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Mobilizing Under Authoritarianism: A case study on state repression and individual motivations for civil society engagement in Minsk, Belarus.

Wassberg, Vide LU (2019) STVK12 20191
Department of Political Science
Abstract
Mobilizing for increased human rights and democratization in authoritarian states comes with great costs and risks. The post-soviet country of Belarus is often referred to as a textbook example of a consolidated authoritarian state. Despite several attempts, Belarusian society has yet to move towards a democratic transition. The incumbent regime seems to adapt to democratic challenges and stepped up its repressive measures to prevent any democratic movement to become a significant threat to the government.
This study shows a more nuanced view of political life in Belarus. Despite the repressive authoritarian environment, people still engage in democratic civil society organizations for the betterment of Belarus. Using a synthesized... (More)
Mobilizing for increased human rights and democratization in authoritarian states comes with great costs and risks. The post-soviet country of Belarus is often referred to as a textbook example of a consolidated authoritarian state. Despite several attempts, Belarusian society has yet to move towards a democratic transition. The incumbent regime seems to adapt to democratic challenges and stepped up its repressive measures to prevent any democratic movement to become a significant threat to the government.
This study shows a more nuanced view of political life in Belarus. Despite the repressive authoritarian environment, people still engage in democratic civil society organizations for the betterment of Belarus. Using a synthesized theoretical model of social movements theories, combining micro and macro perspectives, this qualitative case study aims at shedding light on civil society participation and the effects of authoritarian state repression on civil society actors in Minsk, Belarus.
The study found that individuals claim that collectivistic incentives, rather than selfish gains, motivate them to engage in civil society organizations. Furthermore, how actors frame the perceptions of repressive structures governs the incentives they produce. Hence, the argument that state repression always deters mobilization seems to not hold. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Wassberg, Vide LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK12 20191
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Social movement, Participation, Civil society, Authoritarianism, Belarus
language
English
id
8978221
date added to LUP
2019-09-06 09:09:43
date last changed
2019-09-06 09:09:51
@misc{8978221,
  abstract     = {{Mobilizing for increased human rights and democratization in authoritarian states comes with great costs and risks. The post-soviet country of Belarus is often referred to as a textbook example of a consolidated authoritarian state. Despite several attempts, Belarusian society has yet to move towards a democratic transition. The incumbent regime seems to adapt to democratic challenges and stepped up its repressive measures to prevent any democratic movement to become a significant threat to the government. 
	This study shows a more nuanced view of political life in Belarus. Despite the repressive authoritarian environment, people still engage in democratic civil society organizations for the betterment of Belarus. Using a synthesized theoretical model of social movements theories, combining micro and macro perspectives, this qualitative case study aims at shedding light on civil society participation and the effects of authoritarian state repression on civil society actors in Minsk, Belarus. 
	The study found that individuals claim that collectivistic incentives, rather than selfish gains, motivate them to engage in civil society organizations. Furthermore, how actors frame the perceptions of repressive structures governs the incentives they produce. Hence, the argument that state repression always deters mobilization seems to not hold.}},
  author       = {{Wassberg, Vide}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Mobilizing Under Authoritarianism: A case study on state repression and individual motivations for civil society engagement in Minsk, Belarus.}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}