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The Effect of Government Repression on Civil Society: Evidence from Cambodia

Publication ,  Journal Article
Springman, J; Malesky, E; Right, L; Wibbels, E
Published in: International Studies Quarterly
September 1, 2022

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are a core component of a robust civil society and operate in a wide variety of sectors, ranging from service delivery to political advocacy. However, research has yet to systematically investigate whether the impact of government repression varies across NGO activities. We hypothesize that advocacy NGOs are more affected by repression than those in service delivery. Surveying 176 employees from 106 NGOs in Cambodia, we employ a conjoint experiment to examine how the level of repression affects a task crucial to NGOs' survival: obtaining funding via grant applications. We find that while increases in the severity of repression appear to have a stronger deterrent effect for advocacy NGOs, repression has a large deterrent effect on service NGOs as well. Interviews and text analysis of open-ended questions suggest that local officials target both advocacy and service delivery NGOs, but for different reasons. Our findings speak to the spread of authoritarianism and the challenges NGOs face in countries with closing civic spaces.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

International Studies Quarterly

DOI

EISSN

1468-2478

ISSN

0020-8833

Publication Date

September 1, 2022

Volume

66

Issue

3

Related Subject Headings

  • International Relations
  • 4408 Political science
  • 1607 Social Work
  • 1606 Political Science
  • 1605 Policy and Administration
 

Citation

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Springman, J., Malesky, E., Right, L., & Wibbels, E. (2022). The Effect of Government Repression on Civil Society: Evidence from Cambodia. International Studies Quarterly, 66(3). https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqac028
Springman, J., E. Malesky, L. Right, and E. Wibbels. “The Effect of Government Repression on Civil Society: Evidence from Cambodia.” International Studies Quarterly 66, no. 3 (September 1, 2022). https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqac028.
Springman J, Malesky E, Right L, Wibbels E. The Effect of Government Repression on Civil Society: Evidence from Cambodia. International Studies Quarterly. 2022 Sep 1;66(3).
Springman, J., et al. “The Effect of Government Repression on Civil Society: Evidence from Cambodia.” International Studies Quarterly, vol. 66, no. 3, Sept. 2022. Scopus, doi:10.1093/isq/sqac028.
Springman J, Malesky E, Right L, Wibbels E. The Effect of Government Repression on Civil Society: Evidence from Cambodia. International Studies Quarterly. 2022 Sep 1;66(3).
Journal cover image

Published In

International Studies Quarterly

DOI

EISSN

1468-2478

ISSN

0020-8833

Publication Date

September 1, 2022

Volume

66

Issue

3

Related Subject Headings

  • International Relations
  • 4408 Political science
  • 1607 Social Work
  • 1606 Political Science
  • 1605 Policy and Administration