Democracy and Civil Society in the Third World: Politics and New Political Movements / Edition 1

by Jeffrey Haynes

Overview

This book provides an accessible account of popular political, social and economic movements in the Third World. Focusing on poor and marginalized groups within developing countries, it shows how these groups have been stimulated into action by recent demands for political and economic change.

Haynes describes the growing interest in democratic change in the Third World during the 1980s and 1990s, and argues that demands for democracy, human rights and economic change were a widespread catalyst for the emergence of hundreds of thousands of popular movements in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Sometimes these took the form of demands for more political representation and greater economic development; others were concerned with environmental protection, the broad position of women and the establishment of Islamic states and societies.

Haynes argues that these emerging popular organizations are best regarded as building blocks of civil society that, in time, will enhance the democratic nature of many political environments in the Third World.

The book will be welcomed by students and researchers in development studies, politics and sociology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780745616476
Publisher:	Polity Press
Publication date:	12/19/1997
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.95(h) x 0.67(d)

About the Author

Jeffrey Haynes is the author of Democracy and Civil Society in the Third World: Politics and New Political Movements, published by Wiley.

Table of Contents

List of Tables.

Preface.

1. Introduction.

2. Action Groups in Regional Focus.

3. Macroeconomic Decline and Action Groups.

4. Democracy and Indigenous Peoples.

5. Environmental Protection.

6. Women and Empowerment.

7. Islamist Action Groups.

8. Conclusion.

Notes.

Bibliography.

Index.

Editorial Reviews

"In this thoughtful book, Haynes focuses on what is clearly asignificant but hitherto relatively neglected recent trend in ThirdWorld societies - the spread of 'action groups'. He usefully bringstogether evidence of group activity across the range of Third Worldregions, social bases and issues. While careful neither toromanticize nor to overgeneralize, he shows how these groups notonly constitute a strengthening of civil society but have thepotential to contribute to a deepening of democracy." Dr VickyRandall, University of Essex

"A useful introduction to the study of civil societies in theThird World and as such, will almost certainly be added to readinglists on university courses on Third World politics anddemocratisation studies." Journal of Development Studies

From the Publisher