Bridging the gap between academia and praxis in the analysis and management of civil society is one of our priorities this year. Building bridges between scholars and practitioners can have benefits for NGO’s and academia alike, such as applying participatory action research to policy challenges, fostering service learning in the classroom, and better sharing of practical experience. Therefore, we are planning to organise a practitioners’ panel that can create a space for dialogue between scholars and practitioners and foster interaction between the two sectors.

The general theme of the Working Group on NGOs is the role and performance of NGO’s in governance in CEE countries, neighbouring regions and within the European Integration context.

Paper: The Potential Effects of Donor Funding Schemes on the Diversity and Sustainability of Central and Eastern European CSOs: the Example of the EEA and Norway Grants
Author/Presenter:
Amelia Boyart-Bienenfeld, Brussels, Belgium

Paper: Protest Movements in the European Multi-Polity: Emerging European Identity?
Author/Presenter:
Reka Zsuzsanna Mathe, Ludovika University of Public Service , Budapest, Hungary

Paper: (In)compatible Partners? The EUs and Local Civil Societies Framing of Human Rights Promotion in the South Caucasus
Author/Presenter:
Laura Luciani, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium