Description
Book SynopsisThis important book is among the few attempts to assess the impact of the efforts of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to build democratic institutions. The case studies presented here provide a portrait of the mechanisms by which ideas commonly associated with democratic states have evolved in formerly communist states, revealing conditions that help as well as hurt the process.
Trade ReviewBy pointing to successesand failures of external democratization assistance, the editors have compiled a volume that should become essential reading for those in the scholarly, governmental, and NGO communities... One hopes that this book gains an audience that will influence not only academic discussion but also important policy debates on how to promote democracy in the postcommunist world and beyond. -- Paul Kubicek Perspectives on Politics A well-written and important book... Given the volume's presentation of extensive empirical data and thoughtful analysis grounded in scholarly literature, this book should be enthusiastically welcomed by policy-makers and the members of the NGO community hoping to spread democracy. -- Valerie Sperling Governance The Power and Limits of NGOs presents a serious, rigorous, and balanced analysis of the democracy assistance programs in post-communist Eurasia, and its findings and implications will have broad and long-lasting academic and policy relevance. -- Marc Morje Howard Slavic Review
Table of Contents1. Introduction: Transnational Networks and NGOs in Post-Communist Societies, by Sarah E. Mendelson and John K. Glenn 2. International Actors and Women's NGOs in Poland and Hungary: The Difference They Have Made, by Patrice C. McMahon 3. Evaluating Western Assistance to Russian Women's Organizations, by James Richter 4. International Assistance and the Development of Independent Mass Media in the Czech and Slovak Republics, by Karen Ballentine 5. Western and Russian Environmental NGOs: A Greener Russia?, by Leslie Powell 6. Environmental NGOs in Kazakhstan: Democratic Goals and Non-Democratic Outcomes, by Erika Weinthal and Pauline Jones Luong 7. International Democracy Assistance In Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan: Building Civil Society From the Outside?, by Fiona B. Adamson 8. International NGOs in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Attempting to Build Civil Society, by V.P. Gagnon, Jr. 9. Conclusion: The Power and Limits of Transnational Democracy Networks in Post-Communist Societies, by Sarah E. Mendelson
