CIVICUS Global Survey of the State of Civil Society, Volume 2: Comparative Perspectives

by V. Finn Heinrich, Lorenzo Fioramonti

Overview

The second volume of the CIVICUS Global Survey of the State of Civil Society offers 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 Dörner, 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, Özlem Tür, and Jan van Deth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781565492448
Publisher:	Kumarian Press, Inc.
Publication date:	12/28/2007
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	500
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Lorenzo Fioramonti is Senior Research Fellow at the CIVICUS Civil Society Index Programme, based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

V. Finn Heinrich was, until the end of 2006, the Director of Programs for the global civil society network CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Table of Contents

Section I: Introducing the CIVICUS Civil Society Index
1) How to Assess the State of Civil Society Around the World? A Description and Preliminary Review of the CIVICUS Civil Society Index’s Conceptual Framework and Research Methodology; 2) Conceptual and Methodological Challenges in Comparative Civil Society Research. Commentary on “How to Assess the State of Civil Society Around the World?”; 3) The CIVICUS Civil Society Index: Proposals for Future Directions; 4) Linking Assessment, Reflection and Action: The CSI Implementation Phase 2003-2006 and Suggestions for the Future; 5) Donors and Civil Society Strengthening: The CSI Experience

Section II: Regional Perspectives
6) The State of Civil Society in Sub-Saharan Africa; 7) The Effects of Rapid Socioeconomic Growth on Civic Activism in Emerging Democracies: an Analysis of Civil Society in the Asia-Pacific Region; 8) Civil Society in Latin America: Between Contentious Politics and Participatory Democracy; 9) Civil Society in the Middle East and Mediterranean: An Exploration of Opportunities and Limitations; 10) Civil Societies in Post-Communist Europe: The Challenges Posed by Social Isolation; 11) Civil Society in Western and Southern Europe

Section III: Thematic Section
12) Does Civil Society Exist?; 13) A New Challenge for Civil Society Infrastructure: The Imperative of Downward Accountability; 14) Citizen Participation in Civil Society around the World; 15) What Makes Civil Society Strong? Testing Bottom-up and Top-down Theories of a Vibrant Civil Society; 16) Assessing the Legal Environment for Civil Society around the World: An Analysis of Status, Trends, and Challenges; 17) Civil Society and the State: Formal Arrangements and Actual Interactions; 18) From Corporate Philanthropy to Social Responsibility and Accountability: the Unfulfilled Potential of Civil Society-Business Engagement; 19) Civil or Uncivil? Civil Society’s Role in Promoting Values, Norms and Rights; 20) The Varying Contexts for Civil Society Accountability: Insights from a Global Analysis of Country-level Assessments; 21) Civil society’s impact on public policy; 22) The challenge of socioeconomic and democratic development: Marrying civil society’s social and political roles?; Conclusion: Assessing the State of Civil Society

Annex 1: Implementation of CSI Research Methods in Participating Countries Annex 2: The CSI Indicators Scoring Annex 3: CSI Country Report Bibliography About CIVICUS

Editorial Reviews

"Offers a timely and informative 360-degree view of the current state of citizen action around the world...A very valuable resource for policy-makers and practitioners interested in the critical issue of the role of civil society in governance and development."

"This rich survey is exemplary in the breadth of countries it covers and the depth in which it explores complex issues. It also takes on some challenging questions such as the links between civil society and violence. This will be an invaluable resource for activists, students and researchers."

From the Publisher