Non-governmental Organizations as Agents of Modernization: A Romanian Perspective

It is currently contended that the economic adjustment programmes being implemented by Romania should be accompanied by reforms that lead to concrete modernization. The current economic difficulties demonstrate the limits of the state in terms of leading and guaranteeing constant social and economic development by itself, and have attracted new interest in the role of n on- governmental organizations (NGOs). Being part of civil society, NGOs are expected to play an important role in fostering the changes that many would argue are now needed. This article examines the theoretical grounds for assuming that NGOs will function as agents of modernization, and considers some issues of the role of NGOs as part of the administrative reform and modernization process. It concludes with some remarks concerning the future development of the legal framework and the necessity for networking between public administration institutions and civil society institutions involved in the modernization process.Our general research approach for this paper is to recollect the historical and descriptive experience. We use cross - sectional and correlational analysis methods as part of the empirical analysis.