Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

9-3-2025

Department

Global Governance

Department

Global Governance

Abstract

In 2021, the Ugandan government suspended the operations of 54 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), citing a range of administrative and legal justifications. This crackdown reflects a broader pattern emerging across the African continent, where over the past twenty years, more than twenty-four states have introduced restrictions on NGOs, particularly those engaged in human rights advocacy and governance. At the same time, the continent has witnessed a marked increase in Chinese investment, most notably through Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched in 2013 as a global infrastructure and development project. While scholarship on the BRI has increased, limited attention has been paid to its intersection with authoritarian consolidation and the shrinking space for civil society. This dissertation addresses this gap by examining the Ugandan case, analyzing how the convergence of rising authoritarianism and strategic Chinese investment has reshaped the political spaces for NGOs. In particular, the study investigates how Chinese economic engagement provides alternative pathways to development that diminish reliance on Western liberal donors and their demand for democratic rights governance. This is providing the Ugandan government increasing agency in their choices of governance, and the NGOs fighting these violations are being impacted. This research draws on empirical evidence, including interviews with affected NGO leaders, to trace the connections between increased authoritarian governance and repression of NGOs. It argues that the Chinese model, while economically attractive, contributes to governance practices where rights-based advocacy is increasingly marginalized. By situating Uganda within wider continental trends, this study contributes to the understanding of how emerging global power dynamics, particularly China’s role in Africa, are enabling authoritarian governments to suppress civil society organizations while maintaining political and economic legitimacy.

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