The politics of civil society building: European private aid agencies and democratic transitions in Central America

Strengthening civil society may be all the rage in the international donor community, but what does it mean in practice? This seminal work critically examines the political aspects of civil society building and the role of non-governmental development aid agencies during recent democratic transitions in Central America.
‘The Politics of Civil Society Building’ is the first comparative study of the policies, practices and political impact of European NGO aid interventions. Drawing on years of active fieldwork, Biekart rigorously compares the cases of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras within a rich analytical framework. His new book is bound to fuel current debates on the impact of private aid agencies, which are under pressure to demonstrate results of their interventions abroad.