Civil Society In Action

Author : John Beauclerk,Brian Pratt,Ruth Judge
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 134 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2011
Category : Civil society
ISBN : 1905240171

Get Book

Civil Society in Action by John Beauclerk,Brian Pratt,Ruth Judge Pdf

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 : Bruno Jobert,Beate Kohler-Koch
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 219 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2010-05
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780415586665

Get Book

Changing Images of Civil Society by Bruno Jobert,Beate Kohler-Koch Pdf

This text examines the concept of civil society, the role attributed to civil society in different countries, at different times and historic situations, the reasons for its surfacing and its multiple forms in political discourse.

Author : Brian O'Connell,John William Gardner
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 1999
Category : Associations, institutions, etc
ISBN : 0874519241

Get Book

Civil Society by Brian O'Connell,John William Gardner Pdf

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 : Scott L. Greer,Matthias Wismar,Gabriele Pastorino
Publisher : World Health Organization
Page : 191 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2017-11-20
Category : Law
ISBN : 9789289050432

Get Book

Civil Society and Health by Scott L. Greer,Matthias Wismar,Gabriele Pastorino Pdf

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) can make a vital contribution to public health and health systems but harnessing their potential is complex in a Europe where government-CSO relations vary so profoundly. This study is intended to outline some of the challenges and assist policy-makers in furthering their understanding of the part CSOs can play in tandem and alongside government. To this end it analyses existing evidence and draws on a set of seven thematic chapters and six mini case studies. They examine experiences from Austria Bosnia-Herzegovina Belgium Cyprus Finland Germany Malta the Netherlands Poland the Russian Federation Slovenia Turkey and the European Union and make use of a single assessment framework to understand the diverse contexts in which CSOs operate. The evidence shows that CSOs are ubiquitous varied and beneficial and the topics covered in this study reflect such diversity of aims and means: anti-tobacco advocacy food banks refugee health HIV/AIDS prevention and cure and social partnership. CSOs make a substantial contribution to public health and health systems with regards to policy development service delivery and governance. This includes evidence provision advocacy mobilization consensus building provision of medical services and of services related to the social determinants of health standard setting self-regulation and fostering social partnership. However in order to engage successfully with CSOs governments do need to make use of adequate tools and create contexts conducive to collaboration. To guide policy-makers working with CSOs through such complications and help avoid some potential pitfalls the book outlines a practical framework for such collaboration. This suggests identifying key CSOs in a given area; clarifying why there should be engagement with civil society; being realistic as to what CSOs can or will achieve; and an understanding of how CSOs can be helped to deliver.

Author : R. Weaver
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 617 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2017-09-29
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781351472128

Get Book

Think Tanks and Civil Societies by R. Weaver Pdf

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 : Bruno Jobert,Beate Kohler-Koch
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 236 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2008-06-10
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781134036783

Get Book

Changing Images of Civil Society by Bruno Jobert,Beate Kohler-Koch Pdf

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 : John Clark
Publisher : Earthscan
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : History
ISBN : 9781849771467

Get Book

Globalizing Civic Engagement by John Clark Pdf

'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 : Jan W. van Deth,William A. Maloney
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 375 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2012-03-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781136498664

Get Book

New Participatory Dimensions in Civil Society by Jan W. van Deth,William A. Maloney Pdf

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 : Anonim
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 262 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2020-09-07
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9789004431140

Get Book

Humanitarianism: Keywords by Anonim Pdf

Humanitarianism: Keywords is a comprehensive dictionary designed as a compass for navigating the conceptual universe of humanitarianism. It is an intuitive toolkit to map contemporary humanitarianism and to explore its current and future articulations. The dictionary serves a broad readership of practitioners, students, and researchers by providing informed access to the extensive humanitarian vocabulary.

