Democracy Assistance from the Third Wave: Polish Engagement in Belarus and Ukraine

5. Why Polish Democracy Assistance Matters

121 WHY POLISH DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE MATTERS n Polish democracy assistance relies extensively on Polish NGOs’ efforts, which may be analyzed through different prisms: the literature on democracy assistance, Polish NGOs’ own opinions and evaluation of the results of their efforts, and the opinions of Western donors about Polish practices. Are Polish NGOs’ efforts in delivering assistance really so different from those criticized in the literature? If so, how are such strategies different? In addition to addressing those questions, this chapter demonstrates how Polish NGOs view their work and how they assess the outcomes of their projects in Belarus and Ukraine. The diffusion literature suggests that the greater the similarity between the transmitters and the prospective adopters on one or more sociocultural dimensions, the greater the chance of successful diffusion (Bunce and Wolchik 2006; Lahusen 1999; Snow and Benford 1999). Thus, taking into account a special relationship, as well as strong historical, cultural, and societal connections between Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus, one should expect democratic diffusion through democracy assistance offered by Polish donors to work better and produce more substantial results, compared with programs from countries that are less familiar with each other. Do Polish NGOs believe they have the potential to be more effective in delivering democracy assistance to neighboring states than other (more distant) actors? If so, why? Do close cultural and historical relations automatically translate into the success of the diffusion of democracy? Why do Western donors, such as NED, decide to cooperate with Polish NGOs and finance their projects in Belarus and Ukraine? This is not to argue that cross-border democracy assistance is superior to other forms of assistance; the point is to evaluate these efforts and to demonstrate that, because of Polish NGOs’ knowledge, skills, strategies, and close geographical and cultural links with civil society in the region, Why Polish Democracy Assistance Matters 5 121 122 WHY POLISH DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE MATTERS Polish NGOs can play a very important role in transnational advocacy networks of democracy assistance to postcommunist countries. It sends the broader message that the inclusion of civil society organizations from young democracies in transnational networks may improve the effectiveness of democracy assistance to other, more authoritarian states or to fledgling democracies in the region. Polish NGOs’ Efforts and Common Critical Evaluations Despite the enormous interest and goodwill of foreign assistance donors , as well as their overall role in fostering democratization in recipient countries, scholars have criticized donor strategies that resulted in failure, limited results, or—in some cases—even negative effects. The majority of research on the impact of democracy assistance and on civil society development and democratization in recipient countries refers to Western assistance —governmental and nongovernmental aid from the United States, Britain, Germany, and elsewhere in Western Europe—provided in the 1990s to Central and Eastern European countries (Ballentine 2002; Boone 1996; Quigley 2000; Siegel and Yancey 1992; Wedel 2001) and more recently to Russia (Henderson 2000, 2003; McMahon 2002, 2004; Mendelson 2001; Richter 2002). Based on the criticism in the democracy assistance literature regarding some practices of Western donors, Wilde (2002, 433) gives some recommendations on how to improve the delivery of aid. She suggests that donors should (1) continue funding programs that promote democracy but consider adding social projects to their assistance strategy; (2) maintain continuity by supporting organizations that have achieved a measure of success; (3) create micro-grant programs that support grassroots initiatives and develop local organizations; (4) reach a wider audience; (5) improve the technical capacity of all forms of communication; and (6) encourage networking and partnering, both internally and externally. These recommendations , together with criticism in the democracy assistance literature, may be used to evaluate Polish NGOs’ democracy assistance efforts. Responding to Domestic Circumstances and Needs One of the most frequent critiques in research on democracy assistance is that donors have done little to adapt projects to local circumstances (Carothers 1999, 2004; Ottaway and Chung 1999; Quigley 2000, 192; Siegel and Yancey 1992, 57–58). Scholars argue that Western practitioners 123 WHY POLISH DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE MATTERS acted with little knowledge of regions, neglecting historical, cultural, and institutional legacies (Aksartova 2005; Grugel 1999; Mendelson and Glenn 2002, 66; Narozhna 2004; Quigley 2000). They tried to impose their Western practices without considering the target country’s domestic needs and local conditions (Henderson 2002, 155; Siegel and Yancey 1992, 58). Critics have argued that donor-driven building of NGOs was undertaken without considering the state of...