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Exploring the Impact of Political Context on State–Civil Society Relations: Actors’ Strategies in a Developmental State

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2026

Hiwot Amare Tadesse Open the ORCID record for Hiwot Amare Tadesse [Opens in a new window]  and
Trui Steen
Hiwot Amare Tadesse*
Affiliation:
KU Leuven, Public Governance Institute, Louvain, Belgium
Trui Steen*
Affiliation:
KU Leuven, Public Governance Institute, Louvain, Belgium
*
hiwotamare29@gmail.com
trui.steen@kuleuven.be
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Abstract

How does a state govern civil society organizations (CSOs) under the framework of a developmental state? This article theorizes state-CSO relations by examining control and autonomy strategies employed by both the state and civil society actors within the framework of the developmental state. The article examines the case of a specific collaborative project that involves both state and non-state actors in the Amhara region, North Shewa zone of Ethiopia. Findings suggest that the state agencies apply cross-purpose strategies simultaneously repressing and/or co-opting organizations. The nature and applicability of the developmental state generate their own dilemma on the part of CSOs and induce them to develop autonomy strategies that are used in sustaining their interaction with state agencies.

Keywords

Civil societyDevelopmental stateState–civil society relationEthiopia

Information

Type
Original Paper
Information
Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations , Volume 30 , Issue 6 , December 2019 , pp. 1256 - 1269
Copyright
Copyright © International Society for Third-Sector Research and The Johns Hopkins University 2019

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