Non-profit organizations (NPOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play a crucial intermediary role between governments, markets, and citizens. Yet their survival is increasingly threatened by restrictive political environments and shrinking civic space. Authoritarian regimes employ laws, bureaucratic barriers, and surveillance to curtail their operations, challenging institutional sustainability and legitimacy. This article explores how NGOs fulfill service, advocacy, and innovation roles under constraint, adopting adaptive strategies that balance mission integrity with survival. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives, it situates NGO action within broader global and historical contexts, highlighting resilience, legitimacy, and accountability as defining features of civil society under pressure. The analysis advances scholarly understanding and practical policy dialogue on sustaining non-profit action amid authoritarian resurgence.
Anna Neya Kazanskaia (Wed,) studied this question.