Civil Society Today’s Topics 1.Finishing roles of civil society 2.Structure of civil society. 3.How universally applicable is the concept of civil society? 4.Group activity on promoting civil society.

Other Roles of Civil Society (Van Rooy) Improving socioeconomic development.

Other Roles of Civil Society Creating social equity – helping the poorest.

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

Pluralist vs. Corporatist Civil Society (Schmitter) Pluralist SystemsCorporatist Systems MultipleSingular (Monopoly) CompetitiveNoncompetitive NonhierarchicalHierarchical Less state involvementMore state involvement

Two different types of corporatism 1.“State corporatism”: state defines and controls organizations in society. –Mainly mechanisms for state to control & restrict public participation. –State coopts, guides, dominates interest groups.

Two different types of corporatist structures 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.”

Is civil society a universal or culturally specific concept?

Potentially unique conditions in early American republic (Seligman) 1.Belief in absolute autonomy of the individual. 2.Ethical public sphere of interconnectedness among citizens.

Potentially unique conditions in early American republic (Seligman) 1.Belief in absolute autonomy of the individual (from radical liberal ideas) 2.Ethical public sphere of interconnectedness among citizens (from Puritan religious morality)

Potentially unique conditions in early American republic (Seligman) American-style liberal civil society not likely in new democracies.

Prospects of civil society where no history of it? Very difficult where civil society highly repressed under authoritarianism (e.g. post- Communist states).

Post-Communist Organizational Membership (Howard)

Is civil society universalizable? 1.Will be very difficult to achieve in some circumstances (e.g. post- Soviet). 2.Will look different in different places.

Conclusion Important democracy-promoting (and universalizable) characteristics of civil society 1.Autonomy from the state 2.Connection to societal concerns 3.Citizen participation

Questions for Group Discussion 1.What characteristics of civil society would you try to promote in your programs? 2.How would you encourage those characteristics through specific programs? 3.Are you optimistic or pessimistic about your chances of success?