Risk Landscape and Resilience Pathways of Civil Society in Restrictive Environments
Author: Dr. Anna Neya Kazanskaia
Publisher: NEYA Global Publishing
Article | NEYA Global Journal of Non-Profit Studies
Year: 2025
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5669-1676
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64357/neya-gjnps-cvscunprrsenv-07
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About the Article
Civil society organizations (CSOs) operating in restrictive environments navigate complex risk landscapes that encompass legal, financial, digital, and physical threats. This article provides an integrated analysis of these multidimensional risks and the resilience pathways that sustain civic action under pressure. Drawing on case studies from Russia, Egypt, Ethiopia, the Philippines, and Nicaragua, it highlights how laws, funding restrictions, surveillance, and intimidation collectively erode organizational capacity and legitimacy. Yet repression and resilience are interdependent: the very measures intended to suppress civic engagement often stimulate innovation and adaptation. Building on Schedler’s insights into authoritarian unintended consequences, the article demonstrates how NGOs develop protective infrastructures through social capital, solidarity networks, religious institutions, and diaspora alliances. By mapping both vulnerability and adaptation, it contributes to theoretical debates on civil society resilience and offers practical guidance for supporting NGOs without amplifying risks.
Key Topics
- Civil society risk analysis
- Legal and financial repression
- Digital surveillance and cybersecurity
- Physical threats to activists
- Resilience and social capital
- Adaptive innovation under authoritarianism
Suggested Citation
Kazanskaia, A. N. (2025). Risk Landscape and Resilience Pathways of Civil Society in Restrictive Environments. NEYA Global Journal of Non-Profit Studies. NEYA Global Publishing. https://doi.org/10.64357/neya-gjnps-cvscunprrsenv-07
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