Civil Society

 Civil society in a descriptive sense – a concept

 Civil society in a prescriptive sense – a theory, a
model
 What is it?
 Can it serve as a model for political and social
change?
 Civil society is
 a space, an arena, a sphere
 In which citizens
 associate with each other
 independently of the state,
 creating a network of links and organizations
 to promote their collective identities
 and serve and represent their group interests
 Marx: “Society minus the state”
Canadian associations
 (Compiled by Micromedia ProQuest)
 14,542 –special interest
 10,223 – with unique email addresses (?)
 6,669 trade associations
 1,853 professional associations
 2,541 business and finance
 1,344 Boards of Trade/Chambers of Commerce
 411 trade unions
 2,467 environmental associations
 441 - politics
 1,983 art and culture
 1,763 sports associations
 MEDIA?
 Membership size:

 182 associations with over 50,000 members

 246 – with 15,000 – 49,999 members
 448 – with 5,000 – 14,999 members
 1,218 – with 1,000 – 4,999 members
State-society relations

 How much individual freedom and autonomy does

the state allow?
 How free are citizens to form associations?
 Does civil society challenge the state?
 The rise of civil society is an evolutionary, gradual
process
 At some point, this evolution leads to a clash with
the state
 A revolution to establish society’s autonomy from
the state (civil and political rights and liberties)
 No revolution involves the entire civil society –
normally, it is led by specific social and political
forces which seek to represent “the people”
 2 periods: late 18th century and late 20th century
 The past 30 years: the fall of dozens of
authoritarian regimes
 Civil society compelled the state to yield
 In established democracies:
 The need to defend civil society from the state
 Representation of interests means pressure on the
state
 Every state policy evokes different reactions from
civil society: some support, some oppose
 So, a degree of friction and tension between civil
society and the state is a normal condition in a
democracy
Relations within civil society
 How divided is civil society?
 It is very diverse
 Inequality of power
 The associations may compete, but must not
destroy each other
 Toleration of differences allows society to exist
 Civil society may produce civil wars
 Yugoslavia
Civil society as a model
 Developing countries, new democracies after the
collapse of authoritarian regimes
 Civil society as a good society:
 Autonomous from the state
 Peaceful
 Pluralistic
 Citizens enjoying civil and political rights
 Underpinning political democracy
2 sides to it
 1. For societies emerging from authoritarian rule,
the civil society model is a major step forward – the
main thing is limiting the power of the state,
creation of conditions for freedom
 More generally, with development of democracy the
dominance of state over society should give way to
the opposite situation: dominance of society over
the state
 But is the state the only source of antidemocratic

tendencies? And…
 What about relations within civil society itself?
 2. Once you leave state-society relations aside,
 And begin a critical examination of what happens
within civil society itself,
 You discover problems with the model:
 What about inequality in the distribution of power in
the private sphere?
 What levels and forms of inequality and
discrimination are compatible with social peace –
and what levels generate deep social splits and
conflicts?
 Can civil society be oppressive of individuals,
minorities?
 Etc.
 Should a democratic state intervene in civil society
to help deal with inequality, discrimination,
oppression?
 Violence in the family
 Mandatory primary and secondary school education

 Prohibition of private practices which violate human

rights
 Redistribution of wealth to reduce inequality

 Etc.

 The state can – and does - try to reform society

 Some reforms are successful, others create more
problems than they solve
 Every reform program is a matter of debate,
supported by some, opposed by others
 Because at stake is the distribution and use of
social power
 Economic, political, cultural considerations
 When do significant reforms take place?
 Sufficient pressure from citizens, civil society
groups
 Political leadership accepts the need for reforms
 Appropriate legal conditions are in place: the
government can actually do it
 Are reforms always associated with the Left?
 Generally, the Right is sceptical of reforms
 But sometimes, the Right offers its own reform
agenda, which is also aimed at changing civil
society relations
 2 extremes:
 When the state’s ability do deal with social
problems is artificially limited in the name of civil
society and privatization
 When civil society is undermined - or even
destroyed - by the state in the name of progressive
change (the 20th century communist experience)
 In both cases, democracy suffers, social progress
is stymied, the people lose power to elites
Local Politics
 Levels of government
 National (central)
 Regional (in large states)

 Local (municipal)

 Distribution of power between the levels is a hot

political issue everywhere, at all times
 Historically, political power starts at the local level
and grows from the bottom up
 Because that’s where the people are
 Tribal authority
 The rise of the city and the rise of the state are
inseparable
 The state is built around the city
 The city is the king’s fortress
 But the city also contains civil society, with
elements of self-government
 In the Middle Ages,
 3 axes of conflict:

 The king vs. the city

 The city vs. the countryside

 The city can be ruthlessly oppressive

 The power of the gentry

 The king vs. the countryside

 In the Modern Age, the city becomes the hub of
social development
 Industry, trade, education
 Capitalism, industrialization and urbanization go
hand in hand
 The city is the hotbed of change, new ideas, new
politics, dissent, revolution
 These roles of the city collide with its role as the
state’s main base
 The rise of democracy does not eliminate the
conflict between the two sides of the city:
 The seat of power – political and economic
 The home of society

 The countryside moves to the cities

 The size and power of the state increases
massively
 Liberal democracy increasingly becomes the norm
 What do we see?
 Local government is closest to the people
 It is elected by the citizens
 Does it make it more democratic?
 How close is it to democratic self-government?
 Is it more honest?
 How effective is it?
 The local government provides citizens with many
public goods
 As cities grow, the demand for local services
grows, too
 Lack of funds: growing need for help from other
levels of the state
 Lack of power at the municipal level
 Low levels of citizen participation
 The divisions within the city
 Some groups are more powerful than others