Government–NGO Relationships in Africa, Asia, Europe and MENA

‘One of the brilliantly conducted analyses of the development of non-state actors, represented by civil society structures. The book perfectly illustrates the growing activity of civil society in the world, connected not only with involvement in world politics, but also its emergence as a political protagonist, which shapes world politics. The authors carefully study the forms, nature and processes of civil society interaction with state structures and show that these processes can take place differently at the local and national levels. Theoretical grounds and concrete examples are in the focus.

The undoubted merit of the authors is that they were not limited to one country or one region, but show that the processes indicated by them, although in different ways, with different speeds, flow around the world, covering Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Despite the fact that the book covers almost all the continents except the Americas and Australia the focus of the study was on developing countries. This is not accidental. The processes of interaction of society with states in developed countries are analyzed in scientific literature, while what happens outside the most developed countries remains poorly understood. The authors of the book have successfully filled this gap.’

Marina Lebedeva, Professor and Head, World Politics Department, Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Russia

‘In recent times, the state has harnessed civil society organisations to deliver social goods, civil society has transcended national boundaries and gone global, and CSOs have become professionalised. These developments have immeasurably complicated the relationship between the state and civil society. Raffaele Marchetti has brought together gifted scholars and activists to explore new facets of this relationship, making for an invaluable contribution to the literature.’

Neera Chandhoke, former Professor of Po