Abstract
ABSTRACTPortugal and the Russian Federation share some aspects of traditional culture and similar experiences in modern history, but they also exhibit significant differences that determine specific modes of civil society’s development.Results of a comparative and diachronic analysis show that the major differences between the two countries reside in civil society’s openness and composition. Organized civil society is not very distinct in relative size when comparing Portugal and the Russian Federation, but it is globally more autonomous, expressive, trusted and institutionalized in Portugal than in the Russian Federation and among the factors that contribute to this condition are an earlier and revolutionary transition to democracy, a larger middle class, a greater prevalence of the value of interdependence, and a regime that endorses bigger public social expenditure in Portugal, all this within the framework of the European Union that has a longer history of social demand and institutional incentives for civil society. Despite those unequal conditions, civil society faces similar current challenges in both countries, mainly with the outsourcing of the public provision of social services.
Highlights
Civil society and its contexts Our objective is to contribute to the knowledge about contemporary civil society and its patterns in different national contexts
Organized civil society is not very distinct in relative size when comparing Portugal and the Russian Federation, but it’s globally more expressive, trusted and institutionalized in Portugal than in the Russian Federation and the main factors that contribute to this condition are an earlier and revolutionary transition to democracy, a larger middle class, a greater prevalence of the value of interdependence, and a regime that endorses bigger public social expenditure in Portugal, all this within the framework of the European Union that has a longer history of social demand and institutional incentives for civil society
We compare civil society in Portugal and the Russian Federation, two countries with recent democratic achievements but with significant societal differences, that were equated by Vladimir Putin in his first speech to the Russians in 1999 when he set the level of economic performance in Portugal as a reference for his political project
Summary
IHDI Coefficient of human inequality Inequality in life expectancy (%) Inequality in education (%) Inequality in income (%) Source: UNDP-HDR 2016. Personal Rights Political rights (0=low; 40= high) Freedom of expression (0=low; 16= high) Freedom of assembly (0=low; 1= high). Personal Freedom and Choice Freedom of religion (1=low; 4=high) Freedom over life choices (% satisfied) Corruption (0=high; 100=low). Tolerance and Inclusion Community safety net (0=low; 100=high) Tolerance for immigrants (0=low; 100=high) Tolerance for homosexuals (0=low; 100=high) Religious tolerance (1=low; 4=high) Discriminations and violence against minorities (0=low; 10=high). Access to Information and Communications Press freedom index (0=most free; 100=least free) Internet users (% of pop.)
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