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In the second part of a symposium held 28 Nov 1989 (see abstract of part 1 in this section of SA 40:3), a broader examination is undertaken of the phenomenon of social movements in the Soviet republics. In Informal Activity and the Soviet Working Class, Russell Bova (Dickinson Coll, Carlisle, Pa) discusses the dialectical interaction between Mikhail Gorbachev & the Soviet working class, whose informal & unofficial social & political activities have been preempted by Gorbachev for his own political purposes. It is contended that the participatory reforms enacted by the Supreme Soviet were to give the workers the impression that they could become "masters of their own enterprise," & therefore would work harder despite the economic hardships the Soviet leaders knew lay ahead. In The Role of Informal Groups and Independent Associations in the Evolution of Civil Society in the Soviet Union, Mark Pomar (Board for International Broadcasting, Washington, DC) draws on both current Soviet analysis & traditional Western perspectives to discuss the general concept of civil society in the USSR, delineating Gorbachev's goals & strategies & speculating on his chances for success. In State Response to Informal Groups, Jim Butterfield (Western Michigan U, Kalamazoo) synthesizes the experiences of three distinct social movements -- those of Latvia, Byelorussia, & Moscow (Russia) -- & suggests a typology that provides a better understanding of the Soviet state's varying responses to these movements. In Discussion, the contributors are joined by symposium moderator Alexander Motyl, coordinator Judith B. Sedaitis (Columbia U, New York, NY), & members of the symposium audience for further comments on the role of social movements in the politicoeconomic transformation of the USSR. J. W. Stanton

Are young people blindly self-interested? How does university shape students' political participation? Can busy parents and grandparents find time to volunteer? Challenging conventional thinking, leading academics explore how individuals' relationships with civil society change over time as different lifecourse events and stages trigger and hinder civic engagement. Drawing on personal narratives, longitudinal cohort studies and national surveys, this unprecedented study considers rarely examined aspects of civic engagement including school students' sense of social responsibility and the charitable legacy bequests of elderly people and highlights significant implications for those promoting greater civic and political participation.

What is the relevance of civil society to people empowerment, effective governance, and deepening democracy? This book addresses this question by examining the activities and public participation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the areas of religion, ethnicity, gender and the environment. Examples are taken from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. State regimes' attempts to co-opt the concept or reject it as alien to "Asian values" have apparently not turned out as expected. This is evident from the fact that many Southeast Asian citizens are inspired by the civil society concept and now engage in public discourse and participation. The experience of civil society in Southeast Asia shows that its impact -- or lack of impact -- on democratization and democracy depends on a variety of factors not only within civil society itself, but also within the state

Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of tables -- Preface and acknowledgments -- Note on transliteration and terminology -- List of abbreviations -- Map -- 1 Civil society in comparative perspective -- Western civil society -- Civil society in the Arab world -- African civil society -- Activism and civil society in Yemen -- 2 Twentieth-century states and economies -- Colonialism, tradition, and revolution -- State institutions and state sectors in two Yemeni republics -- The oil industry and the fall of the iron curtain -- Unity and discord in the Republic of Yemen -- 3 Islam, tribes, and social services -- Institutions of community and tribute -- Capital, philanthropy, and endowment -- Cooperation and mutual aid -- Latter-day community betterment projects -- 4 Colonialism, activism, and resistance -- Elections and formal political participation -- Urban clubs and associations -- Unions and the Aden Trades Union Congress -- Rural activism -- Nationalist and pan-Arab parties -- The press -- Episodic meetings and appeals -- Revolution and consolidation -- 5 Self-help, social capital, and state power -- Yemeni LDAs from a comparative development perspective -- Self-help and local traditions -- Legislative basis of the LDAs -- Civic initiative and central response -- Social services and societal transformation -- The centralization of cooperation -- 6 Unity, pluralism, and political participation -- Liberalizing legislation -- Party pluralism and electoral competition -- Mass media and the press -- Quasi-governmental and private voluntary associations -- The conference mode of participation -- 7 Civic responses to political crisis -- Governmental power struggles -- The national dialogue of political forces -- The expression of public opinion -- The civil war and its aftermath -- The 1997 elections -- Contending forces

This open access book examines how civil society organizations in Poland, Russia, and Sweden (re)act to transformations of opportunities and limitations in access to various forms of resources. The volume's contributions discuss the constraints associated with different types of resources as well as organizations' capacities to generate resources—or compensate for their lack—as they negotiate and contest barriers. The resourcefulness of civil society is revealed to be rooted in a variety of capabilities: converting resources, eliciting organizational change, and metamorphosing in response to organizational and environmental development. ​

Civil society in Southeast Asia -- Contents -- Preface -- About the Contributors -- 1. Introduction Civil Society in Southeast Asia -- 2. Islam, Constitutional Democracy, and the Islamic State in Malaysia -- 3. Cracks in the Wall of Separation? The Church, Civil Society, and the State in the Philippines -- 4. New Buddhism, Urban Space, and Virtual Civil Society -- 5. Women's Movement in the Philippines and the Politics of Critical Collaboration with the State -- 6. Participation of the Women's Movement in Malaysia: The 1999 General Election -- 7. Civil Society Effectiveness and the Vietnamese State — Despite or Because of the Lack of Autonomy -- 8. Relationship between State and Civil Society in Singapore Clarifying the Concepts, Assessing the Ground -- 9. Civil Society in Malaysia: An Arena of Contestations? -- 10. Ethnicity and the Civil Rights Movement in Indonesia -- 11. Civil Society Discourse and the Future of Radical Environmental Movements in Thailand -- Index.

Inspired by the globality of justice concerns in the 21st century, Global Civil Society 2011 focuses on how civil society actors around the world are framing, contesting and promoting ideas about justice, as well as their strategies to tackle the myriad injustices people face. It identifies an important shift in the globalisation of concerns about justice ₆ citizens may claim benefits from the nation state, but increasingly groups interacting globally are collectivizing a sense of injustice. In this way global civil society has created and expanded new spaces to reinstall justice as inspiration and arbiter of laws. Combining activist and academic accounts of contemporary struggles, this yearbook provides critical insight into how civil society is remaking justice in a global arena, beyond the confines of the nation state.