Civil Society Under Pressure: Restrictive Environments
Author: Dr. Anna Neya Kazanskaia
Publisher: NEYA Global Publishing
Year: 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64357/civil-society-under-pressure-2025
Open Publication PDF →
This material forms part of the NEYA Global knowledge architecture. Institutional, organizational, professional, training, consulting, curriculum, program design, or implementation use requires an active license from NEYA Global
Explore Architecture →
Module Overview →
Request Institutional Access →
About the Book
CIVIL SOCIETY UNDER PRESSURE: RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENTS examines the contraction of civic space and the growing challenges faced by civil society organizations (CSOs) in restrictive contexts. Drawing from comparative politics, development studies, and civil society research, the book analyzes strategies of survival and adaptation, implementation of programs under constraint, and pathways for resilience in high-risk environments.
The volume offers both academic depth and practical tools for practitioners, policymakers, and donors seeking to understand and support civil society in complex political contexts.
Key Topics
- Restrictive environments and their conceptual foundations
- Strategies of survival and adaptation for CSOs
- Implementing programs under authoritarian pressure
- Comparative case studies across different regions
- Measuring impact in high-risk contexts
- Mapping risks and resilience pathways
- Future trends shaping civic space
Academic Value
This book contributes to critical debates on shrinking civic space, authoritarian resilience, and democratic backsliding. It bridges scholarly theory with practical application, equipping professionals and researchers with analytical frameworks and applied strategies for supporting civil society in restrictive environments.
Citation Formats
APA
Kazanskaia, A. N. (2025). Civil Society Under Pressure: Restrictive Environments. NEYA Global Publishing. https://doi.org/10.64357/civil-society-under-pressure-2025
MLA
Kazanskaia, Anna Neya. Civil Society Under Pressure: Restrictive Environments. NEYA Global Publishing, 2025. https://doi.org/10.64357/civil-society-under-pressure-2025
Chicago
Kazanskaia, Anna Neya. Civil Society Under Pressure: Restrictive Environments. NEYA Global Publishing, 2025. https://doi.org/10.64357/civil-society-under-pressure-2025
Harvard
Kazanskaia, A.N., 2025. Civil Society Under Pressure: Restrictive Environments. NEYA Global Publishing. Available at: https://doi.org/10.64357/civil-society-under-pressure-2025
IEEE
A. N. Kazanskaia, Civil Society Under Pressure: Restrictive Environments. NEYA Global Publishing, 2025. doi: https://doi.org/10.64357/civil-society-under-pressure-2025
References
Aldrich, D. P. (2012). Building resilience: Social capital in post-disaster recovery. University of Chicago Press. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226012896.001.0001
Amnesty International. (2020). Human rights defenders under threat: A shrinking space for civil society. Amnesty International.
Amnesty International. (2021). Digital surveillance and human rights. Amnesty International.
Amnesty International. (2022). Laws of repression: Restrictive legislation and civic space. Amnesty International.
Auyero, J. (2007). Routine politics and violence in Argentina: The gray zone of state power. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511814815
Bermeo, N. (2016). On democratic backsliding. Journal of Democracy, 27(1), 5–19. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2016.0012
Brinkerhoff, J. (2009). Digital diasporas: Identity and transnational engagement. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511805158
Buyse, A. (2018). Squeezing civic space: Restrictions on civil society organizations and the linkages with human rights. The International Journal of Human Rights, 22(8), 966–988. https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2018.1492916
Carothers, T. (2016). The backlash against democracy promotion. Foreign Affairs, 85(2), 55–68. https://doi.org/10.2307/20031911
Carothers, T., & Brechenmacher, S. (2014). Closing space: Democracy and human rights support under fire. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Cheesman, N., Farrelly, N., & Wilson, T. (2022). Myanmar: Politics, economy and society. Routledge.
Clark-Kazak, C. (2017). Ethical considerations: Research with people in situations of forced migration. Refuge, 33(2), 11–17. https://doi.org/10.7202/1043059ar
Deibert, R. (2019). Reset: Reclaiming the internet for civil society. House of Anansi.
