CIVIL SOCIETYPLAN FOR TODAY:

1. Debating type of structure of civil society necessary to promote democracy.

2. Questioning how universally applicable the concept of civil society is.

3. Group discussion activity on promoting civil society in three focus countries.

STRUCTURE OF CIVIL SOCIETYHow much can/ should the state be involved in civil society?

PLURALIST VS. CORPORATIST CIVIL SOCIETY (SCHMITTER)

Pluralist Systems Corporatist Systems

Multiple Singular (Monopoly)

Competitive Noncompetitive

Nonhierarchical Hierarchical

Less state involvement

More state involvement

TWO TYPES OF CORPORATISM

1. “State corporatism”: state defines and controls organizations in society.

1. Mainly mechanisms for state to control & restrict public participation.

2. State coopts, guides, dominates interest groups.

TWO TYPES OF CORPORATISM

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.

IMPORTANT DEMOCRACY-PROMOTING (AND UNIVERSALIZABLE) CHARACTERISTICS

1. Autonomy from the state2. Connection to societal

concerns3. Citizen participation

GROUP DISCUSSION ACTIVITYHow to encourage civil society development in Iraq, Russia, South Africa, in such a way that it will promote democratization?

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?