“The problem is often not the projects or the investments themselves, but a lack of understanding for the local context and a lack of local support. Despite these being cooperative projects, the local partner is often burdened with a great deal of responsibility, and they also have to adapt to Swedish requirements for transparency and measurability,” says Noomi Weinryb, docent in Business Studies External link. at Södertörn University.

In the “Supporting Democracy and Human Rights in Illiberal Regimes” research project, she and her colleague Zhanna Kravchenko, docent in Sociology External link. are investigating how civil society organisations in Russia, which work on democracy and human rights, have navigated their relationships with financiers and the political context from 1988 to the present day. The project, which is funded by the Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies, also examines how Swedish financiers, such as the Swedish Institute, work to disseminate ideas about human rights and democracy.

Standard models for democracy

In one recent article, they present the lack of local support as an explanation for difficulties in transferring democratic ideals and models between contexts. When a standard model of democracy is introduced into a new context its translation is often flawed, so there is a risk that the result is less effective than expected.

“One problem is that much of what financiers do is standardised. Investments must be accounted for and followed up using specific models, which is a barrier to projects’ becoming long-term and having local support,” says Kravchenko.

Decisive investments

The project spans a period of significant change in Russia, from the final years of the Soviet Union, to a young democracy, to an authoritarian regime that is increasingly restricting, condemning and demonising liberal values.

Despite the identified challenges, the researchers believe that efforts to promote democracy are vital.

“We are not saying that supporting this type of project has been negative, as it is very important for this work to continue – especially given that the US is drastically cutting foreign aid through USAID. However, the success of these projects requires a longer-term strategy that considers local conditions and organisations’ actual needs. These are important lessons to learn,” says Weinryb.

Read more about the development of democracy in former Soviet states in the article (in Swedish): Demokratins tillbakagång allt tydligare i Central- och Östeuropa External link, opens in new window. (published December 2022)