Description
Scholars have theorized that civil society contributes to democratization, building values of trust, tolerance and serving as a check on government (O’Donnell and Schmitter 1986; Przeworski, et al. 1995; Linz and Stepan 1996; Diamond 1999). International funding from private foundations and public agencies to support civil society poured into Central and Eastern Europe as a way to sustain democracy after 1989. Twenty years later, after many countries in the region had joined the European Union, civil society organizations (CSOs) faced reductions in international funding as well as new political rhetoric antagonistic to their messages and activities. These supported organizations should be well-placed to push back against democratic backsliding, yet many CSOs reduced their activities or continued operating as before, and only a few were able to reorient to the new political reality.
How did civil society organizations respond to reduced funding and a hostile political atmosphere? I argue that studies focused on democratization in Central and Eastern Europe have had a blind spot to the activities of CSOs, and I argue that organizational theory provides more insight into the strategic responses of organizations at a key moment when their activities are needed. Linking these two often siloed literatures allows us to understand when CSOs can withstand institutional pressures, gaining insight into processes of resiliency in the context of democratic backsliding. My findings also have important implications for practitioners seeking to support civil society to sustain democracy going forward.
