Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe: Challenges and Opportunities

Civil society plays a highly unique role with great responsibility in our societies. By acting as a counterpart to the state and the market, it steps in where the public and private sectors fall short or even fail. By tackling system failures through advocacy, community building and service delivery, civil society exerts a major influence and makes a significant contribution to stable and just societies and states. The research project was commissioned by ERSTE Foundation and implemented by the Social Entrepreneurship Center at the Vienna Unversity of Economics and Business (WU Vienna). The international team of authors comprised of 27 researchers from 16 countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The authors of this study have provided a diverse picture of civil society in Central and Eastern Europe. It helps to understand various emerging trends and highlights common patterns throughout the region. The publication is a valuable resource for the work of donors, policymakers and civil society actors, as well as academics.