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The Changing Space for NGOs: Civil Society in Authoritarian and Hybrid Regimes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2026

Stefan Toepler Open the ORCID record for Stefan Toepler [Opens in a new window] ,
Annette Zimmer ,
Christian Fröhlich  and
Katharina Obuch
Stefan Toepler*
Affiliation:
Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University, Arlington, USA
Annette Zimmer
Affiliation:
Institut für Politikwissenschaft, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
Christian Fröhlich
Affiliation:
School of Sociology, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
Katharina Obuch
Affiliation:
Institut für Politikwissenschaft, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
*
stoepler@gmu.edu
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Abstract

In this introductory essay to the special issue on civil society in authoritarian and hybrid regimes, we review core themes in the growing literature on shrinking or closing space for civil society. We discuss the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) as agents of democratization and note the emergence of dual, at times apparently conflicting policy postures within authoritarian regimes (restriction and repression for some CSOs vs. financial support and opportunities for collaboration for others). We posit that different conceptual perspectives applied to civil society can help account for the duality of authoritarian postures and examine repercussions for three key subgroups of CSOs: claims-making (or advocacy) NGOs, nonprofit service providers and regime-loyal NGOs supporting often populist and nationalist discourses.

Keywords

Closing civic spaceShrinking spaceCivil societyAuthoritarianismRepression

Information

Type
Research Papers
Information
Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations , Volume 31 , Issue 4 , August 2020 , pp. 649 - 662
Copyright
Copyright © International Society for Third-Sector Research 2020

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