Building Democracy in Contemporary Russia: Western Support for Grassroots Organizations / Edition 1

by Sarah L. Henderson

Overview

Can foreign donors help build new democracies? In the 1990s, public and private organizations such as USAID and the Soros Foundation poured huge amounts of money and expertise into Russia to help build the dream of a vibrant democratic society. Sarah L. Henderson argues that despite the altruistic intentions of foreign assistance agencies and domestic activists, foreign aid designed to spur civic growth has had unintended consequences. Drawing on extensive field work, survey research, and work experience for several funding agencies in Moscow in the late 1990s, Henderson focuses on donor efforts to support the emerging community of nongovernmental organizations and, in particular, on efforts to build a functioning women's movement in Russia. Her intimate knowledge of Russia's growing NGO community informs a worrisome finding: foreign aid has made a tremendous difference, but not in altogether expected or positive ways. New Russian civic groups serve either the needs of an indigenous clientele or the demands of the foreign aid bureaucracy—but rarely both. Henderson's research and experience show that while aid has kept a fledgling civic community alive, it is a civic community that is disconnected from its own domestic audience. The book suggests that large flows of foreign aid have in some ways damaged the long-term prospects for democratization in Russia.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801441356
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	11/05/2003
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	248
Sales rank:	963,695
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.94(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Sarah L. Henderson is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Oregon State University. In Moscow, she served as a consultant to the Ford Foundation, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and the Eurasia Foundation.

What People are Saying About This

Juliet Johnson

Sarah Henderson has produced a well-written, superbly researched book on a topic of central importance to both scholars and policy makers. Through her theoretical rigor and practical expertise, she aptly reveals the pathologies and promise of international attempts to build civil society in the postcommunist world.

Editorial Reviews

Anyone interested in the development of civil society in Russia or other postcommunist states would do well to read Sarah Henderson's engaging, informative, and accessible book.... The findings presented in Building Democracy in Contemporary Russia and the questions that this work invites are of central importance to our understanding of democratization, civil society, development assistance, and women's mobilization.

Slavic Review - Linda Racioppi

Since 1992, the U.S. government and U.S. foundations have spent tens of millions of dollars promoting nongovernmental organizations in Russia, in hopes of jump-starting a viable civil society. But has it worked? Henderson answers yes and no.... Henderson contributes a unique angle by comparing the performance of foreign-funded NGOs with those that survive on their own.

Foreign Affairs

Sarah Henderson has written a fascinating account of Western intervention in Russia to facilitate creation of a functioning civil society.... Henderson's analysis... is provocative and insightful.

Joyce Gelb

Building democracy in countries emerging from totalitarian rule has been a learning process not only for the people of those countries but also for Westerners trying to assist them. In Building Democracy in Contemporary Russia, Sarah Henderson deals with Western efforts to promote democracy in postcommunist Russia, offering an indepth look at one sector in which such efforts have been focused.... Anyone concerned about foreign assistance will find it a thoughtful and useful work. One hopes particularly that it will be read and pondered by members of the Western donor community.

Perspectives on Political Science - Gifford D. Malone

"Sarah Henderson has produced a well-written, superbly researched book on a topic of central importance to both scholars and policy makers. Through her theoretical rigor and practical expertise, she aptly reveals the pathologies and promise of international attempts to build civil society in the postcommunist world."

Juliet Johnson

"Sarah Henderson has written a fascinating account of Western intervention in Russia to facilitate creation of a functioning civil society.... Henderson's analysis... is provocative and insightful."

Political Science Quarterly - Joyce Gelb

"Since 1992, the U.S. government and U.S. foundations have spent tens of millions of dollars promoting nongovernmental organizations in Russia, in hopes of jump-starting a viable civil society. But has it worked? Henderson answers yes and no. . . . Henderson contributes a unique angle by comparing the performance of foreign-funded NGOs with those that survive on their own."—Foreign Affairs 83:3, May/June 2004

"Building democracy in countries emerging from totalitarian rule has been a learning process not only for the people of those countries but also for Westerners trying to assist them. In Building Democracy in Contemporary Russia, Sarah Henderson deals with Western efforts to promote democracy in postcommunist Russia, offering an indepth look at one sector in which such efforts have been focused. . . . Anyone concerned about foreign assistance will find it a thoughtful and useful work. One hopes particularly that it will be read and pondered by members of the Western donor community."—Gifford D. Malone, Perspectives on Political Science 33:3, Summer 2004

"Sarah Henderson has written a fascinating account of Western intervention in Russia to facilitate creation of a functioning civil society. . . . Henderson's analysis. . .is provocative and insightful."—Joyce Gelb, The City University of New York, Political Science Quarterly, Oct-Dec 2004

"Anyone interested in the development of civil society in Russia or other postcommunist states would do well to read Sarah Henderson's engaging, informative, and accessible book. . . . The findings presented in Builiding Democracy in Contemporary Russia and the questions that this work invites are of central importance to our understanding of democratization, civil society, development assistance, and women's mobilization."—Linda Racioppi, Michigan State University, Slavic Review, Vol. 64, No. 1, Spring 2005

"Building Democracy in Contemporary Russia is an effective and much-needed critical analysis of a key issue: the attempts of the international development community to create 'civil society' from outside by supporting nongovernmental organizations as vehicles for public outreach and even governance. Sarah L. Henderson questions the extent to which civil society can be 'purchased' from the outside, employing empirical findings to support her arguments and engaging current theoretical debates."—Janine Wedel, George Mason University

"Sarah Henderson has produced a well-written, superbly researched book on a topic of central importance to both scholars and policy makers. Through her theoretical rigor and practical expertise, she aptly reveals the pathologies and promise of international attempts to build civil society in the postcommunist world."—Juliet Johnson, McGill University

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