Contributions of civil society in the process of socio-economic inclusion in the Republic of Moldova

Immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a long process of transition and social, political and economic reconfiguration followed, for the Republic of Moldova and the other states that were part of the Soviet bloc. Thus, political instability, corruption problems, recent migration, as well as security risks that have emerged more recently due to the war in Ukraine, come with a series of challenges for Moldovan society, and especially for the vulnerable segment. In this fluctuating and complex context, civil society plays an important role in terms of social and economic inclusion and implicitly in consolidating democracy and promoting European values at the level of society in the Republic of Moldova. Given that the process of socio-economic inclusion covers a wide range of areas (social protection, workforce, education, health, security, culture), we want to highlight the role that civil society plays in the process of catching up on socio-economic development in the Republic of Moldova. It is known that civil society has often substitute the lack of reaction or insufficient public policies of the state, but at the same time certain actions of civil society have determined constructive reactions in terms of creating or improving public policies or implementing impact projects that can prevent or solve these sensitive social challenges. Starting from the hypothesis that civil society contributes essentially to the inclusion process, we aim to analyze (through qualitative methods of analysis and process tracking data) some of the contributions of civil society in Moldova in terms of social and economic inclusion and its effects on the development of society. Our analysis will consider vulnerable groups (people with disabilities, NEETs, etc.) who have benefited from social inclusion through projects implemented by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).