy and proceeds to highlight new areas of potential future research within the framework of civil society relations with the state on matters of foreign policy openness and accountability.

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School	: School of Law, Economics and Government
Issued Date	: 2021

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