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Just as domestic civil society is widely regarded as serving the greater common good of a national democratic political community, global civil society is also promoted as a vehicle through which a host of humanity's ills may be remedied. This article argues that the pinning of such high hopes on global civil society is mistaken, for its proponents have failed to recognise that global civil society is insufficiently analogous to domestic civil society for it to be a similarly positive force. At the national level, civil society functions in a balanced interdependence with the state. At the global level there is no equivalent of the state to provide the necessary scrutiny & regulation that at the national level prevents constituents of domestic civil society from committing injustices. Adapted from the source document.

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.

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.

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

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)

This brief provides an overview of the civil society organizations in Bhutan. With a view to strengthening ADB cooperation with civil society organizations, the NGO and Civil Society Center periodically prepares reports on the context for civil society organization activities in various developing countries in Asia and the Pacific. These studies contribute to awareness of the important role that civil society organizations play in promoting development across the Asia-Pacific region. The reports are often prepared by nongovernment organizations (NGOs) or with substantial input from NGOs.

Explores the concept of domestic and transnational civil societies, in context of democracy, economic growth, and globalization. Role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs),