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Civil Society And Democracy: A Reader (PDF)
by Carolyn M ElliottThe concept of civil society has today captured the imagination of a wide global community. Its proponents find in the idea benefits such as empowering citizens for problem-solving, counter-balancing the state, preserving individual privacy, and deepening people’s participation in government to increase effectiveness and improve governance. This volume, while discussing civil society and democracy, offers a unique combination of analysis by political theorists with empirical studies in comparative politics. The readings discuss modes of civil society and its articulation in the public sphere. They analyse the relationship of civil society to liberalism, pluralism, and ideas of nationhood in multicultural societies, cultural attributes and entrenched ideals, as also the institutional framework in which the idea operates. The essays also engage with the influence of civil society on important elements in a nation’s existence including markets, competing ethnicities, and accumulation of social capital, as also its impact on freedom and democracy to offer guidelines for strengthening democratic civil society in India.
Civil Society and Democracy Promotion (Challenges to Democracy in the 21st Century)
by Timm Beichelt Irene Hahn-Fuhr Frank Schimmelfennig Susann WorschechWith contributions from experts on democracy promotion, this volume examines civil society development and external civil society promotion in post-socialist Europe. It focuses on countries with a failed or deficient process of democratic consolidation looking at unintended consequences of external democracy promotion on civil society development.
Civil Society And Development: A Critical Exploration (PDF)
by Jude A. Howell Jenny PearceIncorporated into the discourse of academics, policymakers and grassroots activists, of multilateral development agencies and local NGOs alike, ""civil society"" has become a topic of widespread discussion, but is there any common understanding of the term? How useful is it when applied to the South, and what difference does it make to bring the concept into the debate on development? This text explores the complex relationships among civil society, the state and market in the context of democratic development. Drawing on case studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America, it also unravels what is meant by development agencies - bilaterals, multilaterals, NGOs and international financial institutions, with their diverse approaches and agendas - when they refer to the urgent need to strengthen civil society.
Civil Society and Governance in China
by Jianxing Yu and Sujian GuoWritten by scholars from both inside and outside China, this wide-ranging collection of essays explores the complexity of the relationship between governance and civil society by combining theoretical exploration and empirical case studies based on the governance practice in China.
Civil Society and Government (Ethikon Series in Comparative Ethics #3)
by Nancy L. Rosenblum Robert C. PostCivil Society and Government brings together an unprecedented array of political, ethical, and religious perspectives to shed light on the complex and much-debated relationship between civil society and the state. Some argue that civil society is a bulwark against government; others see it as an indispensable support for government. Civil society has been portrayed both as a independent of the state and as dependent upon it. This book reveals the extraordinary diversity of views on the subject by examining how civil society has been treated in classical liberalism, liberal egalitarianism, critical theory, feminism, natural law, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Confucianism. The volume draws on the work of eminent scholars to address six questions: In terms of function and consequences, does it matter where the line is drawn between civil society and the state? What is the relationship of civil society to the state? In what contexts and under what conditions should government interact with individuals directly or instead indirectly through communal associations? What are the prerogatives and duties of citizenship, and what is the role of civil society in forming good citizens? How should a society handle the conflicts that sometimes arise between the demands of citizenship and those of membership in the non-governmental associations of civil society? A theoretical introduction by the editors--political theorist Nancy Rosenblum and legal scholar Robert Post--and a conclusion by religious ethicist Richard Miller, tie the book together. In addition to Rosenblum, the contributors are Kenneth Baynes, David Biale, John Coleman, Farhad Kazemi, John Kelsay, William Galston, Will Kymlicka, Tom Palmer, Fred Miller, Susan Moller Okin, Peter Nosco, Henry Rosemont, Steven Scalet, David Schmidtz, William Sullivan, Max Stackhouse, Stephen White, and Noam Zohar.
