Commonwealth Foundation

This report has been produced for the Commonwealth FoundationÆs Civil Society in the New Millennium project. It details and explores citizen-state relations in Zimbabwe, with profound insight and analysis from Zimbabweans at all levels and backgrounds. It looks at democratic governance in a national (Zimbabwean) context, examining a changing relationship between leadership and the people; socio-political trends; citizenÆs movement and actions; and state roles/responses.

Planned and managed by the Commonwealth Foundation and coordinated by a taskforce, the Civil Society in the New Millennium Project collected answers to questions about civil society from thousands of citizens in 47 Commonwealth countries. Questions concerned ideal conceptions of a 'good' society, the appropriate roles of citizens, the state and other sectors of society, and factors which would enable citizens to contribute effectively to societal development.

This toolkit draws on the lessons generated from learning projects and case studies supported under the Citizens and Governance programme of the Commonwealth Foundation. It offers practical guidance on how to promote the participation of citizens in governance.