The second volume of the CIVICUS Global Survey of the State of Civil Societyoffers a wide-ranging analysis of key issues facing civil society worldwide with contributions from prominent researchers and civil society practitioners. Comprising 24 chapters, the book draws on the information collected by the CIVICUS Civil Society Index project in more than 45 countries to explore issues such as civil society "s accountability, its relations to the state and corporate sector and its role in governance and development. It also includes regional overviews of the state of civil society in different continents. By bringing together a diversity of perspectives and themes, this book offers one of the most comprehensive and engaging analyses of civil society worldwide. Other Contributors: Helmut Anheier, Stefanie Bailer, Monica Blagescu, Thilo Bodenstein, David Bonbright, L. David Brown, Jerzy Celichowski, Julius Court, Wolfgang D rner, Alan Fowler, Marc M. Howard, Mohini Kak, Mahi Khallaf, Natalia Kiryttopoulou, Petr Kopecky, Barry Knight, Carmen Malena, Jacob Mati, Cas Mudde, Kumi Naidoo, Paul Opoku-Mensah, Aruna Rao, Laurie Regelbrugge, Janine Schall-Emden, Andres Serbin, Catherine Shea, Carla Suarez, Rajesh Tandon, –zlem T r, and Jan van Deth.

Offering profiles of 44 countries, this volume explores factors such as civic engagement, democracy, gender equity & civil society's role in policy, & provides an assessment of the overall health of civil society in each case.

Annotation. * Major new account of how to analyse and understand civil society and its ever-more important role in public and political life * Provides a powerful methodology and tools for measuring size, capabilities and effectiveness of civil society in influencing public policy * Essential reading for practitioners and policy-makers in civil society and those studying its role and influence "Civil society -- citizens' groups pursuing their common interests -- has emerged as the major new player in the public realm, and politics and public policy are now determined more than ever before by 'non-State actors'. This book introduces a powerful and innovative approach to measuring, analysing and interpreting civil society." -- the 'Civil Society Diamond'. The aim is to promote a structured and fruitful dialogue within civil society organizations and between them and those in government, business and research institutes who work on them or with them. The methodology uses a range of indicators and data to gauge the strengths, weaknesses and effectiveness of civil society so as to reveal its strategic and policy options.

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. This book looks at the role that civil society organizations play in dealing with conflict and violence. The authors argue that in most of the prevalent conceptualizations the conflict dimension of civil society is either downplayed or inadequately addressed. They contend that the ability to deal with conflict is at the heart of organized civil society; in the political process, one of civil society's key functions is to express and mediate between different interests, thus contributing to political decision-making. The chapters draw on detailed, empirical data from the CIVICUS Civil Society Index - a unique comparative data-set drawn from 25 countries, which has not previously been made publicly available. It examines the different ways violence has been manifested in civil societies, the meaning of violent protest and the impact of security legislation that might hinder the mediating efforts of civil society. The book offers a sophisticated comparison between conflict and post-conflict countries and an analysis of the role of civil society in conflict resolution, reconciliation and transitional justice.

Activists and academics look back over ten years of 'politics from below', and ask whether it is merely the critical gaze upon the concept that has changed – or whether there is something genuinely new about the way in which civil society is now operating.

A prominent political scientist in American academia throughout the second half of the 20th century, Almond gathers 11 essays he wrote mostly during the 1990s. They explore topics he finds suitable for an octogenarian: historical narrative about the political science discipline, reflections about democracy and democratization, and his own education and early career. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

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.

This book critically examines the impact of globalization, changing power dynamics, migration, and evolving rights regimes on regional order, discourse of national governance, state and society relations, and the development of civil society in East Asia. Providing a textured, critical reading of East Asia as an economically, socially, and politically dynamic region, this book also presents the region as one shaped simultaneously by progressive as well as regressive pulls. Attentive to prevailing issues as well as to states’ and civil societies’ responses to them, it focuses on changing societies and politics in East Asia, particularly on shifting notions of citizenship, nationhood, and peoplehood. The contributions feature new and timely conclusions drawn from multidisciplinary fields including law, public policy, sociology, Asian studies, gender, sexuality, and ethnic studies and include direct testimonies from citizens of East and Southeast Asia. Globalization and Civil Society in East Asian Space will appeal to students and scholars of sociology, political science, and Asian studies more broadly.

Traces the historical development of civil society and philanthropy in the West and analyzes their role in solving the problems faced by modern liberal democracy

Human Rights, Power and Civic Action examines the interrelationship between struggles for human rights and the dynamics of power, focusing on situations of poverty and oppression in developing countries. It is argued that the concept of power is a relatively neglected one in the study of rights-based approaches to development, especially the ways in which structures and relations of power can limit human rights advocacy. Therefore this book focuses on how local and national struggles for rights have been constrained by power relations and structural inequalities, as well as the extent to which civic action has been able to challenge, alter or transform such power structures, and simultaneously to enhance protection of people’s basic human rights. Contributors examine and compare struggles to advance human rights by non-governmental actors in Cambodia, China, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The country case-studies analyse structures of power responsible for the negation and denial of human rights, as well as how rights-promoting organisations challenge such structures. Utilising a comparative approach, the book provides empirically grounded studies leading to new theoretical understanding of the interrelationships between human rights struggles, power and poverty reduction. Human Rights, Power and Civic Action will be of interest to students and scholars of human rights politics, power, development, and governance.