No abstract

The breakdown of structural arrangements in the former state socialist countries of Eastern Europe means that the "rules of the game" are being renegotiated. Intermediating institutions are now emerging as actors in this process. Based on a series of interviews with key members of one young nongovernmental organization in Croatia, this study seeks to test the validity of particular Western theories to explain whether such organizations foster policy entrepreneurship. Analysis suggests that both contextual and structural factors have an impact on nascent third sector infrastructure development in ways that delimit entrepreneurial resources.

While nonprofit social services are developing rapidly in postsocialist countries, little is known of their leadership. This research examines models of leadership as perceived by social service administrators in Croatia. Technical management with limited stakeholder involvement is recognized as most prevalent, though inadequate in many respects. More relational styles are considered desirable, but not feasible at present, while advocacy-oriented and purely Western approaches are more strongly rejected. We analyze these findings in the context of social legacies, dependency on state funding, Western aid paradigms, and fiscal crises commonly found in post-socialist countries. We assess implications for future development of, and research on, nonprofit leadership in these settings.