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Civil Society Plan for Today:

Civil Society Plan for Today:. Comparing definitions of civil society, pros and cons. Outlining contended roles of civil society in democratization. Debating structure of civil society necessary to promote democracy. Defining Civil Society. Defining Civil Society.

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Civil Society Plan for Today:

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  1. Civil SocietyPlan for Today: • Comparing definitions of civil society, pros and cons. • Outlining contended roles of civil society in democratization. • Debating structure of civil society necessary to promote democracy.

  2. Defining Civil Society

  3. Defining Civil Society • Civil society as a collective noun: • NGOs • Political parties? (e.g. Fish def’n.) • Religious organizations? • State-funded organizations?

  4. Defining Civil Society • Civil society as a space. • John Hall: Civil society a social space for human experimentation with identities. • Larry Diamond: “Realm of organized social life…”

  5. Larry Diamond • Different from society in general – citizens acting collectively in public sphere. • Intermediary between private life and the state. • Publicly oriented rather than private ends.

  6. Defining Civil Society • Civil society as values or norms. • Values that bind people together collectively to promote democratic attachment.

  7. Robert Putnam • Values of trust, tolerance, mutual cooperation. • Not necessarily political advocacy organizations. • Building “social capital.”

  8. Roles of Civil Society in Democratization

  9. Roles of Civil Society • More important after than during transition. • Weak civil society doesn’t mean breakdown, but hinders consolidation and deepening of democracy (Howard).

  10. Roles of Civil Society (Directly for democracy) • Stimulates political participation by citizens. • Develops democratic attitudes: tolerance, moderation, compromise. • Creates alternative channels for representing interests. • Trains new political leaders. • Disseminates information to citizens. • Strengthens the state.

  11. Other Roles of Civil Society (Indirect) • Improves socioeconomic development. • Creates social equity – helping the poorest.

  12. Structure of Civil Society How much can/ should the state be involved in civil society?

  13. Pluralist vs. Corporatist Civil Society (Schmitter)

  14. Two types of corporatism • “State corporatism”: state defines and controls organizations in society. • Mainly mechanisms for state to control & restrict public participation. • State coopts, guides, dominates interest groups.

  15. Two types of corporatism • “Democratic corporatism”: interests formed from societal level up & aggregated at top level to negotiate with government. • e.g. Sweden

  16. Pro-Pluralist Arguments (Diamond) • Civil society’s fundamental nature is diversity; monopoly contradicts this. • Pluralism works to minimize social conflict. • Corporatist arrangements especially dangerous for new democracies.

  17. Pro-Corporatist Arguments (Schmitter, Black) • Is pluralism even plausible in many countries? • Pluralist civil society can descend into factionalism with little civic trust. • State can be compromised by pluralist civil society. • Infiltration by selfish private interests. • Incoherence from acting as a “cash register.”

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