Civil society and its institutional context in CEE: Same, but different

Description

While civil societies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are often portrayed as homogenous, united by a shared communist past, they have developed along increasingly divergent paths over the past three decades. This article seeks to gain a deeper understanding of these trajectories and of the role the institutional context of civil society has played in it. Drawing on historical institutionalism, we define three distinct groups out of the 14 countries under investigation and analyze survey data of more than 350 local civil society experts. We find that foreign institutional actors such as international donors and the EU are amongst the most influential forces for civil society organizations (CSOs). Their importance, however, largely depends on a country’s stage in the EU-accession process. Overall, the study provides a differentiated mapping of civil society in this region and a better understanding of how institutional actors influence the trajectories of a country’s civil society.

Period	10 Jul 2018 → 13 Jul 2018
Event title	ISTR
Event type	Unknown
Degree of Recognition	International