Diamond, L. (1999). Developing democracy: Toward consolidation. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Diamond, L. (2019). Ill winds: Saving democracy from Russian rage, Chinese ambition, and American complacency. Penguin.
Dupuy, K., Ron, J., & Prakash, A. (2015). Who survived? Ethiopia's regulatory crackdown on foreign-funded NGOs. Review of International Political Economy, 22(2), 419–456. https://doi.org/10.1080/09692290.2014.903854
Dupuy, K., Ron, J., & Prakash, A. (2016). Hands off my regime! Restrictions on foreign aid to NGOs. World Development, 84, 299–311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2016.02.001
Edwards, M. (2011). The Oxford handbook of civil society. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195398571.001.0001
Frantz, E., & Kendall-Taylor, A. (2014). International influences on authoritarian rule. Journal of Democracy, 25(4), 66–80.
Glasius, M. (2017). Extraterritorial authoritarian practices: A framework. Globalizations, 14(2), 179–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2017.1403781
Han, R. (2021). Authoritarian digital repression and resistance: The case of Myanmar's internet shutdowns. Journal of Democracy, 32(4), 42–57.
Henderson, S. (2002). Building democracy in contemporary Russia: Western support for grassroots organizations. Cornell University Press. https://doi.org/10.7591/9781501720765
Human Rights Watch. (2017). Russia: Government vs. rights groups. Human Rights Watch.
Kandiyoti, D. (2007). Between the hammer and the anvil: Post-conflict reconstruction, Islam and women's rights. Third World Quarterly, 28(3), 503–517. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436590701192603
Kazanskaia, A. N. (2025). Functions, impact, and identity of civil society. NEYA Global Publishing. https://doi.org/10.64357/functions-impact-civil-society-2025
Kazanskaia, A. N. (2025). Public policy: Power and influence in decision-making. NEYA Global Publishing. https://doi.org/10.64357/public-policy-2025
Kazanskaia, A. N. (2025). Networks & alliances: Strategies for social impact. NEYA Global Publishing. https://doi.org/10.64357/collaboration-2025
Kazanskaia, A. N. (2025). How organizations bring change: Mechanisms of social impact. NEYA Global Publishing. https://doi.org/10.64357/change-mechanisms-2025
Keck, M. E., & Sikkink, K. (1998). Activists beyond borders: Advocacy networks in international politics. Cornell University Press.
Lührmann, A., Tannenberg, M., & Lindberg, S. I. (2020). Regimes of the world (RoW). Politics and Governance, 6(1), 60–77. https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v6i1.1214
Mendelson, S. E. (2015). Dark days for civil society in Russia. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Michaelsen, M. (2020). Exit and voice in a digital age: Iran's exiled activists and the authoritarian state. Democratization, 27(6), 1010–1028.
Milan, S., & Treré, E. (2019). Big Data from the South(s): Beyond data universalism. Television & New Media, 20(4), 319–335. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476419837739
Morozov, E. (2011). The net delusion: The dark side of internet freedom. PublicAffairs.
O'Donnell, G., & Schmitter, P. C. (1986). Transitions from authoritarian rule: Tentative conclusions about uncertain democracies. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. Simon & Schuster. https://doi.org/10.1145/358916.361990
Roberts, M. E. (2018). Censored: Distraction and diversion inside China's Great Firewall. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.23943/9781400890057
Scott, J. C. (1990). Weapons of the weak: Everyday forms of peasant resistance. Yale University Press.
Schedler, A. (2013). The politics of uncertainty: Sustaining and subverting electoral authoritarianism. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199680320.001.0001
Tilly, C. (2005). Social movements, 1768–2004. Paradigm Publishers.
Wedeen, L. (1999). Ambiguities of domination: Politics, rhetoric, and symbols in contemporary Syria. University of Chicago Press.
About the Author
Dr. Anna Neya Kazanskaia is the founder and CEO of NEYA Global Education, Philanthropy & Consulting. With a BA in philosophy and politics, an LLM in law, and a Ph.D. in technology, education, and management, she has developed a 100-book charity library equipping leaders, staff, and communities with practical strategies for social impact. Her work specializes in resilience, governance, and applying innovative approaches to strengthen civil society worldwide.
