Civil Society Index Phase II Country Report: Albania

About Civil Society Index (CSI) |Institute for Democracy and Mediation - Our Partner in Albania | Download Report (PDF)

Executive Summary

The Civil Society Index (CSI) is an action research project implemented by and for civil society actors worldwide. It is based on a comprehensive methodology developed by CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizens Participation (hereafter CIVICUS). It aims to assess the state of civil society and to create a knowledge base for strengthening civil society. The CSI for Albania was conducted by the Institute for Democracy and Mediation

(IDM) under the guidance and support of the CIVICUS team. The assessment of civil society is carried out with respect to five key dimensions,
with a total of 28 sub-dimensions which are configured into 67 separate indicators. A wide range of research methods and analytical tools are used
in this assessment. The research relies on a variety of primary and secondary sources - a set of three surveys, five case studies, focus group discussions and other consultation activities conducted in the framework of the project, as well as diverse secondary data sources.

The roots of civil society in Albania can be traced back to the Albanian renaissance period (1831 to 1912) with predominantly sporadic and individualistic initiatives originating from the Diaspora communities. After independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, the historical circumstances
did not favour the development of an active third sector in the country. The establishment of a communist regime after World War II, which soon became one of the cruellest dictatorships in Europe, completely dashed hopes for an active civil society or even academic discourse on the concept for almost half a century in the country. In the past two decades since the demise of the dictatorship, Albanian civil society has made great strides, reaching today's moderately developed level. Beginning with more idealistic initiatives and interactions with the citizens in the early 1990s, Albanian civil society has become more pragmatic in the course of years. Even though public debate on the role of civil society has intensified in the recent years, there have been only a few studies which have provided only a fragmented knowledge base.

As an action-oriented assessment tool the CSI is used to assess the state of Albanian civil society. It is based on a broad definition of civil society as "the arena, outside of the family, the state, and the market, which is created by individual and collective actions, organisations and institutions to advance shared interests".

The five dimensions are graphically plotted in a Civil Society Diamond which is a portrayal of empirical structural and normative manifestations of civil society. The CSI Diamond also includes the conditions that support or inhibit civil society's development as well as the consequences (impact) of civil society's activities in society at large. As shown in figure 1, the Albanian third sector is moderately developed.

It operates in a generally enabling environment and at a relatively developed organisational level that appears supportive to the general practice of values within the sector. Its major deficiencies consist of the low degree of civic engagement and also the limited impact.
Highly qualified and efficient human resources and management, flexibility in responding to developing situations, networking potential, resistance to political pressure, objectivity, highly knowledgeable about and receptive to contemporary approaches, capable to provide qualitative expertise and help institutional building are some of the major strengths of the Albanian civil society. On the opposite side, the performance and role of country's third sector are affected by widespread citizens' scepticism towards activism and civil society impact, concerns
over essential aspects such as transparency and governance, sustainability, a largely donor-driven agenda, underdeveloped dialogue and exchange with decision-makers, as well as poor performance on advocacy and policy cycles.

Given the growing importance of civil society's role in governance and other sectors, the challenges for its development are not isolated within the sector. Hence, the responsibility to add value to these efforts should not rest solely with civil society actors.
The CSI therefore draws a set of recommendations for all stakeholders proposing that concerted efforts need to be directed at addressing deficits in civic engagement, transparency, accountability, sustainability of actions and resources, capacities to influence the policy cycle based on local inputs, dialogue and exchange with governmental and other actors, lack of civil society platforms in remote / rural areas etc.

The eventual interventions must form part of an inclusive plan d'action that relies on the commitment of a broad range of actors.