Faith-Based Organizations and Social Welfare: Associational Life and Religion in Contemporary Africa and Latin America

"The case studies in this volume examine the activities of faith-based institutions in a representative sample of African and Latin American countries, including societies with and without a dominant religious tradition, and states with different levels and types of government-provided social services. Among other questions, the chapters examine the types of social service activities faith-based organizations engage in; their effect on civil society and democratic processes; their influence on the character of local and national communities; and what new pressures would be brought to bear on state-provided services if these faith-based organizations ceased to exist." --

1. Religion, Faith-Based Organizations and Welfare Delivery in Contemporary Eastern Europe: An Introduction to the Volume -- 2. Religion, Civil Society, and the State: Dynamics in Eastern Europe -- 3. Faith-Based Welfare Provision in Russia -- 4. The Place of Church in the Romanian Public Sphere: From Charitable Entrepreneur to Political Agent -- 5. In Times of Crisis: Faith-based Social Engagement and Religious Contestations in Ukraine since Maidan 2013-2014 -- 6. God's Backyard: Politics and the Catholic Church in Poland -- 7. Church and the Welfare State in Croatia -- 8. Religion, Civil Society, and Charitable Activity in Slovenia -- 9. Faith-Based Organizations in Hungary -- 10. Religion and Welfare in a Secular Society: The Case of Estonia -- 11. Irreplaceable Church Welfare in the Least Religious Country: The Case of the Czech Republic.

Intro -- Praise for Faith-Based Organizations and Social Welfare -- Foreword -- Preface: Towards an Understanding of the Role of Religion in the Delivery of Social Welfare in Contemporary Eastern Europe -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- About the Editors -- Contributors -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- 1 Religion, Faith-Based Organizations, and Welfare Delivery in Contemporary Eastern Europe: An Introduction to the Volume -- Conceptualizing Variation in Contemporary Eastern Europe -- Structure of the Volume -- The Chapters in This Volume -- A Preliminary Assessment: Key Themes from the Case-Studies -- 2 Religion, Civil Society, and the State: Dynamics in Eastern Europe -- Introduction -- Insufficiency of Paradigm Cases -- Articulating the Divergences -- "Tocquevillian Modus" -- Active Pluralism as a Challenge -- Conclusions -- Part I Majority Orthodox Countries -- 3 Faith-Based Welfare Provision in Russia -- Path Development: How did the Church-State Relationship Evolve in Russia? -- Kievan Rus' and Imperial Russia -- Communist Period -- Perestroika and Post-Soviet Russian Federation Period -- What Is the Current Religious Composition of Russia's Population? -- Objectives: What Do Religious Actors Intend to Achieve in Their Public Agency? -- Means and Strategies: How Do Religious Actors Operate in the Public Square? -- Political and Cultural Strategies -- Social Welfare Provision -- Sources of Income -- Effects: What Are the Intended or Unintended Consequences of Religious Actors' Political/Public Involvement? -- Political -- Cultural -- Welfare -- Public Perceptions: How Does the National Population View the Activities of Faith-Based Organizations? -- Conclusions and Future Challenges -- 4 The Place of the Church in the Romanian Public Sphere: From Charitable Entrepreneur to Political Agent.