The book will focus on the third sector, including civil society organizations, hereinafter referred to as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and their participation in governance especially in times of crisis. The broad objective will be to explore the role that NGOs play – independently and in collaboration with government institutions and private firms – in defining, shaping, and achieving the public good. The focus will be on NGOs that help to overcome the influence of the recent crises (COVID-19, energetic crisis, war in Ukraine), as well as NGOs assisting in developing new services aimed at refugees and other victims of the recent crises.

The book aims to answer questions like:

• What was the role of NGOs in the recent crises and how has it changed over the past few years? Has the importance of volunteering changed? Have the recent crises had an impact on the level of giving as well as the type of donations (money versus material, food, etc.)?

• How are NGOs involved in helping refugees, dealing with migration, with war consequences, and how are they trying to get the central and/or local governments to be more involved in supporting the refugees and creating support & integration structures for the refugees? Has the war affected any changes in funding of NGOs, are there any new funding schemes on the topics related to the war?

• How digital technologies and social media are influencing the work of NGOs in civil society, especially in the context of recent crises? How are NGOs involved in fighting hoaxes and disinformation, e.g. in light of the Russian-Ukrainian war?

• How have NGOs assumed the role in response to the recent crisis and reconstruction of the “status quo”? In what ways have they been able to respond differently from the public sector?

• What are the factors affecting the sustainability of NGOs, and how do these factors, such as financial support, funding sources (public/private), and donors’ profiles from within the country and abroad, affect their sustainability?

• What is the role of NGOs in the governance and provision of public services at the national and local levels in CEE countries, and how is this shaped by public attitudes, government policy, legislation, and financial support? What is the role of NGOs in new, innovative ways of providing public services, especially in times of public sector /public administration crisis?

• What is the role of civil liberties/watchdog NGOs in CEE countries? How do they deal with human trafficking, migration, human rights, democracy, and resilience? Do the activities of watchdog NGOs support the resilience of public sector organizations?