Civil society and societal security

Abstract

Over time civil society has played an important role in holding the governments accountable for their action and informing the public. Moreover, it has been a critical contributor to preserving democratic developments and to promoting the rule of law. On the other hand, societal security is a core component of healthy societies and it cannot be achieved without strong civic support. The existing literature extensively covers both topics (civil society & societal security), but the nexus between them has not been thoroughly examined. This research delves into the intricate relationship between civil society and societal security, examining the dynamics within the Republic of Moldova and Romania against the backdrop of the contemporary geopolitical landscape. The study is driven by the need to understand how civil society functions as a critical factor in shaping and safeguarding societal security, particularly in countries exposed to unconventional threats. The qualitative analysis is based on publicly available data sets (focusing on democracy, civil society, identity and security), and the main analysis method is process tracing. The hypotheses are formulated based on the following indicators: identity resilience, societal resilience, community cohesion, addressing threats and public engagement. Therefore, the focus of this research is on observing the influence of the civil society on societal security in the Republic of Moldova and Romania based on a comparative assessment of these two states.