How civil society views democracy.

What is it about?

Tunisia was for a long-time seen as a successful country on its way towards democracy, thanks to its robust civil society. Still, while civil society is seen as important actor for democratization processes in Tunisia, little is known about how organizations frame democracy, and how they combine the concept with their own organizational framing? Using data from interviews and media analysis from 2015 and 2016, the paper uses the example of the three civil society organizations UGTT, LTDH and ATFD and assesses their definitions of democracy. Different sub-dimensions of democracy are analysed and combined with social movement theories of framing. This allows for the assessment of organizational definitions and for the identification of differences between actors. This procedure helps explain how organizations act in the Tunisian political system depending on what is valued in their framing. The three organizations regularly connect the demand for democracy with their issue-specific claims. Participative as well as legal elements are highlighted while especially elections are less prominent. The referral to rights as outlined in the constitution is an essential referral across organizations.

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Why is it important?

It shows that civil society organizations have very different perspectives on democracy and that especially the most important Tunisian labour union has a majoritarian perspective.

Perspectives