The Weakness of Civil Society in Post-Communist Europe

ISBN-13: 9780521011525 / Angielski / Miękka / 2003 / 222 str.

Marc Morje Howard

Opis

Over a decade has passed since the collapse of communism, yet citizens of post-communist countries are still far less likely to join voluntary organizations than people from other countries and regions of the world. Why do post-communist citizens mistrust and avoid public organizations? What explains this distinctive pattern of weak civil society? And what does it mean for the future of democracy in post-communist Europe? In this engaging study, Marc Morje Howard addresses these questions by developing a provocative argument about the powerful and enduring impact of the communist experience on its countries and citizens. Howard argues that the legacy of the communist experience of mandatory participation in state-controlled organizations, the development and persistence of vibrant private networks, and the tremendous disappointment with developments since the collapse of communism have left most post-communist citizens with a lasting aversion to public activities. In addition to analyzing data from over 30 democratic and democratizing countries in the World Values Survey, Howard presents extensive and original evidence from his own research in Eastern Germany and Russia, including in-depth interviews with ordinary citizens and an original representative survey.

Recenzje

'A wonderful book! Marc Howard has taken a subject we all care about … and written a major account of the problem. Drawing upon the systematic comparative evidence, including opinion polls and in-depth interviews … Howard demonstrates that the quality of democracy in these states is directly related to their citizens' experiences under communist rule. Among these experiences, Howard emphasizes the previous regimes' systemic inability to provide needed social and economic goods and the corresponding centrality of personal connections in addressing these needs. Although Howard's predictions about the post-communist future are by no means gloomy, he stands out among many observers in concluding that citizens' membership in public organizations and their participation in civic life will not necessarily grow in lock step with the improvement of political and economic conditions. I found the argument to be completely convincing.' A. James McAdams, University of Notre Dame

Spis treści

1. Introduction; 2. An experiential approach to societal continuity and change; 3. Civil society and democratization; 4. An empirical baseline: post-communist civil society in comparative perspective; 5. Explaining organizational membership: a statistical test of alternative hypotheses; 6. Why post-communist citizens do not join organizations: an interpretive analysis; 7. Conclusion.