ABSTRACT
As the iron curtain came down, Western governments, intergovernmental organizations, and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs)1 made their way to the former Warsaw Pact countries. Whether they were interested in political party development or cleaning up the environment, they assumed that democratic consolidation depended on the existence of vibrant civil societies.2 Believing that money, advice and good intentions could fill the gap created by the retrenching state, members of the international community, almost exclusively from North America and Western Europe, invested in local NGOs, particularly public advocacy groups.3 The recipe was simple. Advocacy groups would broaden public participation, promote institutional pluralism, and instil democratic values. In record time, it was hoped, this investment would produce civil societies in East Central Europe that would perform the same functions as civil societies in the West.4
