Business as Usual'? Human Rights NGOs' Adaptation Strategies to Repressive Legislation

Bibliographic Data

ID2363798
AuthorsIna Filkobski (McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada), Eran Shor (0009-0003-4861-0828, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume67
Issue4-6
Pages338-358
Publication date2024-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociological Perspectives (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0731-1214 • E-ISSN: 1533-8673
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/07311214241291550
OpenAlexW4403701386
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited52

Over the last two decades, governments have increasingly been adopting legislative measures that limit civil society and human rights organizations. While several studies explored the response of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in nondemocratic regimes to such measures, the literature on the response of NGOs in liberal democracies remains scarce. We examine this by analyzing the case of Israel. We conducted in-depth interviews with 30 position holders in 13 human rights NGOs, as well as lengthy ethnographic participant observations in two of these organizations. Our findings show that organizational responses varied significantly, ranging from minor to very significant changes. Furthermore, the direction of these changes was not uniform. While some organizations chose to intensify and radicalize their message, others preferred to depoliticize and appease domestic audiences. We reflect on the possible drivers of such strategic organizational differences and discuss the more general effects of repressive legislation in liberal democracies

Business · Human rights · Law and economics · Legislation · Political economy · Political science · Sociology · Corporate Law and Human Rights · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · Law · Psychology