TRAINING FOR DEMOCRACY

This thesis analyses the outcomes of The Hague Academy for Local Governance’s training on local governance, targeting civil servants from the Middle East North African region. It focuses at the outcomes on Tunisian participants. This research is deductive and qualitative. Literature review allowed definition of four variables with regard to democratic consolidation (dependent variable) and THA trainings on local governance (independent variable) : strengthening of local governments, citizen participation, civil society participation and democratic leadership. Empirical research (based on evaluation forms of former participants to the training and supplemented with 16 semi-structured interviews of Tunisian civil servants) has attested that training was relevant in the context, because these variables were parts of the training design. Outcomes have been felt on every variable, but results have been limited on democratic leadership and strengthening of local governments, mostly due to the remaining centralized context and remains of authoritarianism 7 years after the Jasmine Revolution.