Civil Society and Government (Ethikon Series in Comparative Ethics #3)
by Nancy L. Rosenblum Robert C. PostCivil Society and Government brings together an unprecedented array of political, ethical, and religious perspectives to shed light on the complex and much-debated relationship between civil society and the state. Some argue that civil society is a bulwark against government; others see it as an indispensable support for government. Civil society has been portrayed both as a independent of the state and as dependent upon it. This book reveals the extraordinary diversity of views on the subject by examining how civil society has been treated in classical liberalism, liberal egalitarianism, critical theory, feminism, natural law, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Confucianism. The volume draws on the work of eminent scholars to address six questions: In terms of function and consequences, does it matter where the line is drawn between civil society and the state? What is the relationship of civil society to the state? In what contexts and under what conditions should government interact with individuals directly or instead indirectly through communal associations? What are the prerogatives and duties of citizenship, and what is the role of civil society in forming good citizens? How should a society handle the conflicts that sometimes arise between the demands of citizenship and those of membership in the non-governmental associations of civil society? A theoretical introduction by the editors--political theorist Nancy Rosenblum and legal scholar Robert Post--and a conclusion by religious ethicist Richard Miller, tie the book together. In addition to Rosenblum, the contributors are Kenneth Baynes, David Biale, John Coleman, Farhad Kazemi, John Kelsay, William Galston, Will Kymlicka, Tom Palmer, Fred Miller, Susan Moller Okin, Peter Nosco, Henry Rosemont, Steven Scalet, David Schmidtz, William Sullivan, Max Stackhouse, Stephen White, and Noam Zohar.
Civil Society and Government (PDF)
by Nancy L. Rosenblum Robert C. PostCivil Society and Government brings together an unprecedented array of political, ethical, and religious perspectives to shed light on the complex and much-debated relationship between civil society and the state. Some argue that civil society is a bulwark against government; others see it as an indispensable support for government. Civil society has been portrayed both as a independent of the state and as dependent upon it. This book reveals the extraordinary diversity of views on the subject by examining how civil society has been treated in classical liberalism, liberal egalitarianism, critical theory, feminism, natural law, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Confucianism. The volume draws on the work of eminent scholars to address six questions: In terms of function and consequences, does it matter where the line is drawn between civil society and the state? What is the relationship of civil society to the state? In what contexts and under what conditions should government interact with individuals directly or instead indirectly through communal associations? What are the prerogatives and duties of citizenship, and what is the role of civil society in forming good citizens? How should a society handle the conflicts that sometimes arise between the demands of citizenship and those of membership in the non-governmental associations of civil society? A theoretical introduction by the editors--political theorist Nancy Rosenblum and legal scholar Robert Post--and a conclusion by religious ethicist Richard Miller, tie the book together. In addition to Rosenblum, the contributors are Kenneth Baynes, David Biale, John Coleman, Farhad Kazemi, John Kelsay, William Galston, Will Kymlicka, Tom Palmer, Fred Miller, Susan Moller Okin, Peter Nosco, Henry Rosemont, Steven Scalet, David Schmidtz, William Sullivan, Max Stackhouse, Stephen White, and Noam Zohar.
Civil Society and Transitions in the Western Balkans (New Perspectives on South-East Europe)
by Vesna Bojicic-Dzelilovic, James Ker-Lindsay and Denisa KostovicovaThis book explores the ambiguous role played by civil society in the processes of state-building, democratization and post-conflict reconstruction in the Western Balkans challenging the assumption that civil society is always a force for good by analysing civil society actors and their effects in post-communist and post-conflict transition.
Civil Society, Conflict and Violence (CIVICUS Global Study of Civil Society Series)
by Regina A. List Wolfgang DornerThis book looks at the role that civil society organizations play in dealing with conflict and violence. The authors argue that in most of the prevalent conceptualizations the conflict dimension of civil society is either downplayed or inadequately addressed. They contend that the ability to deal with conflict is at the heart of organized civil society; in the political process, one of civil society's key functions is to express and mediate between different interests, thus contributing to political decision-making. The chapters draw on detailed, empirical data from the CIVICUS Civil Society Index - a unique comparative data-set drawn from 25 countries, which has not previously been made publicly available. It examines the different ways violence has been manifested in civil societies, the meaning of violent protest and the impact of security legislation that might hinder the mediating efforts of civil society. The book offers a sophisticated comparison between conflict and post-conflict countries and an analysis of the role of civil society in conflict resolution, reconciliation and transitional justice.
