This blog is part of the series “Shrinking Spaces – Creating Spaces” which is hosted by the (Un-)Making Democracy program at Polis180.
Across the world, spaces for civic engagement are shrinking, while new spaces of resistance and solidarity are emerging simultaneously through new forms of engagement and resilience. Our blog series introduces both threats to democratic participation and creative strategies used to strengthen it, offering different examples and perspectives on this realm and its current issues.
A blog post by Luca Lorenz and Marlene Wulf
What are civic spaces?
Civic spaces describe a realm where individuals and social groups can freely organize, express themselves, and exercise their fundamental rights and freedoms to participate in governance and influence policymaking. Civic spaces can serve as enabling environments to address a political narrative or topic that has not, or not sufficiently, been discussed in the political discourse. They play a mediating role between society and politics, strengthening civic culture, social trust, and solidarity. They connect societal perspectives with policy-makers, allowing for the recognition of diverse narratives and holistic approaches to complex, intersectional problems. For example, issues of gender equality may overlap with labour rights or migration, requiring civic spaces where multiple perspectives can be voiced and reconciled. Through both informal and formal action, societal groups promote their issues and challenge political narratives to gain acknowledgement of their perspectives. A flourishing civic space, therefore, includes diverse actors and voices and can serve as an indicator of an open political arena and well-functioning democratic institutions, where individuals feel safe to express their opinions.
How do they emerge?
Civic spaces emerge when individuals perceive that certain topics are absent from political discourse but find opportunities to address them. They can occur in democratic, transitional, or even authoritarian contexts, though the scope and freedom of action can vary widely. In established democracies, vibrant civic spaces are often indicators of a well-functioning political realm, in which justice and social order are maintained through informal networks, underground organising, or digital platforms. In contrast, civic spaces in restrictive regimes may be highly constrained. Despite these challenges, citizens in such environments continue to carve out spaces for activism, often at significant personal risk.
Civic spaces emerge as a result of both opportunity and necessity; for instance, labour unions may advocate for worker protections during austerity, while refugees and minority groups push for recognition of basic rights. However, not all groups face equal challenges and pressure: visibility, resources, and legal protections determine how accessible civic spaces are. Refugees, queer rights activists, and other deprived minorities often encounter harsher restrictions than more established actors, as they don’t have the same agency to resist or political backing. Selective attacks on civic spaces must be seen in the context of a shifting narrative that silences political opponents and narrows the discourse to one’s political favours.
What are shrinking spaces? What are the consequences?
The concept of ‘shrinking civic spaces’ has its roots in development studies and political science. It describes a process in which the room for civil society engagement and activism is progressively limited. In Europe and elsewhere, this impacts organisations, activists, and individuals working towards social, political, or environmental goals. Such restrictions narrow the opportunities for civic actors to take action and pose a serious challenge to democratic participation and the plurality of voices in public discourse.
Limitations on civil society can take many different forms, including restrictions on the freedoms of assembly, association, and expression. Political actors in positions of power have different means to limit these liberties, such as through the criminalisation of protest or opposition movements. This tactic, prominently used by authoritarian regimes, becomes increasingly fashionable with democratic rulers. But also, non-state actors may influence civil society rights, such as media outlets, through opposing narrative-building. The 2024 CIVICUS report attests that civil societies around the world are in a dire state: the rights and liberties of individuals and societal groups are increasingly limited, with consequences including difficulties in upholding human rights or expressing solidarity with other groups. Examples of this are manifold, such as the foreign agent laws in Russia or Georgia, the criminalisation of the Palestine solidarity movement in Western democracies, or the conservative backlash against LGBTQI* rights in countries like Germany.
What responses or strategies are available?
In opposition to the restrictions and shrinking tendencies, civil society actors are fighting back, creating new and adapted civil spaces. Numerous tactics have emerged to build resilient structures and protect civil spaces, thereby upholding their right to exist.
First, civil society advocates must continuously defend freedom of association, peaceful assembly, and speech, since the erosion of these rights directly undermines civic activity. While legal advocacy is one measure of protection, its success also depends on the political will to preserve the civic space. Therefore, activists rely on evidence-based campaigning, public pressure, and international frameworks to hold states accountable.
Second, democratic innovations enhance resilience. Mechanisms such as neighbourhood governance councils, citizens’ initiative reviews, and deliberative polling involve citizens directly in policymaking and enhance the legitimacy of decisions. These processes allow to address complex issues collectively.
Third, coalition-building and narrative-setting are central elements to the creation of spaces. Civil society organisations can amplify their impact when cooperating, forming coalitions across sectors, borders, and generations. Framing demands in inclusive and accessible language can broaden societal support.
Fourth, digital resilience has become essential. Civic actors increasingly rely on online platforms for organising. This can expose them to surveillance and harassment, for example, through spyware and state surveillance. Digital security practices, encrypted communications, and safe online forums can protect vulnerable groups. Likewise, social media campaigns and creative digital content also expand reach, enabling activists to connect with broader audiences while circumventing state-controlled media.
Finally, long-term resilience depends on cultivating civil resilience skills: persistence, adaptability, and transformability. In practice, this means fostering a civic culture that values dialogue, empathy, and collective impact. These qualities are reinforced by institutional trust, strong civil societies, and inclusive practices that ensure diverse voices are heard.
Outlook
With this series, we aim to shed light on (socio-)political spaces that are under pressure or at risk of disappearing, as well as on the movements, strategies, and initiatives that resist these trends and create new spaces. The following articles in this blog series will present different aspects of this topic. This includes aspects of shrinking, such as the delegitimisation through disinformation or repression by law (enforcement), as well as examples of creating and developing civil spaces, for instance, the civil society movement in Georgia or feminist public art.
We view this series as an invitation to open dialogue; to reflect together on current developments and explore ways to counter restrictions on public discourse and civic exchange. We hope to raise awareness of the multiplicity of threats and contribute to the defence and creation of spaces for civic engagement in times when they are increasingly under threat.
What is the structure of the blog series?
Over the coming weeks, several articles will be published as part of the blog series “Shrinking Spaces – Creating Spaces.” We warmly invite you to read and share the contributions. If a particular topic resonates with you, we would love to hear your feedback, or perhaps you would like to contribute an article yourself.
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Information about the authors
Luca Lorenz joined Polis180 at the beginning of 2024. Since then, he has been co-leading the (Un-)Making Democracy Programme since its launch in September 2024. Having studied political science in Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway, he is currently completing his master’s degree at Freie Universität Berlin. His fields of interest include the effects of technologies on societies and the digital aspects of conflicts.
Marlene Wulf joined Polis180 in 2025. She holds two master’s degrees in International Relations and War and Conflict Studies. Her focus includes EU foreign policy, conflict resolution, promoting democracy and stability, as well as journalism. Marlene has worked with both governmental and non-governmental organisations and is actively involved in projects on historical memory, reconciliation, and the inclusion of displaced populations.
The Polis Blog serves as a platform at the disposal of ‘Polis180’s & ‘OpenTTN‘s members. Published comments express solely the ‘authors’ opinions and shall not be confounded with the opinions of the editors or of Polis180.
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