Week 1: Intro

Question 1

Bano

Answer 1

(2008) - VOs vs NGOs

2 points:

1. Inability to mobilize members + material aspirations among leaders of NGOs = lower organisational performances
2. Donors pressure and dictate NGOs’ work

Question 2

Ishkanian

Answer 2

(2015) - Armenia Civil initiatives

5 points:

1. Civic initiatives reject and distance themselves from NGOs
2. Common good and autonomy = important
3. Impact of Western govs donors and neoliberal paradigm
4. New generation and new info
5. CI = new space for mobilization, understandings and practices of citizenship and activism

Question 3

Mitlin et al

Answer 3

(2007) - Alternatives

4 points:

1. Gramsci: public opinion = key of connection between CS and state
2. Dev alternatives vs alternatives to dev
3. NGOs = pressured and coerced
4. 1980s = NGO booms (neoliberalism)

Question 4

Mercer

Answer 4

(2007) - General

5 points:

1. Context = important, no 1-size-fits-all
2. Democratic transition vs consolidation
3. Advantages of NGOs
4. Tocqueville vs Gramsci
5. NGOs and CS are not always democratic, crisis of legitimacy

Question 5

Lecture

Answer 5

1. Centre for civil society at LSE –> CS = “the arena of uncoerced collective action around shared interests, purpose and values”
2. de Tocqueville: CS = good so all NGOs = good
3. Gramsci: CS = power structure
4. Clark (2011): CS has - - -
5. Scholte (2011): response - Clark = exaggerating
6. NGOs need to adapt to survive