Shrinking space, expanding agency: Introducing the thematic issue on the paradoxes of non-state actor agency in contemporary Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

Beyond introducing the contents of Society & Economy’s thematic issue on non-state actors in contemporary Central and Eastern Europe, this article briefly sketches an outline of discussions about non-state actor (NSA) agency and provides a working definition thereof to be used in the issue. Subsequently, it highlights – and posits a rudimentary explanation for – two para-doxes that are of relevance beyond the geographical region in focus: the paradox of the non-linear agency-amplifying impact of state repression and the paradox of substitution. Both have implications for the assessment of state agency, NSA agency, and how the two are dynamically shaped by state-to-NSA and broader state-society relations.