January 13, 2000 | Read Time: 5 minutes
As the third millennium dawns, the prospects for the growth of “civil society” have never seemed brighter.
Throughout the world, nations are looking increasingly to non-profit organizations rather than to government to provide public services.
In countries that have lacked them, grant-making foundations are now springing up and sometimes reaching sizes comparable to the largest American ones. The United Nations, the World Bank, and other international agencies are looking more to voluntary groups as engines of social and economic development. And through a host of new organizations and journals, leaders of those groups are sharing experiences and, perhaps as important, trying to build a sense of community.
If the second millennium climaxed in the globalization of the economy, will the third one see the globalization of civil society, as many non-profit observers believe?
Notwithstanding the growing interest in the institutions associated with the “third sector,” the answer remains in doubt. That is because the development of civil society, and the voluntary and philanthropic groups that are central to it, is not just a matter of laws and organizations that are relatively easy to create. It also grows out of national beliefs and cultures, which are often likely to evolve slowly, if at all. And sometimes, aid and advice from the outside, like that being provided by American foundations and international agencies, can hinder change rather than foster it.
A visit to Russia last fall provided a glimpse of both the possibilities and problems facing the spread of civil society in the new millennium.
Since the demise of communism, the number of non-profit organizations in that country has soared, reaching nearly 200,000 by the end of 1997, according to one count. New laws have been enacted, solidifying their legal standing. For most organizations — as for most people in Russia — money is a problem, but at least some groups have figured out clever ways of exchanging services for support. Some have also managed to engage volunteers — often young people — in their work. Western aid, both public and private, is evident in a host of ways.
Although charities and voluntary groups existed during the Soviet era, they were usually tightly controlled by government and subject to suppression if they showed too much independence. Today, former Communist bureaucrats sing their praises and occasionally even join them.
But this progress toward a strong non-profit world in Russia needs to be viewed against some worrisome signs. Many of the nation’s charities remain dependent upon government, not just for financial backing but also for political support. Because of suspicions that businesses are benefiting from them, tax exemptions are increasingly being questioned, too. The result has been to reinforce the idea that voluntary groups owe their existence to the state, rather than to the inherent right of people to associate, as people in countries where civil society thrives strongly believe.
In Russia, religious liberty — another cornerstone of civil society in the United States and elsewhere — is also limited. Despite a constitution calling for the separation of church and state, only faiths that were recognized by the former Soviet Union — Orthodoxy, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism — are entitled to full legal status, which carries with it rights to have bank accounts and to own property. Others — most notably, evangelical Protestant groups — have to prove that they have been active in Russia for at least 15 years. Even then, they may face dissolution by the government if they are deemed to preach “religious animosity” or threaten “the security of the state.”
Not least important, the willingness of ordinary Russians to take part in voluntary activities is weak. To be sure, as the growing number of non-profit groups shows, tireless, dedicated social entrepreneurs do exist in Russia these days.
However, perhaps the more typical outlook can be seen in the words of a scientist who had tried unsuccessfully to organize a building watch when Moscow was facing terrorist bombings. The passivity of her fellow citizens, she wrote, is “the legacy of homogenizing totalitarianism, and many people are simply afraid to stand out in the crowd.”
“‘Don’t stand out’ and ‘Every initiative will be punished,’” she added, “were the axioms of communist life.” But they are not the right axioms for a civil society.
The failure to appreciate this cultural gap can frustrate the best-intentioned efforts of outside providers of grants, aid, and advice. Thus, for example, one of the better-known Russian charities — as the result of a visit from a team of American non-profit-management experts — wound up becoming more professionalized but lost many of its volunteers and started referring to the people with whom it worked as its “customers.” Whatever the merits of such advice in countries with long-established civic traditions, it is much less helpful in places that are still looking for more citizens to “stand out” and “take initiative.”
Thankfully, much of the world is not burdened with the legacy of totalitarianism. But much of it also did not embrace the attitudes toward government, religion (or conscience), and individual responsibility that helped shape the West during the second millennium and, in the process, gave rise to civil society as we know it in the United States and elsewhere.
The success of economic globalization suggests that cultures can and do adapt to new conditions and practices. And ideas about philanthropy and volunteering are by no means the exclusive property of the West. Still, though Russia and other countries may adopt non-profit statutes, establish non-profit institutions, and keep track of non-profit expenditures in their national accounts, it may take a good part of the next century or two before they achieve the kind of civic spirit that gives the “third sector” life, meaning, and real value for a society.
Leslie Lenkowsky is professor of philanthropic studies and public policy at the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy and a regular contributor to these pages. His e-mail address is llenkows@iupui.edu.
