Despite the recent emphasis on civil society as an engine for transforming the political & social arenas, it is questionable whether the foundations necessary for the creation & maintenance of civil society are present in contemporary social formations. In fact, the requisites for creating civil society have been steadily undermined in Europe, North America, & elsewhere in the recent past. Today's society is properly understood as a post-civil society. The social networks & forms of cooperation embedded in contemporary social practices could prove to be the source of a new movement, with new forms of exchange & a new concept of liberation. 32 References. A. Funderburg
Important role played by civil society in a democratic transition is explored using the example of the Ukranian Orange Revolution. Despite the uniqueness of every revolution, there are two ways civil society's influence is important in all revolutions. The first is in the correlation between civil society's level of maturity & the form & manner of public protest. The second is reflected in the eventual outcome of the democratic transition. Other universal factors include evidence of government subversion of the election process & widespread fraud. Two key advantages in the case of the Ukraine were the existence of a unique concept of civil society that favored loose communities attuned to political information & analysis, & the development of a civil society that was open to the establishment of election monitoring & polling. Additionally important was an informed citizenry, & the presence of volunteers trained by Yellow Pora in underground organizing techniques. The seventeen day nonviolent protest in Maidan is asserted to have created a qualitatively new type of civil society, one that transcended the need for connection with state or government, & one centered on a new civic nationalism. The author concludes by arguing that the nonviolent & innovative strategies of Ukrainian civil society so important in the Orange Revolution, exemplify the importance of a strong civil society. J. Harwell
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.
Main goal of activity of government and the Kazakhstan reforms in the fundamental principle is construction and development of the constitutional state and civil society. The concept of development of civil society and formation of the modern open state allow solving problems of interaction of the population and authorities. The democracy in its full realization provides differentiation of civil society and state by means of certain mechanisms of influence of citizens on activity of government bodies of the country.
The European Union clearly matters for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). EU officials and European political entrepreneurs has been crucial in the promotion of funding and access opportunities, but they have been proven to have little capacity to use CSOs for their own purposes.
The sixth article, 'Civil Society: What Next'? by Goran Hyden, deals with the increasingly important role of civil society in today's world, with particular reference to the field of development. In the wake of the structural political transformations of the past two or three decades -- notably, the 'rolling back' of state capacities & the reinforcement of corporate power -- civil society has emerged into a position of central importance. In the area of development, civil society initiatives have been given prominence as alternatives to, what has been perceived as, a failed development agenda largely driven by top-down state-planning &, later, free-market policy. To help clear up the conceptual confusion surrounding the term civil society, Hyden first traces its historical-political roots. In the face of the increasing influence of neo-liberal economic policies & the skewed nature of the global economic system, he writes, many civil society organisations (CSOs) 'see themselves increasingly in opposition . above all to corporate capital'. In their endeavour to redress the imbalances of the global order & move beyond mere critique, 'global justice' organisations face a number of challenges: to seek to exert influence in established & new sites of action, to pursue reactive & proactive work, & to grapple simultaneously with local, national as well as global political contexts. Perhaps the most demanding task facing CSOs, in Hyden's view, is 'to make the poor part of a solidarity movement, in which they are not just pawns but autonomous actors'. To do this, he says, CSOs must increasingly engage in integrating activist work with continuous self-reflection & analysis regarding methods, tactics & possibilities for increasing civil society cooperation. Tables. Adapted from the source document.
A Brazilian view of the World Social Forum, in its regional & international context, how the landscape of the world's Left has changed, & whether the ideologies of nongovernmental organization & civil society are capable of resisting what they criticize. Adapted from the source document.
This article examines the development, activities and effectiveness of women's NGOs in 10 Central and Eastern European countries. It begins by examining the establishment of women's organizations post-1989, identifying their structure, funding difficulties and the issues on which they focus. It also addresses the tension between the work of NGOs and the wider development of civil society. The article goes on to explore how negative perceptions of feminism have hindered efforts to develop a unified and coherent agenda among women's NGOs. Finally, it analyses how public attitudes have affected relations between women's organizations and women politicians as well as how competition and fragmentation have complicated relationships between NGOs.
