International contribution to Armenian civil society: a view from civil society

Abstract

The purpose of this policy internship paper is to analyze: a) Armenian civil society, its history and current state, b) the perceptions of leaders of Armenian civil society organizations about current state of Armenian civil society as well as c) their opinion about international donors. The methodology includes review of secondary data analysis such as academic articles, research papers and some measurements of civil society (Freedom House Nations in Transit, Counterpart International CIVICUS Civil Society Index) and primary data analysis such as in-depth face-to-face interviews with representatives of some well-known civil society organizations in Armenia. The paper proposes that civil society in Armenia has been improved since the collapse of the Soviet Union. International contribution has a great influence on this process; nevertheless it implies specific problems such as push of interest and not detailed consideration of the state’s real capacities. All the findings state that civil society development is an ongoing process that needs time and efforts.