Centre for Governance and Inclusive Society
The Centre for Governance and Inclusive Society (CGIS) examines emerging policy questions confronting policymakers with evidence and knowledge to build inclusive society and responsive governance in a rapidly changing context. The centre analyzes current and contemporary policy processes and challenges related to civic engagement, local governance, decentralization, youth, leadership and new technologies. Our research also incorporates cross-cutting topics on climate change, technology and gender. In term of gender, we focus on: (i) the participation of women in institutions as decision-makers and public officials at the national and sub-national levels; (ii) the engagement of women as citizens with the government and its institutions and mediators; (iii) the capacity of the state to promote gender equality, and to mainstream gender within institutions, including through policy, programmes and budget arrangements; and (iv) the impact of the political and technological development on gender relations more broadly, including whether state responses enable or constrain gender equality.The research draws critically from the literature to formulate theoretically informed, policy-relevant research questions that would uncover, interrogate and explain Khmer conceptions and perspectives of key governance and emerging trends, thereby laying the groundwork for an indigenous Cambodian social science. In the current Research Strategy 2016-2021, the CGIS’s main research titles Ponlork: The Emergence of a New Era for Cambodia. Ponlork focuses on the impact of demographic change on politics and society in Cambodia.
Gatekeepers in Local Politics: Political Parties in Cambodia and Their Gender Policy
Gender issues have become a part of mainstream Cambodian politics over the last decade, and gender-neutral electoral systems have been developed in cooperation between donors and government. Female representation has been achieved primarily through direct and indirect elections at different levels. And although Cambodia is a male-dominated culture in a patrimonial society, atte...
Sub-National Civil Society in Cambodia: A Gramscian Perspective
Several authors (particularly Laundau 2008; Henke 2011) label Cambodian national civil society as a sphere that is neither apolitical nor autonomous, but influenced or co-opted by and blurred with the state. They posit that a Gramscian perspective is relevant to interpreting civil society in the country. This article suggests that the application of a Gramscian perspective also proves relevant to...
20 Years’ Strengthening of Cambodian Civil Society: Time for Reflection
In the 1980s and 1990s a large number of NGOs emerged in Cambodia, primarily in response to donors’ agendas on strengthening civil society to curb repressive developing country governments and support a broad democratisation process. Over the last 20 years, donor money has been concentrated on funding a small group of NGOs, mostly located in the country’s centre. While it is not argued that NGOs h...
A Baseline Survey of Subnational Governments: Towards a Better Understanding of Decentralisation and Deconcentration in Cambodia
The district and provincial council elections in May 2009, for the first time, offered communes the opportunity to choose councillors from whom they can demand accountability, and introduced a new relationship between commune councillors and higher councils. The main goal of this survey is to gauge the view of commune and district councillors and district boards of governors on accountability, fis...