Civil Society (PDF): Old Images, New Visions
by John KeaneOnly a decade ago, the eighteenth-century distinction between civil society -- a voluntary community of political actors -- and the state had fallen into disrepute among political thinkers. The author shows how and why, in a wholly unexpected reversal of fortunes, the seemingly antiquated term civil society now has wider currency and greater political importance -- among politicians, academics, journalists, business leaders, and citizens' organizations -- than at any previous point in history.
Civil Society's Democratic Potential: Organizational Trade-offs between Participation and Representation
by Nicole BolleyerThis is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is free to read on the Oxford Academic platform and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. In Civil Society's Democratic Potential, Nicole Bolleyer explores which civil society organizations (CSOs) contribute to democracy, how, and why. Organized civil society, including interest groups, political parties, and service-oriented associations, is traditionally considered a cornerstone of democracy. Constituting the organizational fabric between government and society, these organizations encompass a wide diversity of entities thought to fundamentally contribute to both democratic participation and representation. However, CSOs' readiness and ability to serve as venues for participation, vehicles of democratic representation, or indeed both at the same time, are increasingly questioned in political science, sociology, and voluntary sector research alike. Bringing those fields together, the author argues that two contrasting organizational templates - the 'voluntary association' and the 'professionalized voluntary organization' - allow theorizing fundamental trade-offs shaping CSOs' 'performance' on three dimensions accounting for their varying democratic contributions: participation, representation, and societal responsiveness. The study's innovative theoretical framework is examined using a mixed-methods design. The latter combines the analysis of survey data covering over 3000 CSOs across four European democracies with qualitative case studies of the evolution of three CSOs - a political party, an interest group, and a service-orientated organization - over several decades.
Civil Society's Democratic Potential: Organizational Trade-offs between Participation and Representation
by Nicole BolleyerThis is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is free to read on the Oxford Academic platform and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. In Civil Society's Democratic Potential, Nicole Bolleyer explores which civil society organizations (CSOs) contribute to democracy, how, and why. Organized civil society, including interest groups, political parties, and service-oriented associations, is traditionally considered a cornerstone of democracy. Constituting the organizational fabric between government and society, these organizations encompass a wide diversity of entities thought to fundamentally contribute to both democratic participation and representation. However, CSOs' readiness and ability to serve as venues for participation, vehicles of democratic representation, or indeed both at the same time, are increasingly questioned in political science, sociology, and voluntary sector research alike. Bringing those fields together, the author argues that two contrasting organizational templates - the 'voluntary association' and the 'professionalized voluntary organization' - allow theorizing fundamental trade-offs shaping CSOs' 'performance' on three dimensions accounting for their varying democratic contributions: participation, representation, and societal responsiveness. The study's innovative theoretical framework is examined using a mixed-methods design. The latter combines the analysis of survey data covering over 3000 CSOs across four European democracies with qualitative case studies of the evolution of three CSOs - a political party, an interest group, and a service-orientated organization - over several decades.
The Civil Sphere In East Asia (PDF)
by Jeffrey C. Alexander Agnes Shuk-Mei Ku Sunwoong Park David A. PalmerLeading sociologists who live and work in East Asia examine their region's most dangerous and explosive social problems, and some of their most stunning success stories, from the viewpoint of Civil Sphere Theory. This new and increasingly influential sociological understanding of democracy aims to describe and explain the moral codes and institutional foundations of democratic solidarity, as it manifests itself within a distinct social sphere. Part of a multi-volume project, this collection includes cases from Japan, mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea, bringing together efforts by sociologists based in East Asian academic institutions. Through an extraordinary blend of sophisticated social theory and path-breaking empirical research, The Civil Sphere in East Asia aims to advance civil sphere theory by globalizing and regionalizing it at the same time.
Civil War in Poland 1942-1948 (Studies in Russia and East Europe)
by A. PrazmowskaThis challenging new work uses archival research to examine Poland's government in exile during the Second World War as it sought both to fight against the advances of Germany and the Soviet Union, and to prepare for the moment when it would once more be possible to establish a national Polish government. The author suggests that the Poles were as much at war with themselves throughout the war and in the years immediately following the end of hostilities as they were with the German and Soviet forces. Civil War in Poland, 1942-1948 contributes to the debate on the fate of Poland in this complex period, the origins of Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, and the process of transformation in Europe during and since the Second World War.
