Effects of the European Commission’s Democracy assistance to CSO’s : A quantitative study

Abstract: While the underlying political rationale for democracy support is predicated on its anticipated positive influence on democratization, the effectiveness of such support remains a subject of considerable debate. A less scrutinized dimension pertains to the employment of disaggregated metrics of democracy, with this dissertation placing emphasis on the specific category of aid directed towards civil society organizations. Continued investigation into this domain could yield significant insights into the particular facets of democracy most susceptible to aid interventions. The objective of this research is to delve deeper into the precise impacts and efficiency of the European Commission's (EC) aid initiatives geared towards bolstering civil society's role in democratization. It is suggested that the EC has, in recent times, sought to shape democratization trajectories in beneficiary countries via a Bottom-up approach. This research employs a time-series cross-sectional (TSCS) methodology to discern the ramifications of external support. The empirical foundation of this study is rooted in annual observations of the EC's assistance to participant nations, aimed at reinforcing civil society, from 2007 to 2021. Altogether, a total of 114 countries were scrutinized. However, the regression findings do not corroborate the hypothesized positive correlation between EC aid, dispensed through a Bottom-up approach, and the subsequent fortification of civil society over the period in question