Access, Influence and Policy Change: The Multiple Roles of NGOs in Post-Soviet States

The US government, American foundations, and international agencies have devoted significant sums over the past decade to promoting the activities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Russia and other former Soviet states. Has this money been wasted? After all, Russian NGOs are often disorganized and quarrel among themselves. Moreover, the goal of some is to seek personal gain and career advancement, rather than to build the social networks that are prerequisite for a robust civil society. At the same time, NGOs in the former Soviet states have made a difference, albeit in ways perhaps less familiar. To understand fully their multiple roles, we need to think hard about what access and influence mean in relation to NGOs, and how they both may change over time. […]

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