
The ‘New roles of CSOs for Inclusive Development’ Programme (Assumptions programme) investigates the assumptions underlying the civil society policy framework ‘Dialogue & Dissent’ of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The aim of Dialogue & Dissent’ is to contribute to sustainable inclusive development by promoting the political roles of civil society organizations (CSOs). The programme, aimed at informing the MFAs future Dialogue & Dissent framework, consists of six research projects, which fall within the three themes of the programme: 1) CSOs and civic engagement, 2) CSOs and the aid chain and 3) CSOs in an enabling environment
Each research project within the Assumptions programme has drafted a literature review. These reviews discuss state-of-the-art literature relating to the research topic(s) and provide a first insight into the new roles of CSOs. All six literature reviews have been synthesized by the INCLUDE Secretariat. The aim of the synthesis report is to identify common strands in the six separate literature reviews and, above all, outline significant gaps in the knowledge for the purpose of answering the questions from the call for proposals. In each section of this synthesis report, insights from various research projects are used. In addition, the synthesis is also based on insights gathered during the Assumptions knowledge sharing conference, which facilitated dialogue between academics, practitioners and policymakers.