Civic Driven Change (CDC) refers to people achieving social change themselves. In relation to international cooperation it reaches beyond the classical poverty reduction agenda and beyond the scope of the development sector. Within the framework of DPRN, a consortium of Dutch and Belgian organisations [link: organisations] explored the concept of CDC with a particular focus on the implications for development cooperation practice and policy.

The CDC debate throws up a number of challenges and dilemmas. Some of these are related to the complex nature of social change, the location of CDC within, across and beyond traditional sectors, the normative dimension of the concept and the implications of CDC for the role of ‘supporters’ of change processes.

CDC is located everywhere, within any citizen, be it a parent, business person, student, volunteer, policymaker or entrepreneur. At a more fundamental level, CDC is associated with values such as wellbeing of the whole and respecting variety. This connects with the current debate on a broader, less formalistic interpretation of rights holders and duty bearers, in the sense that citizens not only have rights but also responsibilities, and not just vis-à-vis the state, but also in all other spheres of their daily lives. >> read more

CDC thinking pushes us to look at the role of development actors in a whole new way, as CDC processes are largely unplannable and unpredictable. Actors active in development cooperation might not be able to bring about CDC in developing countries, but they can attempt to contribute to the context in which CDC can flourish, e.g., through the promotion of ‘civic-ness’ in education in both North and South.

CDC was never meant to offer a toolbox for development intervention, but that does not render the concept less valuable. On the contrary, CDC offers the possibility of a refreshing step back, the potential for questioning underlying assumptions, an opportunity for inspiration and a source of critical reflection.

Civic Driven Change is taking on a life of its own. In the context of this DPRN process, several agencies have been actively attempting to apply CDC to their programming. An overview of policy documents and CDC programme plans that were collected in the course of the DPRN trajectory is available here. The CDC network of activists and academics is expanding and a programme for follow-up research is in the making.