Making a Difference? NGOs and Civil Society Development in Russia

Abstract

The role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the development of Russia's civil society has been the focus of academic study since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In light of this literature, this article aims to assess the impact of the movement that has most often been seen as very promising for Russia's future civil society development?the environmental movement?by utilising research undertaken in Samara Oblast? of the Russian Federation. While the results do reveal some positive contributions to civil society development in Russia, they also exhibit many similarities with other studies in the extant literature, illustrating the relative weakness of Russia's social movements in the area of civil society development.Peer reviewe

Environmental Responsibility in a Transition Context: Russian NGO Perception and Response

“…Other participants reiterated the lack of personal responsibility amongst the Russian population and a similar reliance on NGOs: "they expect me to help them win and resolve the problem once and forever; they expect me to help them save the park" (interview 1.11,3). In many ways, this reliance on the state and NGOs, and the expectation that they will resolve environmental problems, has immobilised Russian citizens in their participation into environmental civil society (Crotty, 2009).…”

Sustainable Development in the Russia Federation: The Limits of Greening within Industrial Firms

“…As such, the data presented in this paper, collected as part of a wider research project, came from three provincial regions in Russia, with the aim of the data representing modern provincial Russian society; Samara Oblast, Volgograd Oblast, and Stavropol Krai. Samara Oblast, with its strong industrial orientation, was chosen as a site for the study due to its status as a typical industrialised Oblast outside of Moscow and St Petersburg (Hanson, ; Crotty, ). Volgograd Oblast has a similar economic profile to Samara while Stavropol Krai has a more mixed agricultural and industrial economic base, with industrial activity centred on the two cities of Budennovsk and Nevinnomyssk.…”

Participatory Media as an Alternative Approach to Civic Action in Russia

“…politics (Crotty 2009). Some, on the other hand, concentrate on the restrictions and violations of democratic values by the Russian state after Vladimir Putin's rise (Robertson 2009, Henderson 2011, Debra and Lindemann-Komarova 2010.…”