The Weakness of Postcommunist Civil Society

Howard, Marc Morjé

doi:10.1353/jod.2002.0008

Cited by 205 publications

(132 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The argument is that citizens of those countries strongly associate this type of work with the socialist era during which people were often 'coerced into volunteering' for state-controlled organisations. In addition, Howard (2002) has stressed another two important factors hampering the development of the non-profi t sector in post-socialist countries; the ongoing persistence of friendship networks which served as substitutes for non-existent non-profi t and even for-profi t organisations during the socialist era and great disappointment with political and economic development after the fall of communism, which caused a demobilisation of people from public activities.…”

Section: Cross-country Evidence On the Size Of The Non-profi T Sectormentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Cross-Country Differences in the Non-Profit Sector Size

Pevcin¹

2012

Prague Economic Papers

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Abstract:This paper theoretically and empirically investigates variations in the size of the non-profi t sector among countries. Although the non-profi t sector has experienced growth in relative socio-economic importance in recent decades, the available data on the size of the sector indicates substantial variations among countries. Existing literature provides several multi-and interdisciplinary theories, hypotheses and concepts that try to explain those differences, such as for instance the heterogeneity and failure theories, the resource dependence theory and interdependence theory. Empirical fi ndings indicate that the selection of the measurement of sector size infl uences the ability to explain the differences in the size of the sector across countries. The results of a crosssection regression analysis indicate that almost three quarters of cross-national variation in the sector workforce could be explained, whereas pooled regression indicates that almost three fi fths of variation in sector size, if workforce and expenditures are taken as dimensions of the sector, could be explained. Moreover, regression analysis tends to support the pr opositions of resource dependence and demand heterogeneity (government failure) theory, although there is also some ground for supporting the interdependence theory.

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Section: Cross-country Evidence On the Size Of The Non-profi T Sectormentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Cross-Country Differences in the Non-Profit Sector Size

Pevcin¹

2012

Prague Economic Papers

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“…Rdv = P65+/P15-64•100 (5) Rdc = P0-14/P15-64•100 (6) The structure of the population of the countries might be different according to the fertility, mortality and migration models, from the past and present, which are characteristic for each country, thus distinguishing four general profiles of the population structure, Fig. 1.…”

Section: B Population Ageingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Statistical Analysis of the Demographic Ageing Process in the EU Member States, Former Communist Countries

Savulea¹,

Constantinescu²

2012

IJACSA

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Abstract-The aim of this paper is to make an analysis and a comparative study of the demographic ageing process in the former communist countries which are currently EU member states. Taking into account the complexity of the phenomenon, the study approaches only a part of the indices involved in this process. According to the structure of the population on groups of ages and sexes, the population pyramid is built and in this context we carried out various analyses and comparisons among countries. Further we approach determining demographic factors for the ageing process of the population, as for example the evolution of the young population, the mortality rate and the life expectancy and the changes in the population structure are pointed out with the help of the demographic dependency rate. There have been made a series of statistical correlations and predictions which allowed for a more concrete explanation of the evolution of the demographic ageing phenomenon.

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“…A general consensus is that most post-Communist civil societies are weak and fragmented, with low levels of civic engagement and deficits of social capital (Gray, 1993;Nichols, 1996;Stoner-Weiss, 1997;Marsh, 2000;O'Loughlin, 2001;Howard, 2002). Results of an empirical comparative study conducted by the New Europe Barometer Surveys, which rated trust levels in various political and civil institutions, show low levels of trust across the post-Communist bloc, although Eastern European countries ranked higher than those of the former Soviet Union (Mishler and Rose, 2001).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Results of an empirical comparative study conducted by the New Europe Barometer Surveys, which rated trust levels in various political and civil institutions, show low levels of trust across the post-Communist bloc, although Eastern European countries ranked higher than those of the former Soviet Union (Mishler and Rose, 2001). Based on the results of the World Values Survey, which rates membership (or civic engagement) in different voluntary organizations in countries across the world, Howard (2002) made comparisons between three groups of countries based on their prior regime: older democracies, post-authoritarian, and postCommunist. The evidence demonstrates that levels of organizational membership in the postCommunist countries (mean of 0.91) are significantly lower than those of the older democracies (2.39) and post-authoritarian countries (1.82).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The outcome of this imposed voluntarism was social atomization in the public sphere and a lasting widespread antipathy to and distrust of formal institutions and organizationsan attitude that extends to the present day and helps to explain reluctance to join any social organizations (Howard, 2002). Rose (1994) observed that under Communist rule, public opinion was transformed into private opinion.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Civic Engagement and Democratic Consolidation in Kyrgyzstan

Kuchukeeva

Ο’Loughlin

2003

Eurasian Geography and Economics

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Two political geographers survey Kyrgyzstan's increasingly less democratic trajectory over the 12 years since independence in 1991, despite initial promises of fair government, open media, and a liberal economy accessible to all groups within the country. Although Kyrgyzstan is increasingly racked by poverty as well as regional, ethnic, and religious rivalries, the paper demonstrates that the country has some of the most active and dynamic social movements in Central Asia. The authors examine the level and type of nongovernmental organizations as an index of civic engagement, one of the foundations of sustainable democracy. Their survey of NGO activists revealed a group that strongly supported democratic norms but also revealed significant distrust of many governmental institutions. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: D63, H10, Z13. 2 figures, 12 tables, 90 references.he wave of democratization from about 1975 to the early 1990s swept across more than two dozen countries on the Eurasian continent, removing Communist regimes from power. The events of the past decade, however, have shown that democratic transition is not a linear and smooth process, and the initial establishment of democracy does not guarantee its success over the long term. For many of the new democracies, the process of transition is proving too challenging, as the democratization wave has given way to stagnation and even reversal, producing authoritarian or pseudo-democratic regimes especially in Central Asian states (Zakaria, 1997(Zakaria, , 2003.Definitions of democracy vary greatly (O'Loughlin et al., 1998), but for the purpose of this study we follow Dahl's equation of democracy with polyarchy, the rule by many but not by all the people. It is a representative system with an inclusive adult electorate. Dahl (1971) identified eight key institutional elements that underlie such a system: freedom to form and join associations, freedom of expression, right to vote in elections, eligibility for public office, right of political leaders to compete for support/votes, alternative sources of information, free and fair elections, and dependence of government policy-making institutions on votes and other expressions of preference. These elements represent three main democratic dimensions-participation, competition, and political and civil liberties (Sorensen, 1993). Consolidation requires that the eight key democratic elements become ingrained in the political culture of a society. For consolidation, the role of civil society is paramount. Civil society, a sphere of voluntary associations situated between the state and the market, can

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The Weakness of Postcommunist Civil Society

Cited by 205 publications

References 23 publications

Analysis of Cross-Country Differences in the Non-Profit Sector Size

Analysis of Cross-Country Differences in the Non-Profit Sector Size

Statistical Analysis of the Demographic Ageing Process in the EU Member States, Former Communist Countries

Civic Engagement and Democratic Consolidation in Kyrgyzstan

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