The Civil Society Workshop will meet on Thursday, December 5 at 12:30 pm for a discussion with

Merrill Sovner

PhD Candidate, Political Science, GC CUNY

“Reduce, Replace, or Reorient: NGO Responses to the End of International Funding”

Civil society is viewed by scholars as performing essential functions for democratization, and it was embraced by governments and international donors seeking to sustain democracy in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) after 1989. Thirty years on, hostile rhetoric from CEE governments and politicians seek to paint civil society organizations as elites that are more responsive to those international donors and like-minded advocacy professionals than to the public at large. Under what conditions do CSOs promote democratic practices or operate as disconnected elites? This research looks at organizations that received international funding from the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE Trust) in the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, and Hungary. The responses of organizations to the end of CEE Trust funding – reduced activities, replaced large grants, or reoriented their activities to a domestic constituency – illuminate the adaptation and sustainability of organizations to provide democratization functions in the face of growing populism in Central and Eastern Europe.

Room: Political Science Thesis Room, room 5200.07

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