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Civil Society and Social Capital in Central and Eastern Europe

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International Encyclopedia of Civil Society

Definition

Civil society is a key element of the societies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Comprising the European countries formerly under direct or indirect Soviet influence, the region is typically defined and understood by scholars through the lens of its communist and Soviet-influenced past.

Analyses of civil society sector statistics show significant differences in the development of civil society organizations (CSOs) and social capital across the region, with some countries such as the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) and the Visegrád countries (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) having significantly more active civil sectors than others (e.g., the Western Balkans, Belarus, Moldova, or Ukraine). At the same time, the extraordinary contributions of Ukrainian civil society to maintaining public services during the war, the rise in ad hoc volunteering in neighboring countries, as well as several mass demonstrations in the region have shown (e.g., in Belarus in...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna, Austria

    Peter Vandor & Michaela Neumayr

Authors
  1. Peter Vandor
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  2. Michaela Neumayr
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Correspondence to Peter Vandor .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Regina A. List

  2. Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Helmut K. Anheier

  3. Schar school, George Mason University, ARLINGTON, VI, USA

    Stefan Toepler

Section Editor information

  1. Hamburg, Germany

    Regina A. List

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Vandor, P., Neumayr, M. (2023). Civil Society and Social Capital in Central and Eastern Europe. In: List, R.A., Anheier, H.K., Toepler, S. (eds) International Encyclopedia of Civil Society. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99675-2_733-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99675-2_733-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-99675-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-99675-2

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