Civil society plays an important social, political and economic role in democratic countries. The existence of a vivid civil society is an indicator of well-functioning democracies that give space to the full variety of different opinions, concerns, and solutions. By combining a mix of various public and private resources – such as public funds, private donations, voluntary work, and membership fees – CSOs are often a source of social innovation. In CEE’s democracies, recent political developments appear to jeopardize progress made in the past. Against this background, the study aims at shedding light on the dynamics of CEE’s civil society. This report gives a brief overview of the status quo and recent developments that directly affect civil society. A further objective is to improve the visibility of civil society in its many facets and to highlight the appreciation of CSOs as an integrative part of civil society. Read more here.
Source: ERSTE Foundation