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Competing democracy paradigms and autocracy support: The role of traditional and non-traditional donors in Belarus

Europe (Central and Eastern)
Civil Society
Democratisation
Wicke van den Broek
Maastricht University
Giselle Bosse
Maastricht University
Wicke van den Broek
Maastricht University
External Influences on Democratisation and Autocratisation: How (Non)Traditional Donor's Competition Shapes Political Regimes

Tuesday 12:30 - 17:45 CEST (20/05/2025) Building: Jinonice Campus, Floor: 1, Room: C221

Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00 CEST (21/05/2025) Building: Jinonice Campus, Floor: 1, Room: C221

Thursday 09:00 - 15:00 CEST (22/05/2025) Building: Jinonice Campus, Floor: 1, Room: C221

To access full paper downloads, participants are encouraged to install the official Event App, available on the App Store.

Abstract

This paper will focus on the role of Polish CSOs in democracy promotion between 2015 and 2023, when a shrinking civic space meant an (attempt at) replacing well-established, liberal CSOs in Poland with a more conservative, Christian landscape. This happened against a backdrop of democratic backsliding in Poland. Given the traditionally outsized role of Polish CSOs in democracy promotion, the effects of this shrinking domestic space on Poland’s external democracy promotion merit closer investigation. This paper explores these effects through the case study of the Solidarity Fund and its activities in Belarus, as well as other CSOs.