NGOs, Political Protest, and Civil Society

Abstract

This book argues that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have an important effect on political participation in the developing world. Contrary to popular belief, they promote moderate political participation through formal mechanisms such as voting only in democracies where institutions are working well. This is a radical departure from the bulk of the literature on civil society that sees NGOs and other associations as playing a role in strengthening democracy wherever they operate. Instead, Carew Boulding shows that where democratic institutions are weak, NGOs encourage much more contentious political participation, including demonstrations, riots, and protests. Except in extreme cases of poorly functioning democratic institutions, however, the political protest that results from NGO activity is not generally anti-system or incompatible with democracy - again, as long as democracy is functioning above a minimal level.

Inclusive education reform in Kazakhstan: civil society activism from the bottom-up

“…The so-called third sector or civil society includes all associations and networks, both formal and informal which reflect distinct interests and points of view in modern society and often help mobilize people to participate in politics (Boulding, 2014). The literature mentions at least two important contributions of civil society movements to educational reform.…”

“…When studying political participation, Boulding (2014) specifically focused on NGOs as problem-oriented civil society organizations (CSOs) that have grown in number and influence in developing countries since the 1980s and that represent minorities and excluded members of society. The term "civil society" is defined as associations that "are separate from the state, enjoy some autonomy in relations from the state, and are formed voluntarily by members of society to protect or extend their interests, values or identities."…”

Strategies of Resistance: Diversification and Diffusion

“…Existing studies of political mobilization tend to focus on particular types of action, such as terrorism (Crenshaw ; Pape ), protest (Beaulieu ; Boulding ; Francisco ), rebellion (Gurr ; Scott ; Skocpol ), or civil war (Cederman, Gleditsch, and Buhaug ; Fearon and Laitin ). Less commonly, scholars focus on tactics as somewhat interchangeable (Asal et al.…”

Clientelism as Persuasion-Buying

“…As a test of the impact of formal networks, we also looked at respondents' organizational involvement (Boulding, 2014). We used four questions that asked about respondents' attendance in the meetings of four different kinds of organizations: parents associations (at schools), community improvement associations, trade or business associations, and political party meetings.…”