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Author: John Beauclerk Publisher: ISBN: 9781905240173 Category : Civil society Languages : en Pages : 134
Book Description
What does 'civil society' really mean? What is civil society's role? How can civil society best be supported? INTRAC's latest book uses case studies from around the world which show a clear framework for understanding the nature and role of civil society, prove that civil society is alive and kicking, and makes recommendations for more effective civil society strengthening. Vibrant examples of action by indigenous groups, advocacy journalism, and transnational southern campaigning alliances are all explored, illustrating a framework for understanding civil society .The cases remind us of the vital need for an independent, diverse and strong civil society. The battle to reduce poverty will not be won without developing a supportive civil society which can act to demand rights, transparency and good governance from the state, counterbalance elite controls of the economy and polity, and build a culture of cooperation, trust and accountability from below. This book makes strong recommendations to help us build towards diverse and sustainable civil societies, including: an emphasis on building networks and coalitions across civil society associations of different shapes and sizes; placing a high value on membership-based groups; a focus on the enabling environment, and long-term, holistic capacity building. We are encouraged to once again let civil society shape our development agendas. This book is intended for NGOs, think tanks, multilateral and bilateral donors; all those engaged in supporting civil society, or running wider programmes where it is important to take civil society into account.
Author: Michael Edwards Publisher: John Wiley & Sons ISBN: 0745659055 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 159
Book Description
Since its publication in 2004, Civil Society has become a standard work of reference for all those who seek to understand the role of voluntary citizen action in the contemporary world. In this thoroughly-revised edition, Michael Edwards updates the arguments and evidence presented in the original and adds major new material on issues such as civil society in Africa and the Middle East, global civil society, information technology and new forms of citizen organizing. He explains how in the future the pressures of state encroachment, resurgent individualism, and old and familiar forces of nationalism and fundamentalism in new clothes will test and re-shape the practice of citizen action in both positive and negative ways. Civil Society will help readers of all persuasions to navigate these choppy waters with greater understanding, insight and success. Colleges and universities, foundations and NGOs, public policy-makers, journalists and commissions of inquiry – all have used Edwards’s book to understand and strengthen the vital role that civil society can play in deepening democracy, re-building community, and addressing poverty, inequality and injustice. This new edition will be required reading for anyone who is interested in creating a better world through citizen action.
Author: Brian O'Connell Publisher: ISBN: 9780874519242 Category : Associations, institutions, etc Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
The book traces the concept and practice of citizens as the primary office holders of government and government's essential responsibility to keep open such freedoms as assembly and association to allow and encourage citizen participation and influence in every aspect of society. It enumerates the weakening of these essential underpinnings of democracy through indifference, selfishness, loss of confidence in government, governmental limits on citizen participation, the influence of special interests on elected officials, separation between the haves and have nots, intolerance, and incivility. The volume sets out what can be done "to improve the prospects of an enduring democracy" including a greatly increased role for education in preparing students for their essential roles as citizens, reorientation of public administrators for greater involvement of citizens, and applying what we already know about passing on to future generations the nation's traditions of service and generosity.
Author: R. Weaver Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1351472119 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 706
Book Description
Government and individual policymakers throughout the developed and developing world face the common problem of bringing expert knowledge to bear in government decision making. Policymakers need understandable, reliable, accessible, and useful information about the societies they govern. They also need to know how current policies are working, as well as possible alternatives and their likely costs and consequences. This expanding need has fostered the growth of independent public policy research organizations, commonly known as think tanks. Think Tanks and Civil Societies analyzes their growth, scope, and constraints, while providing institutional profiles of such organizations in every region of the world.Beginning with North America, contributors analyze think tank development past and future, consider their relationship to the general political culture, and provide detailed looks at such examples as the Heritage Foundation and the Institute for Research on Public Policy. A historical and subregional overview of think tanks throughout Europe notes the emphasis on European Union issues and points to a dramatic rise in the number and influence of free market institutes across the continent. Think tanks in Germany, Spain, and France are profiled with respect to national politics and cultures. Advanced industrial nations of northern Asia are compared and contrasted, revealing a greater need for independent policy voices. Moving to countries undergoing economic transition, contributors deal with challenges posed in Russia and the former Soviet bloc and their think tanks' search for influence, independence, and sustainability. Other chapters deal with the developing countries of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, finding that the number, quality, and independence of think tanks is largely determined by the degree of democracy in individual nations.
