Contextual Perspectives of Capacity Building

During the first year of the programme, Praxis initiated a research process with the aim to examine and analyse capacity building practices in different contexts. These contextual studies seek to answer the following questions:

• What is the purpose and meaning of capacity building in the specific context, as perceived by support providers, civil society organisations and their stakeholders? – And why?
• What are the organisational capacity needs in the specific context, and what types of interventions are carried out in response to these needs? - What are the gaps and why?
• What central themes characterise capacity building in the particular context, and what will be the challenges for capacity building practice in the future?

In 2004, Praxis emphasised the Francophone dimension: a great interest has been expressed in French-speaking countries in learning more about and exchanging experiences around capacity building. Furthermore, the access to and dissemination of capacity building knowledge in French is limited. Praxis hopes to contribute to changing this. We also hope to encourage practitioners and organisations to function as catalysts for their own networks to increase the number of exchanges in French.

Later, we commissioned comparative research into NGO perpectives in Spain.

2006 has so far seen us widening and deepening our understanding of the contextual dimensions of capacity building, through regional papers on Iran and The Balkans, and a paper on Central Asia.

Praxis Publications on the topic

Praxis Paper 15 'Organisational Capacity Building in Central Asia: Reflections from Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan'

Praxis Paper 9 'Civil Society Capacity Building in Post-Conflict Societies: The Experience of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo'

Praxis Paper 8'Building Organisational Capacity in Iranian Civil Society: Mapping the Progress of CSOs?'

Praxis Paper 5'Capacity Building: Perspectives from the NGO Sector in Spain'

Praxis paper 1 'Capacity Building from a French Perspective'