Sandra Grey - Dissent and Democracy

Dr Sandra Grey and her colleague Dr Charles Sedgwick asked NGOs if democracy, as measured by the ability of civil society organisations to have a voice in political debate, is flourishing or languishing in New Zealand. The response indicates that democracy is being 'strangled' by the way in which this and the previous government administer funding via contracts, with over half of the NGOs surveyed saying that organisations which dissent against the government line are likely to lose their government funding.