The Civilising Mission and the English Middle Class, 1792-1850: The 'Heathen' at Home and Overseas
by A. TwellsThis volume concerns the missionary philanthropic movement which burst onto the social scene in early nineteenth century in England, becoming a popular provincial movement which sought no less than national and global reformation.
Civility: Cultivating Public Virtues
by Philip SheldrakeCivility offers a thoughtful response to one of the most significant social challenges and public problems that we face in contemporary society, particularly in the Western world. The book identifies and discusses the critical public-social values and virtues that we need to focus upon and actively to promote to counter these problems and, overall, to develop a healthy human society. To achieve an effective, inclusive, and just society we must, first, reframe how we understand 'politics.' What does 'politics' mean and how should it be practiced? 'Politics' in its true sense does not mean something ideological but rather it involves the service of the 'polis'--that is, the human community. We also need to recover a robust sense of public virtues. The book describes some of the critical virtues and suggests how they may be cultivated. The overall argument is that in a healthy society it is vitally important to concentrate more effectively on public virtues and values rather than simply to focus on encouraging material success or on creating efficient social and political systems as the main goals that we seek to develop in our societies. The volume focuses particularly on the public virtues of civility, having a sense of 'place', building community, solidarity and responsibility, respect and compassion, and cultivating discernment (that is, the art of how to choose well). The book concludes by offering reflections on the particular role of education, especially school education, and of public leadership as two central elements in reshaping a healthy society based on clear societal values.
Civility: Cultivating Public Virtues
by Philip SheldrakeCivility offers a thoughtful response to one of the most significant social challenges and public problems that we face in contemporary society, particularly in the Western world. The book identifies and discusses the critical public-social values and virtues that we need to focus upon and actively to promote to counter these problems and, overall, to develop a healthy human society. To achieve an effective, inclusive, and just society we must, first, reframe how we understand 'politics.' What does 'politics' mean and how should it be practiced? 'Politics' in its true sense does not mean something ideological but rather it involves the service of the 'polis'--that is, the human community. We also need to recover a robust sense of public virtues. The book describes some of the critical virtues and suggests how they may be cultivated. The overall argument is that in a healthy society it is vitally important to concentrate more effectively on public virtues and values rather than simply to focus on encouraging material success or on creating efficient social and political systems as the main goals that we seek to develop in our societies. The volume focuses particularly on the public virtues of civility, having a sense of 'place', building community, solidarity and responsibility, respect and compassion, and cultivating discernment (that is, the art of how to choose well). The book concludes by offering reflections on the particular role of education, especially school education, and of public leadership as two central elements in reshaping a healthy society based on clear societal values.
Civility and Democratic Education (SpringerBriefs in Education)
by Andrew PetersonThis book explores how and why civility contributes to a vibrant democratic society, and how it can be fostered and cultivated as a key part of democratic education. It suggests that civility only makes sense as a civic virtue if it is conceived in relation to civic friendship, concord and fellow-feeling. This book offers a timely snapshot of civility as a pressing, yet enduring, concern in democratic life and education. It elucidates a virtue-based conceptualization of civility and its place within democratic education, and makes use of real-life examples and cases to illustrate its arguments and to engage a range of readers. In short, this book is interested in what civility is and how schools can and do cultivate civility.
Civility, Religious Pluralism and Education (Routledge Research in Religion and Education)
by Vincent F. Biondo III Andrew FialaThis book focuses on the problem of religious diversity, civil dialogue, and religion education in public schools, exploring the ways in which atheists, secularists, fundamentalists, and mainstream religionists come together in the public sphere, examining how civil discourse about religion fit swithin the ideals of the American political and pedagogical systems and how religious studies education can help to foster civility and toleration.
