Zivilgesellschaften als Keimzellen der Demokratie? Algerien, Mosambik und Vietnam

For a long time, civil society and its organisations were considered to be "schools of democracy." More recent research draws a more ambivalent picture, showing that civil society organisations in autocracies can help support ruling regimes and that the organisations themselves are often only marginally democratically structured. Recently, the "Arab Spring" contributed to a certain disillusionment vis-à-vis the democratic image of civil society organisations.

Using the examples of the three post-socialist countries Algeria, Mozambique, and Vietnam, GIGA researchers reveal the interdependency between the state and civil society organisations. Particular attention is paid to the areas of healthcare policy, economic improvement, and equality.

Speaker: Bettina Bunk is an associate researcher at the GIGA Institute of African Studies. Her work focuses on civil society organisations in Mozambique.

Jasmin Lorch is a researcher at the GIGA Institute of Asian Studies. Her research focuses on civil society in autocracies; currently, she is examining Algeria in this light.

Dr. Jörg Wischermann is a senior research fellow at the GIGA Institute of Asian Studies. His work on authoritarian systems primarily focuses on civil society organisations in Vietnam.

Moderation: Prof. Dr. Patrick Köllner is the director of the GIGA Institute of Asian Studies and a professor of political science at the University of Hamburg.