Maintaining the Boundary

Analyzing the Continuous Importance of Nonpartisanship for Croatian ‘Second Wave’ Advocacy NGOs

Bibliographic Data

ID6162995
AuthorsKarlo Kralj (0000-0002-2929-5020, Scuola Normale Superiore, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume58
Issue4
Pages52-76
Publication date2021-11-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolitička misao (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1846-8721 • E-ISSN: 0032-3241
PublisherFaculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, Croatia (PUBLISHER • HR)
DOI10.20901/pm.58.4.03
OpenAlexW3217331560
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited42

Advocacy NGOs in Croatia often emphasize their nonpartisan identity, meaning that they do not publicly associate with political parties or declare their endorsement of electoral candidates. While such NGOs’ behavior could be explained based on overall negative public perception of political parties, as well as funding conditions imposed by NGOs’ donors, this article argues that the continuous nonpartisan identity of advocacy NGOs is further reaffirmed by a specific civil society discourse. Drawing on the analysis of in-depth interviews with senior members of nine Croatian NGOs, active in areas of human rights, the rule of law, and education, three relevant themes of civil society discourse reaffirming NGOs’ nonpartisanship are outlined: (1) idea of civil society as an answer to malfunctioning state, (2) NGOs’ legitimation based on autonomy and expertise, and (3) perception of political parties as an inherently limiting organizational form

Autonomy · Civil society · Epistemology · Identity (music · Legitimation · Meaning (existential · Perception · Political science · Politics · Public opinion · Public relations · Sociology · State (computer science · Law · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Public Administration · Religion, Society, and Development

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