CIVIL SOCIETYPLAN FOR TODAY

1. Distinguishing among civil society definitions and their pros/ cons.

2. Becoming familiar with roles that authors claim civil society plays in democratization.

3. Debating type of structure of civil society necessary to promote democracy.

EMBLEMATIC IMAGES OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN DEMOCRATIZATION:

Prior to/ during transition: protests to push authoritarian regimes out of power.Video of opposition protests in Belarus,

March 2006 (Ukrainian TV footage) Following transition: professionalized

organizations with narrower specialization, sometimes seeing role in democracy.Video on Maria Rikhvanova, Russian

environmental activist.

DEFINING CIVIL SOCIETY

DEFINING CIVIL SOCIETY

1. Civil society as a collective noun:

•NGOs•Political parties? (e.g. Fish def’n.)•Religious organizations?•State-funded organizations?

DEFINING CIVIL SOCIETY

2. Civil society as a space.• John Hall: Civil society a social

space for human experimentation with identities.

• Larry Diamond: “Realm of organized social life…”

LARRY DIAMONDDifferent from society in general –

citizens acting collectively in public sphere.

Intermediary between private life and the state.

Publicly oriented rather than private ends.

DEFINING CIVIL SOCIETY

3. Civil society as values or norms.

ROBERT PUTNAMValues of trust, tolerance, mutual

cooperation.Not necessarily political advocacy

organizations.Building “social capital.”

ROLES OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN DEMOCRATIZATION

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).

ROLES OF CIVIL SOCIETY (DIRECTLY FOR DEMOCRACY)1. Stimulates political participation by

citizens.2. Develops democratic attitudes:

tolerance, moderation, compromise.3. Creates alternative channels for

representing interests.4. Trains new political leaders.5. Disseminates information to citizens.6. Strengthens the state.

OTHER ROLES OF CIVIL SOCIETY (INDIRECT)

1. Improves socioeconomic development.

2. Creates social equity – helping the poorest.

STRUCTURE OF CIVIL SOCIETYHow much can/ should the state be involved in civil society?

PLURALIST VS. CORPORATIST CIVIL SOCIETY (SCHMITTER)

Pluralist Systems Corporatist Systems

Multiple Singular (Monopoly)

Competitive Noncompetitive

Nonhierarchical Hierarchical

Less state involvement

More state involvement

TWO TYPES OF CORPORATISM

1. “State corporatism”: state defines and controls organizations in society.

1. Mainly mechanisms for state to control & restrict public participation.

2. State coopts, guides, dominates interest groups.

TWO TYPES OF CORPORATISM

2. “Democratic corporatism”: interests formed from societal level up & aggregated at top level to negotiate with government.

e.g. Sweden

PRO-PLURALIST ARGUMENTS (DIAMOND)

1. Civil society’s fundamental nature is diversity; monopoly contradicts this.

2. Pluralism works to minimize social conflict.

3. Corporatist arrangements especially dangerous for new democracies.

PRO-CORPORATIST ARGUMENTS (SCHMITTER, BLACK)

1. Is pluralism even plausible in many countries?

2. Pluralist civil society can descend into factionalism with little civic trust.

3. State can be compromised by pluralist civil society.

1. Infiltration by selfish private interests.2. Incoherence from acting as a “cash

register.”