Author: John Clark Publisher: Earthscan ISBN: 1849771464 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 208
Book Description
'Informative and useful.' Development and Change Until recently, most civil society organizations (CSOs) operated at national or local levels. However, new global organizations and networks are increasingly emerging. This book examines what CSOs can achieve, and the barriers they face, when they break national boundaries and sectoral moulds and work with others in global networks. A series of case studies of CSO initiatives reveal how transnational action can yield impressive results in changing policies and public attitudes. The diverse range of CSOs studied includes consumer groups, trade unions, the anti-globalization protest movement, the World Social Forum, Jubilee 2000 and others. All reveal a remarkably similar array of practical challenges, from structure and leadership issues to governance dilemmas. The book offers practical guidance to those engaged with CSOs and contributes to academic enquiry about civil society.
Author: Michael Edwards Publisher: John Wiley & Sons ISBN: 0745684297 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 145
Book Description
Civil Society has become a standard work of reference for those who seek to understand the role of voluntary citizen action. Recent global unrest has shown the importance of social movements and street protests in world politics. However, as this lucid book shows, the power that people have to shape their societies is usually channeled through day-to-day participation in voluntary associations and communities: expressions of “normal” civic life beyond the headlines. This is the underlying story of civil society. This new edition explores issues that have developed rapidly in recent years, including the overlaps between civil society and the market in the form of social enterprises and “venture philanthropy,” and the increasing role of social media and information and communication technologies in civic interaction. Different varieties of civil society in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere are investigated in more detail, and case studies, data, and references have been updated throughout. Colleges, foundations and NGOs, policy-makers, journalists and commissions of inquiry Ð all have used Edwards’s book to understand and strengthen the vital role that civil society can play in deepening democracy, re-building community, and addressing inequality and injustice. This new edition will be required reading for anyone who is interested in creating a better world through voluntary citizen action.
Author: John Beauclerk Publisher: ISBN: 9781905240173 Category : Civil society Languages : en Pages : 134
Book Description
What does 'civil society' really mean? What is civil society's role? How can civil society best be supported? INTRAC's latest book uses case studies from around the world which show a clear framework for understanding the nature and role of civil society, prove that civil society is alive and kicking, and makes recommendations for more effective civil society strengthening. Vibrant examples of action by indigenous groups, advocacy journalism, and transnational southern campaigning alliances are all explored, illustrating a framework for understanding civil society .The cases remind us of the vital need for an independent, diverse and strong civil society. The battle to reduce poverty will not be won without developing a supportive civil society which can act to demand rights, transparency and good governance from the state, counterbalance elite controls of the economy and polity, and build a culture of cooperation, trust and accountability from below. This book makes strong recommendations to help us build towards diverse and sustainable civil societies, including: an emphasis on building networks and coalitions across civil society associations of different shapes and sizes; placing a high value on membership-based groups; a focus on the enabling environment, and long-term, holistic capacity building. We are encouraged to once again let civil society shape our development agendas. This book is intended for NGOs, think tanks, multilateral and bilateral donors; all those engaged in supporting civil society, or running wider programmes where it is important to take civil society into account.
