Civic Space for Advocacy Non-governmental Organizations in Developing Countries

Abstract The civic space is under attack globally and even more so in developing countries as a result of democratic recession. Civil society organizations are especially affected. However, the experience of advocacy non-governmental organizations ( NGO s) in the civic space has not been significantly explored. The aim of this study is twofold: to undertake a systematic review of the literature from developing countries using the PRISMA protocol; and to look at the experience of advocacy NGO s in the civic space in Tanzania. A thematic approach is used to analyze the primary data. The results confirm that advocacy NGO s are more affected and show that the nature of their advocacy determines their position in the civic space. In Tanzania, advocacy NGO s focusing on checking state power and advocating policy changes, good governance, and human rights are subject to more restrictions because of their criticism of the government.