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The inter -relation between the state, civil society and more recently political society, notwithstanding the differences over what constitutes each of these domains, has emerged as the single most significant area of study for understanding the process of democratization. Civil society has long been projected and trusted, post-East European debacle, as an all-encompassing panacea for most of the problems plaguing developing societies. It is a political imaginary that is carved out to stand for various values, actively pursued through varied institutions. Civil society has become a kind of 'aspirational shorthand' for ideas and values of equity, increasing participation, public fairness, individual rights, tolerance, trust, legality, cooperation and informed citizenry (C.M.Elliot, 2 003). These ideals are fostered and protected by voluntary associative activity independent or "outside" of the state. ; Understanding the Context Nature of Industrialisation and Capital Problem of Pollution and Social Cost Methodology of the Present Study Political Society - Collective or interest-based? "Political Society" and the Decaying Community Bibliography

The compilation of articles in this book originated in papers delivered at a two day workshop that took place in San José, Costa Rica, in March 2007 . This workshop is part of the Africa/Asia/Latin America Scholarly Collaborative Program jointly undertaken by APISA-CLACSO-CODESRIA with the generous support of ASDI. This Program is designed to serve as a research forum for the generation of fresh and original comparative insights on the diverse problems and challenges facing the countries of the South. In doing so, it is also hoped that the activities will contribute to the consolidation of cross-regional networking among Southern scholars, foster a scholarly culture of Southern cross-referencing, and contribute to a type of theory-building that is more closely attuned to the shared historical contexts and experiences of the countries and peoples of the South. Participants from all three continents in equal numbers are invited to each activity. Each scholar is exposed to the socio-historical contexts of other regions of the South as an input that will help to broaden their analytical perspectives and improve the overall quality of their scientific engagements. ; Preface 9 Introduction Ciska Raventós 11 Part I Civil society, public space and democratization Democratic innovation in Latin America: a first look at the Democratic Participatory Project Evelina Dagnino, Alberto Olvera and Aldo Panfichi 27 Citizens' participation and associative space Armando Chaguaceda Noriega 47 Part II Protest, contentious collective action and democratization Participation vs. Representation? The Experience of the Neighborhood Assemblies of Buenos Aires, 2001-2003 Inés Pousadela 69 Index A Time of Opportunities: the Piquetero Movement and Democratization in Argentina Gabriela Bukstein 123 Antinomies of Political Society: Implications of Uncivil Development Ajay Gudavarthy and G. Vijay 141 Part III Institutional legal reform: contribution to democratization The "Democratization" of China's Laws and Policies: two steps forward one step back from Reform and Tiananmen to Falun Gong Gillian Hui Lynn Goh 167 Innovations in Electoral Politics in Ghana's Fourth Republic: an Analysis Alexander Frempong 183 On Democratic Consolidation in the South: comments on Alexander Frempong´s Paper Jorge Rovira Mas 205 Part IV Minority rights and democracy Democracy, Minority Rights and Conflict Prevention in Asia Ashok Swain 213