This book presents a selection of recent research on the general theme of civil society and social capital and in particular, on the relation between social capital and democratisation and the question of the political strength or weakness of civil society in post-communist countries.This book is a compilation of articles published in Europe-Asia Studies.

Introduction: Transformation, Post-socialist Legacies and the Problem of Civil Society Terry Cox 1. Putnam's Social Capital Theory Goes East: A Case Study of Western Ukraine and L'viv Martin Åberg 2. Social Capital and Community Participation in Post-Soviet Armenia: Implications for Policy and Practice Babken V. Babajanian 3. Social Capital, Ethnicity and Support for Democracy in Post-Communist States Kathleen M. Dowley and Brian D. Silver 4. Citizen Participation in Local Governance in Eastern Europe: Rediscovering a Strength of Civil Society in the Post-Socialist World Tsveta Petrova 5. The Structure and Culture of Post-Communist Civil Society in Latvia Anders Uhlin 6. The Development of Pensioners' Interest Organisations in Central and Eastern Europe: A Comparison of the Czech and Slovene Cases Seán Hanley 7. Civil Society, Trade Unions and Post-Soviet Democratisation: Evidence from Russia and Ukraine Paul Kubicek 8. Driving at Democracy in Russia: Protest Activities of St Petersburg Car Drivers' Associations Markku Lonkila 9. Making a Difference? NGOs and Civil Society Development in Russia Jo Crotty