Suchergebnisse

CIVIL SOCIETY HAS BECOME VERY IMPORTANT--A PREQUISITE FOR DEVELOPING A HEALTHY POLITY AND VIBRANT ECONOMY. THIS ARTICLE CAUTIONS THAT TOO MUCH OF THE WRONG KIND CAN ACTUALLY WEAKEN DEMOCRACY AND PRODUCE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC GRIDLOCK. IT QUESTIONS THE USEFULNESS OF NGOS AND ARGUES THAT CIVIL SOCIETY REALISM SHOULD NOT BE A CONTRADICTION IN TERMS.

Many of the thousands of Russians who protested against the Soviet system in 1990/91 are still around. In 2001, there were an estimated 200,000 nongovernmental organizations. However, like the civil society in general, they are contributing little to consolidate democracy. Questioned here is whether the public even constitutes a civil society, so little do they do to develop democratic institutions. This chapter analyzes the development of both Soviet & post-Soviet society in terms of their demonstration of independence from as opposed to obedience to the state. It is argued that, like political parties, they do not have a cultural precedent for civic action, nor do they have sufficient economic resources, since post-Soviet economic development in Russia has benefited only a few, who have no reason to change the status quo. The history of what might be called Russia's civil society is traced, & possibilities for change are suggested. J. Stanton

Klappentext: Now in its fourth edition, Civil Society has become a major work of reference for those who seek to understand the role of voluntary citizen action in a troubled world. Recent economic and political developments do not bode well for the theory and practice of civil society: communities are increasingly divided; inequality is on the rise; authoritarians and populists have gained a foothold even in advanced democracies; restrictions on freedom of speech and association are increasingly common and recent scandals have even reduced trust in charities. Worryingly, public spheres seem incapable of addressing these concerns. Yet, as Michael Edwards makes clear, ideas about the civil sphere can shed much light on what is happening, why, and how we might respond to polarization, privatization, and authoritarians of various stripes.

Der Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, was eine Civil Society ist. Neben Wirtschaft und Staat wird Gesellschaft als eine dritte Kategorie eingeführt. Civil Society wird dabei als eine pluralistische Gesellschaft gesehen, in der die Autonomie ihrer einzelnen Mitglieder, Gruppen und Gemeinschaften dadurch charakterisiert ist, daß sie Verpflichtungen anerkennt, die von den Individuen und Gruppen gegenüber der Gesellschaft als Ganzem und ihren besonderen zentralen Organen und Gesetzen eingegangen werden. Was dies im einzelnen bedeutet, welche Implikationen die einzelnen Aspekte haben, wird am Beispiel der liberalen Demokratie herausgearbeitet und diskutiert. Die Analyse kommt zu dem Ergebnis, daß es Zivilität als bürgerliche Verhaltensnorm und die bürgerlichen Tugenden nur in einer Civil Society geben kann. Ausgehend von den spezifischen Merkmalen der Civil Society seit dem 19. Jahrhundert wird die Entwicklung der Rolle des Staatsbürgers nachgezeichnet, der ein vollberechtigtes Mitglied der politischen Gesellschaft und für die Gesellschaft als Ganzes mitverantwortlich ist. (ICA)

Civil society has been a guiding concept for political activists in Eastern Europe for the past twenty-five years. The profound changes in the region since 1989 have provoked disagreement & confusion about the application of this concept. During the final decades of resistance to communist rule, civil society & government were seen as in an antagonistic relation; but when dissidents came to occupy governmental positions, some made the claim that "civil society is in power." It is argued that this claim misunderstands the functions of civil society & the distinct forms of power exercised by civil society & by government. Some key characteristics of the current transition regimes in Eastern Europe are discussed to illustrate the particular difficulties & challenges that civil society faces under the current political circumstances. AA

After describing the civil republican & pluralist/multiculturalist models of communitarianism, it is asserted that the latter paradigm must assist the former in resuscitating civil society. The principal obstacles to such an effort are identified as the fragmentation of civil society, the prevalence of inequality in communities, & civil society's dependence on volunteer labor. It is contended that individuals must become more involved in associational life to sustain political reform; moreover, political reform is necessary to combat various forms of inequality that plague civil society. Rather than strengthen associations, individuals must strive for a pluralist identity in which they participate in multiple associations. In addition, groups that perceive themselves as politically underrepresented must participate in democracy. Rather than providing volunteer workers with guaranteed salaries, an alternative that provides subsistence wages & benefits & allows individuals to maintain their volunteer status is advocated. It is concluded that neoliberalism must be eliminated for civil society to flourish. J. W. Parker

A review essay on books by (1) Ariel C. Armony, The Dubious Link: Civic Engagement and Democratization (Stanford, CA: Stanford U Press, 2004); (2) Carlos Forment, Democracy in Latin America: Civic Selfhood and Public Life in Mexico and Peru, 1760-1900 (Chicago: U Chicago Press, 2003); & (3) Marc Morje Howard, The Weakness of Civil Society in Post-Communist Europe (New York: Cambridge U Press, 2003). For much of the past two decades, students of democracy have operated under the spell of civil society. A new & extensive body of literature, however, suggests the limits of this evocative concept in explaining the making & maintenance of democratic regimes. Despite its recent popularity, civil society remains mired in conceptual confusion regarding what the term is meant to represent. More important, the theoretical agenda underpinning the civil society revival lacks much of a foundation in real-life politics. A central problem is the tendency to treat civil society's effects on politics in isolation from the political context. Adapted from the source document.