Civic Space in Eastern Europe & Eurasia

Barometers of Civic Space

In recent years, a growing number of governments have sought to co-opt, control, and curtail civic space in an effort to discourage political challenges, even in relatively democratic countries. But this is not strictly a function of domestic dynamics alone. External actors can exert sharp power in an effort to weaken civic space in other countries, either through direct interactions with specific civil society organizations or indirectly influencing government regulators or the public.

By civic space, we're referring to the formal laws, informal norms, and societal attitudes which enable individuals and organizations to assemble peacefully, express their views, and take collective action without fear of retribution or restriction. While the possibility of eroding democratic norms and malign influence on civic space is an ongoing concern, policymakers, advocates, and scholars often lack reliable data to monitor and respond to trends over time.

To fill this critical data gap, over the last three years AidData has collected and analyzed vast amounts of historical data on civic space and Russian influence across 17 countries in Eastern Europe and Eurasia (E&E) between 2010 and 2021. Each civic space report quantifies four barometers of civic space in each country in ways that are comparable across the region and can be scaled to future years and regions.