Funding Civil Society
Foreign Assistance and NGO Development in Russia
Published on 22. August 2006
Book
Hardback
296 pages
978-0-8047-5443-9 (ISBN)
Description
This book investigates the impact that Western democracy assistance programs have had on the development of women's and soldiers' rights NGOs in Russia in the post-Soviet period. The author examines Western assistance programs and NGO sectors in seven Russian regions, and finds that the norms that Western donors promote in their civil society programs, as well as the positive or negative local political environment in each city, have a dramatic influence on the extent to which the interactions between foreign donors and NGOs contribute to developing an NGO sector that is supportive of democracy.
This is the first book to systematically analyze these interactions across numerous regions and across two different NGO issue sectors, and it produces important new conclusions about how different domestic political contexts and normative values shape the effectiveness of Western aid.
This is the first book to systematically analyze these interactions across numerous regions and across two different NGO issue sectors, and it produces important new conclusions about how different domestic political contexts and normative values shape the effectiveness of Western aid.
Reviews / Votes
"Funding Civil Society addresses an important and under-researched issue: the development of civil society in Russia and the impact that Western assistance has had on this development. This book is especially important in identifying variations in regions based on political environment, and is at the cutting edge of scholarship." - Sarah E. Mendelson "This is a thought-provoking and well-documented book. The overall argument will interest a wide range of readers, and the book can also be used as a reference source for students interested in particular organizations and regions." - Slavic Review "Building on several scholars' previous studies of the foreign aid/civic organizing nexus, Sundstrom contributes theoretical insights about the relationship between foreign assistance and local political opportunity structure. Her extensive research shows how the intersection of these variables affects the strength of civic activism. This is an excellent book, and it will be welcomed by the scholarly and donor communities alike." - Valerie Sperling (Clark University) "By examining a detailed slice of the democracy promotion business in Russia, Lisa M. Sundstrom's Funding Civil Society demonstrates this enigma of Russia: a success and a failure, democratic yet undemocratic, pluralistic but authoritarian." - Democracy & SocietyMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Palo Alto
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth
Illustrations
14 tables
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
535 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8047-5443-9 (9780804754439)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Lisa McIntosh Sundstrom is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
Content
@fmct:Contents @toc4:List of Tables iii Note on Transliteration iii Preface iii Acknowledgments iii List of Abbreviations iii @toc2:1. Crossing Boundaries: Analyzing Civil Society and Transnational Influences 1 2. Introducing the Protagonists: Russian NGOs and Foreign Donors 000 3. A Tale of Two Sectors: The Mixed Success of Foreign Assistance Across Issue Areas 000 4. Regional Realities: The Influence of Local Political Environments on Foreign Assistance Outcomes 000 5. Implications for Theory and Practice 000 @toc4:Appendix 1: List of Interviews Conducted 000 Appendix 2: Interview Questions 000 Appendix 3: Details on Donor Programs 000 Appendix 4: Presence of Foreign Assistance Providers, by Region 000 Appendix 5: Regional NGO Populations 000 Notes 000 Bibliography 000 Index 000