The internationalization of Polish civil society elites and their impact on development cooperation policy and practice

Purpose The aim of this paper is to discuss the rise of internationalized civil society elites in Poland engaged in the fields of development cooperation, democratization assistance, humanitarian relief and global education in the framework of private international governance theory. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative sociological approach and the methodology of cross-case analysis are employed in this study of Polish internationalized civil society elites. Findings Evidence would be provided that whereas in some donor countries the gap between civil society elites engaged abroad and their locally active colleagues obstructs the travel of ideas, in Poland aid professionals freely move between sectors, which has allowed for better exchange of know-how and also enhanced their influence on policy-making. At the same time, the existing divides within internationalized civil society elites in Poland - between "democratizing" or "developmental", between secular and religious and between progressive and conservative as of late - are indicative of the ongoing formation of these elites and of the heterogeneity of the community of aid professionals. Social implications In view of the worldwide fueling of populism by anti-elitist strategists, it is important to highlight the contribution of civil society elites to mainstreaming progressive humanitarian principles. Originality/value Whereas existing studies on elite formation in postsocialist countries like Poland examine political elites or the role of the intelligentsia for the fledgling middle class and local civil society, this paper focuses on the emergence of a stratum of Polish elites, which are both internationalized and engaged in the nonprofit sector.