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Civil society

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   Civil society is composed of the totality of voluntary civic and social
   organizations and institutions that form the basis of a functioning
   society as opposed to the force-backed structures of a state
   (regardless of that state's political system) and commercial
   institutions.

Origin

   The term is often traced to Adam Ferguson, who saw the development of a
   "commercial state" as a way to change the corrupt feudal order and
   strengthen the liberty of the individual. While Ferguson did not draw a
   line between the state and the society, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel,
   a German philosopher, made this distinction in his Elements of the
   Philosophy of Right . In this work, civil society (Hegel used the term
   "buergerliche Gesellschaft" though it is now referred to as
   Zivilgesellschaft in German to emphasize a more inclusive community)
   was a stage on the dialectical relationship between Hegel's perceived
   opposites, the macro-community of the state and the micro-community of
   the family . Broadly speaking, the term was split, like Hegel's
   followers, to the political left and right. On the left, it became the
   foundation for Karl Marx's bourgeois society ; to the right it became a
   description for all non-state aspects of society, expanding out of the
   economic rigidity of Marxism into culture, society and politics

Definition

   There are myriad definitions of civil society. The London School of
   Economics Centre for Civil Society working definition is illustrative:

     Civil society refers to the arena of uncoerced collective action
     around shared interests, purposes and values. In theory, its
     institutional forms are distinct from those of the state, family and
     market, though in practice, the boundaries between state, civil
     society, family and market are often complex, blurred and
     negotiated. Civil society commonly embraces a diversity of spaces,
     actors and institutional forms, varying in their degree of
     formality, autonomy and power. Civil societies are often populated
     by organisations such as registered charities, development
     non-governmental organisations, community groups, women's
     organisations, faith-based organisations, professional associations,
     trade unions, self-help groups, social movements, business
     associations, coalitions and advocacy groups.

Civil society and democracy

   The literature on links between civil society and democracy have their
   root in early liberal writings like those of Tocqueville. However they
   were developed in significant ways by 20th century theorists like
   Gabriel Almond and Sidney Verba, who identified the role of civil
   society in a democratic order as vital .

   They argued that the political element of many civil society
   organisations facilitates better awareness and a more informed
   citizenry, who make better voting choices, participate in politics, and
   hold government more accountable as a result . The statutes of these
   organizations have often been considered micro-constitutions because
   they accustom participants to the formalities of democratic decision
   making.

   More recently, Robert Putnam has argued that even non-political
   organisations in civil society are vital for democracy. This is because
   they build social capital, trust and shared values, which are
   transferred into the political sphere and help to hold society
   together, facilitating an understanding of the interconnectedness of
   society and interests within it .

   Others, however, have questioned how democratic civil society actually
   is. Some have noted that the civil society actors have now obtained a
   remarkable amount of political power without anyone directly electing
   or appointing them . Finally, other scholars have argued that, since
   the concept of civil society is closely related to democracy and
   representation, it should in turn be linked with ideas of nationality
   and nationalism .

Civil society and globalization: Global Civil Society

   The term civil society is currently often used by critics and activists
   as a reference to sources of resistance to and the domain of social
   life which needs to be protected against globalization. This is because
   it is seen as acting beyond boundaries and across different territories
   . However, as civil society can, under many definitions, include those
   businesses and institutions who support globalization, this is a
   contested use .

   On the other hand others see globalization as a social phenomenon
   bringing classical liberal values which inevitably lead to a larger
   role for civil society at the expense of politically derived state
   institutions.

Examples of civil society institutions

     * non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
     * private voluntary organizations (PVOs)
     * non-profit organizations (NPOs)

     * community-based organizations
     * Intermediary organizations for the voluntary and non-profit sector
     * community foundations
     * Community leadership development programs
     * civic clubs
     * trade unions
     * gender, cultural, and religious groups
     * charities
     * social and sports clubs
     * cooperatives
     * environmental groups
     * professional associations
     * academia
     * businesses
     * policy institutions
     * consumers/consumer organizations
     * the media
     * citizens' militia
     * religious organizations
     * civic groups
     * community organizations
     * clubs

   Whether all of these institutions are by definition part of civil
   society is up for debate. Neera Chandhoke, a scientist from India,
   thinks not. She concludes that only institutions that are critical of
   the state are the real thing, while the rest are merely not
   governmental. The key here is that not every institution is a
   'countervailing power' to the state. In developing countries, civil
   society is popular with aid donors because it can make government
   behave in a better way. But mock civil society organisations can exist
   that serve only to gain access to development aid.

Some noted scholars of civil society

     * Daniel Bell
     * Robert N. Bellah
     * Don E. Eberly
     * Michael Edwards
     * Jean Bethke Elshtain
     * Amitai Etzioni
     * Francis Fukuyama
     * Antonio Gramsci
     * Juergen Habermas
     * Patrick Hunout
     * Peter Dobkin Hall
     * Barry Dean Karl
     * John Keane
     * David Korten
     * Kathleen McCarthy
     * Frank Moulaert
     * Michael O'Neill
     * Elinor Ostrom
     * Robert Pekkanen
     * Robert Putnam
     * Nancy L. Rosenblum
     * Lester M. Salamon
     * Michael Sandel

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_society"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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