Civility, Religious Pluralism and Education (Routledge Research in Religion and Education)
by Vincent Biondo Andrew FialaThis book focuses on the problem of religious diversity, civil dialogue, and religion education in public schools, exploring the ways in which atheists, secularists, fundamentalists, and mainstream religionists come together in the public sphere, examining how civil discourse about religion fit swithin the ideals of the American political and pedagogical systems and how religious studies education can help to foster civility and toleration.
Civilization and its Discontents (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Sigmund FreudThroughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization, and helped make us who we are.
Civilization and Its Discontents (Penguin Modern Classics)
by David McLintock Sigmund FreudIn what remains one of his most seminal papers, Freud considers the incompatibility of civilisation and individual happiness, and the tensions between the claims of society and the individual. We all know that living in civilised groups means sacrificing a degree of personal interest, but couldn't you argue that it in fact creates the conditions for our happiness? Freud explores the arguments and counter-arguments surrounding this proposition, focusing on what he perceives to be one of society's greatest dangers; 'civilised' sexual morality. After all, doesn't repression of sexuality deeply affect people and compromise their chances of happiness?
Civilization and the Culture of Science: Science and the Shaping of Modernity, 1795-1935 (Science and the Shaping of Modernity)
by Stephen GaukrogerHow did science come to have such a central place in Western culture? How did cognitive values—and subsequently moral, political, and social ones—come to be modelled around scientific values? In Civilization and the Culture of Science, Stephen Gaukroger explores how these values were shaped and how they began, in turn, to shape those of society. The core nineteenth- and twentieth-century development is that in which science comes to take centre stage in determining ideas of civilization, displacing Christianity in this role. Christianity had provided a unifying thread in the study of the world, however, and science had to match this, which it did through the project of the unity of the sciences. The standing of science came to rest or fall on this question, which the book sets out to show in detail is essentially ideological, not something that arose from developments within the sciences, which remained pluralistic and modular. A crucial ingredient in this process was a fundamental rethinking of the relations between science and ethics, economics, philosophy, and engineering. In his engaging description of this transition to a scientific modernity, Gaukroger examines five of the issues which underpinned this shift in detail: changes in the understanding of civilization; the push to unify the sciences; the rise of the idea of the limits of scientific understanding; the concepts of 'applied' and 'popular' science; and the way in which the public was shaped in a scientific image.
Civilization and the Culture of Science: Science and the Shaping of Modernity, 1795-1935 (Science and the Shaping of Modernity)
by Stephen GaukrogerHow did science come to have such a central place in Western culture? How did cognitive values—and subsequently moral, political, and social ones—come to be modelled around scientific values? In Civilization and the Culture of Science, Stephen Gaukroger explores how these values were shaped and how they began, in turn, to shape those of society. The core nineteenth- and twentieth-century development is that in which science comes to take centre stage in determining ideas of civilization, displacing Christianity in this role. Christianity had provided a unifying thread in the study of the world, however, and science had to match this, which it did through the project of the unity of the sciences. The standing of science came to rest or fall on this question, which the book sets out to show in detail is essentially ideological, not something that arose from developments within the sciences, which remained pluralistic and modular. A crucial ingredient in this process was a fundamental rethinking of the relations between science and ethics, economics, philosophy, and engineering. In his engaging description of this transition to a scientific modernity, Gaukroger examines five of the issues which underpinned this shift in detail: changes in the understanding of civilization; the push to unify the sciences; the rise of the idea of the limits of scientific understanding; the concepts of 'applied' and 'popular' science; and the way in which the public was shaped in a scientific image.
Civilization and the Making of the State in Lebanon and Syria (Middle East Today)
by Andrew DelatollaThis book argues that the modern state, from the nineteenth century to the contemporary period, has consistently been used as a means to measure civilizational engagement and attainment. This volume historicizes this dynamic, examining how it impacted state-making in Lebanon and Syria. By putting social, political, and economic pressure on the Ottoman Empire to replicate the modern state in Europe, the book examines processes of racialization, nationalist development, continued imperial expansion, and resistance that became embedded in the state as it was assembled. By historicizing post-imperial and post-colonial state formation in Lebanon and Syria, it is possible to engage in a conceptual separation from the modern state, abandoning the ongoing reproduction of the state as a standard, or benchmark, of civilization and progress.