Abstract

Civil society organizations (CSOs) operate at the frontline of civic engagement, often navigating complex political, social, and economic environments. In East Africa, CSOs face several challenges, ranging from a shrinking civic space, to increasingly disengaged populations to shrinking funding. CSO programming has also been ineffective in many cases leading to wasted resources, poor feedback loops and sub-par outcomes. This talk draws on practical experience working with CSOs in the region to unpack the behavioral barriers that limit civic participation as well as effective CSO programming. It explores how behavioral science has been applied through experimentation, co-design and communications to redesign engagement strategies, influence policy, improve public service delivery and improve government responsiveness to citizens' voices. This talk will also highlight key lessons on what works, what doesn’t, and why, offering a grounded perspective on how to design more effective, context-sensitive civic engagement programs.