Author: Michael Edwards Publisher: OUP USA ISBN: 0195398572 Category : Law Languages : en Pages : 533
Book Description
Broadly speaking, The Oxford Handbook of Civil Society views the topic of civil society through three prisms: as a part of society (voluntary associations), as a kind of society (marked out by certain social norms), and as a space for citizen action and engagement (the public square or sphere). It does not focus solely on the West (a failing of much of the literature to date), but looks at civil society in both the developed and developing worlds. Throughout, it merges theory, practice, and empirical research. In sum, the Handbook will be the definitive work on the topic.
Author: Jan W. van Deth Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1136498664 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 375
Book Description
This book examines citizen engagement in contemporary democratic politics and the development of new participatory forms. Based on empirical information gathered from citizens, activists and organizations, it examines the changing face of democratic participation. Advanced democracies are ‘plagued’ by the complex problem of basing political decisions on the active engagement of citizens and citizens’ organisations. Although the benefits of an active citizenry appear great, the reality is that most citizens positively embrace a relatively marginal role in organised politics. The conventional activist –citizens as active members engaged in voluntary associations and collective decision-making – seems to be replaced by passive supporters and donors or ephemeral or episodic democratic participators. This volume aims to address several issues at the core of this transformation: the rise of checkbook participation, the growing attractiveness of individualized forms of participation, and the increasing relevance of professional expertise. Looking beyond the traditional single focus on participation or on organizations in isolation, the book innovatively examines the empirical link that can be established between actual developments in democratic participations and the organizational framework in European countries. New Participatory Dimensions in Civil Society is essential reading for students and scholars of democracy, participation, civil society, politics and sociology.
Author: Bruno Jobert Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1134036787 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 236
Book Description
Civil society has become one of the key parts of the reference framework for governance, seeking to replace traditional public action in which representative democracy is combined with bureaucratic implementation. The success of the civil society myth contrasts with and consequently manifests itself in the problems of political and social legitimacy and representation. This book assesses the shift in the meaning and application of civil society, from citizen protests to its incorporation into public action. It examines the diversity of interpretations and uses of civil society in different political contexts and seeks to understand the reasons for its surfacing and its multiple forms in political discourse. The authors critically analyze and compare how different types of regimes in countries such as Italy, France and the UK, Poland and Czechoslovakia, South Africa, China, India and Chile; have incorporated or otherwise responded to the new discourse. Analyzing the surfacing and uses of civil society, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of political science, analysts, policymakers, non-profit think tanks and organizations interested in comparative international studies on the third sector.
Author: R. Weaver Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1351472127 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 617
Book Description
Government and individual policymakers throughout the developed and developing world face the common problem of bringing expert knowledge to bear in government decision making. Policymakers need understandable, reliable, accessible, and useful information about the societies they govern. They also need to know how current policies are working, as well as possible alternatives and their likely costs and consequences. This expanding need has fostered the growth of independent public policy research organizations, commonly known as think tanks. Think Tanks and Civil Societies analyzes their growth, scope, and constraints, while providing institutional profiles of such organizations in every region of the world.Beginning with North America, contributors analyze think tank development past and future, consider their relationship to the general political culture, and provide detailed looks at such examples as the Heritage Foundation and the Institute for Research on Public Policy. A historical and subregional overview of think tanks throughout Europe notes the emphasis on European Union issues and points to a dramatic rise in the number and influence of free market institutes across the continent. Think tanks in Germany, Spain, and France are profiled with respect to national politics and cultures. Advanced industrial nations of northern Asia are compared and contrasted, revealing a greater need for independent policy voices. Moving to countries undergoing economic transition, contributors deal with challenges posed in Russia and the former Soviet bloc and their think tanks' search for influence, independence, and sustainability. Other chapters deal with the developing countries of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, finding that the number, quality, and independence of think tanks is largely determined by the degree of democracy in individual nations.
Author: John Beauclerk
Author: Michael Edwards
Author: Brian O'Connell
Author: R. Weaver
Author: John Clark
Author: Michael Edwards
Author: John Beauclerk
Author: Michael Edwards
Author: Jan W. van Deth
Author: Bruno Jobert
Author: R. Weaver