Rethinking Civil Society: Postcommunism and the Problem of Trust

Democracy is facing hard times in the region, but the shape of the problems varies according to the differing informal legacies of communism in individual countries.

In hotly contested parliamentary elections, candidates supportive of President Khatami’s reforms won an overwhelming victory.

In order for a country to move beyond mere electoral democracy, ordinary people must acquire resources and values that allow them to pressure elites. Human empowerment is essential for the…