International audience ; This article examines the development, activities and effectiveness of women's NGOs in 10 Central and Eastern European countries. It begins by examining the establishment of women's organizations post-1989, identifying their structure, funding difficulties and the issues on which they focus. It also addresses the tension between the work of NGOs and the wider development of civil society. The article goes on to explore how negative perceptions of feminism have hindered efforts to develop a unified and coherent agenda among women's NGOs. Finally, it analyses how public attitudes have affected relations between women's organizations and women politicians as well as how competition and fragmentation have complicated relationships between NGOs.
State, civil society, and classical liberalism /Steven Scalet and David Schmidtz --Classical liberalism and civil society : definitions, history, and relations /Tom G. Palmer --Civil society and government : a liberal-egalitarian perspective /Will Kymlicka --Liberal egalitarianism : a family of theories, not a single view /William A. Galston --Critical theory perspective on civil society and the state /Kenneth Baynes --Skeptics at the celebration : civil society and the early Frankfurt School /Stephen K. White --Feminist perspectives on civil society and government /Nancy L. Rosenblum --Comment on Nancy Rosenblum's "Feminist Perspectives on Civil Society and Government" /Susan Moller Okin --Natural law, civil society, and government /Fred D. Miller, Jr. --Natural law : a response /William M. Sullivan --Limited state and a vibrant society : Christianity and civil society /John A. Coleman --Christianity, civil society, and the state : a Protestant response /Max L. Stackhouse --Civil society and government : seeking Judaic insights /Noam J. Zohar --Response to Noam Zohar /David Biale --Civil society and government in Islam /John Kelsay --Perspectives on Islam and civil society /Farhad Kazemi.
Many challenges exist to the formation of democracy in the Arab nations, but changes in civil society are having an impact. Violations of human & civil rights, promises made by Arab leaders, some debates on reform, & the demands of minorities are all receiving media attention. Several local groups are finding ways around restrictive legislation & are calling for freedom of the press, women's rights, & human rights. All this creates an atmosphere that leads many to anticipate change. Also, international pressure is encouraging Arab countries to loosen the strict controls over their own societies. Some of the obstacles that need to be overcome still are the fear of governments of losing control, & the abuse of religion. R. Larsen
Discusses misunderstandings of the expression burgerliche Gesellschaft in John Ehrenberg's "Civil Society and Marxist Politics" (1998). Although the German expression is commonly translated as "civil society," it is argued that the two terms are not synonymous, & differences in their meanings have political & theoretical implications. The insights of Antonio Gramsci are drawn on to assess meanings expressed by Friedrich Engels & Karl Marx, noting that Marx aligned a differentiated civil society with political alienation & never suggested reconstituting, democratizing, or preserving civil society. G. W. F. Hegel uses burgerliche Gesellschaft to designate a domain distinct from the state, while conceiving civil society as bourgeois society. Marx & Engels see burgerliche Gesellschaft as a social sphere not completely absorbed by bourgeois society & focus instead on capitalist relations of production in bourgeois society. Gramsci blamed the failure of post-WWI socialist revolutions in Western European countries on Marx's neglect of civil society, emphasizing the need for ethical leadership in centers of capitalist development. Implications are discussed in relation to mainstream liberal political discourse in the US. J. Lindroth
Examines the concept of civil society, chronicling its historical ideological development to its current permutations & challenges, particularly in light of the fall of communism. The concept of civil society postulated by John Locke, Stewart Mill, & other classical liberal scholars is favored; ie, the purpose & role of government is to safeguard individual liberties & protect the formation of private associations of individual citizens, which, in combination, constitute the fundamental impetus for national wealth, progress, & human flourishing. 28 References. W. Mills