Does civil society contribute to democratization? If yes, in what way? The purpose of this book is to add to the existing knowledge on the complex relationship between civil society and democracy. It approaches the problem from an institutional and from a cultural perspective, combining country level and individual level analysis, in trying to understand which of the two influences the other more: civil society or democracy. The book examines the interplay between civil society and democracy utilizing some new measurements of civil society, comparing data from more than 60 countries from all...

This book analyzes Armenian civil society in the context of post-communist democratization. It explores persistent challenges to civic engagement under Armenia’s semi-authoritarian regime, and also highlights success stories of public mobilization and social impact. Drawing on a broad range of methods and empirical sources, the book provides a comprehensive overview of the re-emerging diversity of Armenian civil society: from formal organizations to spontaneous activism. It combines a country-level analysis of broad patterns in the country’s political culture with the life stories of...