Suchergebnisse

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.

The European Union (EU) has clearly made a difference for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). EU officials and European political entrepreneurs have been crucial in the promotion of funding and access opportunities, but they have been proven to have little capacity to create CSOs from scratch or to use CSOs too bluntly for their own purposes. This book brings Europeanization studies closer to society by providing a sociologically-informed analysis, which challenges current assumptions and highlights neglected areas of study. It also addresses many of the methodological challenges in the empirical study of the Europeanization of interest groups, including a comparative analysis over a long time period. The book provides a comparison across three countries, France, UK and Spain, and two policy sectors, international solidarity and social CSOs

Machine generated contents note: Introduction -- Robert C. Post and Nancy L. Rosenblum -- 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 -- A 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 -- A Limited State and a Vibrant Society: Christianity and Civil Society -- John A. Coleman, S.J. -- 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 -- Confucian Perspectives on Civil Society and Government -- Peter Nosco -- Commentary and Addenda on Nosco's "Confucian Perspectives on Civil Society and Government" -- Henry Rosemont, Jr. -- Overview: The Virtues and Vices of Civil Society -- Richard B. Miller