Author : Johannes Glückler,Heinz-Dieter Meyer,Laura Suarsana
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 317 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2021-12-08
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9783030711474

Get Book

Knowledge and Civil Society by Johannes Glückler,Heinz-Dieter Meyer,Laura Suarsana Pdf

This open access book focuses on the role of civil society in the creation, dissemination, and interpretation of knowledge in geographical contexts. It offers original, interdisciplinary and counterintuitive perspectives on civil society. The book includes reflections on civil and uncivil society, the role of civil society as a change agent, and on civil society perspectives of undone science. Conceptual approaches go beyond the tripartite division of public, private and civic sectors to propose new frameworks of civic networks and philanthropic fields, which take an inclusive view of the connectivity of civic agency across sectors. This includes relational analyses of epistemic power in civic knowledge networks as well as of regional giving and philanthropy. The original empirical case studies examine traditional forms of civic engagement, such as the German landwomen’s associations, as well as novel types of organizations, such as giving circles and time banks in their geographical context. The book also offers insider reflections on doing civil society, such as the cases of the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong, epistemic activism in the United States, and the #FeesMustFall movement in South Africa.

Author : Michael Edwards
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 159 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2013-08-20
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780745659053

Get Book

Civil Society by Michael Edwards Pdf

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 : Peter B. Andersen,Rubya Mehdi,Amit Prakash
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 328 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2021-03-30
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781000371598

Get Book

Re-Interrogating Civil Society in South Asia by Peter B. Andersen,Rubya Mehdi,Amit Prakash Pdf

This book offers an overview of the history and development of civil society in three major nations of South Asia – Pakistan, India and Bangladesh – from colonial times to the present. It examines the liberalization of civil society since the 1980s, the needs it created for civil action, the professionalization of civil society organizations, and the extent to which civil society may benefit society at large in the context of local, national and global transformations in the economy, political regime and ideology. The reader will find new insights on the interaction between the liberalization of multifaceted civil societies in the three countries, presenting contrasts such as restrictions put on women’s organizations or labour unions and acceptance of religious organizations’ activities. The volume looks at forms of transfer of civil society models, representation and democratic legitimacy of civil society organizations such as nongovernmental organizations, government organized NGOs and faith-based organizations, along with the structuring of civil society through legal frames as well as female, religious, and ethnic mobilizations around language and literature. Using wide-ranging empirical data and theoretical analyses, it deals with civil society issues relating to human rights and political challenges, justice, inequality, empowerment, and the role of bureaucracy, women’s movements, and ethnic and linguistic minorities. It also presents early responses to the Covid-19 crisis in 2020 which created significant pressure on the states and on civil society. This book will be useful to scholars and researchers of political studies, development studies, sociology, public policy and governance, law and human rights, as also to professionals in think tanks, civil society activists and NGOs.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2011
Category : Electronic
ISBN : OCLC:1428166815

Get Book

Shrinking Political Space of Civil Society Action by Anonim Pdf

Author : Anonim
Publisher : IIED
Page : 286 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2001
Category : Developing countries
ISBN : 1843690977

Get Book

Civil Society in Action by Anonim Pdf

Author : Derrick Purdue
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 250 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2007-04-23
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781134149353

Get Book

Civil Societies and Social Movements by Derrick Purdue Pdf

This volume examines and contributes to debates surrounding social capital, social movements and the role of civil society in emerging forms of governance. The authors adopt a broad range of research approaches, from testing hypotheses drawn from rationale choice theory against available statistics on associations, to ethnographic study of emerging attempts at participant / deliberative democracy. Divided into three clear sections, focusing on the following core aspects of civil society: • the position of civic organizations between state and society in emerging forms of governance • the geographical scales of social movement mobilizations and actions from the local to the global • the patterns of public trust and civic engagement that falls under the rubric of social capital. The book draws on case studies from a wide range of countries, including: Russia, Ukraine, Britain, Greece, Spain, Germany, Argentina and new Asian democracies. Presenting current research on the key dimensions of civil society, Civil Societies and Social Movements will appeal to those researching and studying in the fields of political science, sociology and social policy.