ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the theory of change discourse from the field of development aid can be instructive for a better understanding of the dynamics of the struggle for democracy. It outlines the key differences between the ideal-type reform approaches espoused by Gene Sharp, Saul Alinsky and Paulo Freire. Sharp criticises the tendency among democracy activists for using only a few select methods, relying too much on chance and for being overly reactive to initiatives by the dictatorship. According to Sharp, democracy activists need to develop a grand strategy, strategies for implementation of the grand strategy in campaign form, tactics and methods. He spent his lifetime developing a theory of non-violent struggle, a decisively anti-establishment approach to bringing about political change. The theory of and for political change can help enrich the academic discourse of democratisation studies just as much as they can enhance practitioner reflexivity among democracy activists.
