Post-Communist Civil Society and the Soviet Legacy

"Fruitfully combining empirical evidence and personal experience, Huseyn Aliyev succeeds in casting new light on the legacy of Soviet authoritarianism in weakening civil society, hampering democratization and building peace in the Caucasus. This original study is a required reading for those who want to understand the political crises in the Caucasus." Dennis Dijkzeul, Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict, Ruhr-Universitt, Bochum, Germany "Dr Aliyev's book is an insightful examination of the weaknesses of civil society in the Caucasus. In detailing the continued impact of the Soviet legacy, he shows how political regimes can have broad-reaching effects long after their demise, and thus makes a fruitful contribution to the literature on democratisation." James Headley, Senior Lecturer, Department of Politics, University of Otago, New Zealand "This book is an important contribution to the research on post-communist civil society and the contentious politics of the Caucasus region. It is the first book length treatment of the development of civil society in the contemporary Caucasus region." Chris Rudd, University of Otago, New Zealand

Huseyn Aliyev holds a Ph.D in Politics from the University of Otago, New Zealand. He is the author of over 20 articles on post-communist comparative politics, civil society, armed conflicts in the North Caucasus and informal institutions.

List of Figures and Tables Note on Transliteration Preface List of Abbreviations Introduction Outline of the argument Relevance of research Case study: Caucasus Sources of data Overview of contents PART I: DEMOCRATISATION, CIVIL SOCIETY AND COMMUNIST LEGACIES 1. Democracy In The Caucasus And The Former Soviet Union 2. Structural Democratisation 3. '' ''Transition '' '' Theories 4. Civil Society, Social Capital And Networking 5. Why Is Civil Society Important? 6. What Is Civil Society? 7. Social Capital 8. Informal Networking 9. What Determines The Development Of Civil Society? 10. Political System 11. Armed Conflicts 12. Economic Well-Being 13. Antecedent Regime '' ''s Legacy 14. Post-Totalitarian Legacy 15. Soviet Legacy: Conceptual And Analytical Baseline 16. Conclusion PART II: HISTORY OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE CAUCASUS 17. Pre-Communist Civil Sector 18. The Caucasus '' ''s Civil Sector Under Soviet Rule 19. Public Sphere Of Soviet Society 20. Soviet Private Sphere 21. Sovietisation 22. '' ''Neformaly '' '' 23. Perestroika And The Birth Of Nationalist Civil Society 24. Conclusion PART III: POST-COMMUNIST CIVIL SOCIETY 25. The Post-Communist NGO Sector 26. Overview Of The NGO Sector 27. Weaknesses Of The NGO Sector 28. Membership And Participation 29. Distribution 30. Popular Trust Towards Ngos 31. Operational Structure 32. Ngos '' '' Patron-Client Relations 33. Post-Communist Informal Networks In The Caucasus 34. Types Of Informal Networks 35. Informal Networks As Providers Of Public Goods 36. Limits Of Informal Networking 37. Indigenous Social Capital 38. Conclusion PART IV: SOVIET LEGACY AND CIVIL SOCIETY 39. Legacy Of The Soviet Public Sphere 40. Institutional Legacy 41. Individual Legacy 42. Continuity Of Civic Traditions 43. Informal Networks As Soviet Legacy 44.How And Why Do Informal Civic Traditions Continue? 45. Conclusion PART V: ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS 46. Political System 47. Impact Of Political System On Formal Civil Society 48. Political System And Informal Networks 49. Armed Conflicts 50. Economic Well-Being 51. Conclusion Conclusion Alternative Explanations Contributions And Implications Notes Bibliography Index