Week One - Introduction LG354  Global Civil Society   Week One - Introduction

Civil Society To understand GCS, we first need to understand CS...   To understand GCS, we first need to understand CS...   Idea dates back to the 18th century but only in the national context Revival of the term since the end of the Cold War But now 'global' or 'transnational' civil society as well as domestic civil society  

What is Civil Society? an 'essentially contested concept' with numerous meanings...   a 'third sector' distinct from state & market the collective (voluntary) activity of private actors with public purpose an associative sphere between family, market & state  the sphere of culture, ideas & values

What is civil society?   a deliberative political space characterised by reasoned and/or principled argument  the zone where authority is legitimised through generating consent         an essential component of democracy & social order 

What is civil society?   a zone of contestation & competing (class) interests where material conflicts find cultural & ideological expression  a zone where authority is contested & revolutions fomented! 

What is civil society? an interdisciplinary concept relevant to: politics & IR cultural studies sociology philosophy

What is civil society? what unites all of the different understandings of CS is a concern with how CS relates to states, markets & the world system but the answers vary according to underlying assumptions about the nature of states, market & world system... Liberals   pluralist view CS can be autonomous Marxists   class view logic & class structure of capitalism pervade CS so autonomy difficult, but possible

LSE definition "the arena of uncoerced collective action around shared interests, purposes and values. In theory, its institutional forms are distinct from those of the state, family and market, though in practice, the boundaries between state, civil society, family and market are often complex, blurred and negotiated. Civil society commonly embraces a diversity of spaces, actors and institutional forms, varying in their degree of formality, autonomy and power. Civil societies are often populated by organisations such as registered charities, development non-governmental organisations, community groups, women's organisations, faith-based organisations, professional associations, trades unions, self-help groups, social movements, business associations, coalitions and advocacy groups"

What is Civil Society? It is both: Normative Analytical   It is both: Normative CS as it should be What actors should be included in CS?  What should the goals of CS be?  What could the impact of CS be?  Analytical CS as it actually is Who are the actors that make up CS? What are the aims of actual CS actors? What is the impact of CS on politics? Civil society is an explicitly politicised concept so the line between analysis & normative theorising is blurred...

What is Civil Society? normative content means that civil society actors sometimes conceived as:   motivated by principles & values rather than self-interest  e.g. religion, human rights, democracy, environmental protection associated with post-materialism 

Who is Civil Society? Who counts as 'civil society actors' also varies: NGOs, social movements, trade unions, religious groups identity-based groups social classes? business/corporations? foundations? political parties?  violent non-state actors? 'progressive' vs. 'regressive'   Even where inclusive approaches are adopted in theory, in practice theorists emphasise particular actors & de-emphasise others  

Global Civil Society   'A "global associational revolution" is under way around the world, a massive upsurge of organized private, voluntary activity in virtually every corner of the globe" (Salamon et al., 20004: 3)

Explanations for emergence of GCS   the role of CS in the revolutions in Eastern Europe & democratisation in Latin America the end of the Cold War & the integration of the former Eastern bloc into a single capitalist world system  growing concern about the global environment

Explanations for emergence of GCS globalisation of communications, media & travel        a global culture for the first time in human history?   elements of global culture global media - TV, film, internet international sporting tournaments other global events global music?  global brands & trends universal human rights? democratisation

Empirical evidence of GCS 5 times more NGOs in 1993 than in 1953  60%+ of all 'social change NGOs' formed after 1970 a $1.3trn industry or the world's 7th largest economy est. to account for 4-5% of the eonomically-active pop   NGOs globalising and getting bigger WWF: 3300 staff & $350m budget Amnesty: 1m members in 162 states 

Doubts?    but current transnational networks shallower with less active members than in past? 'pocketbook membership' & virtual networks vs.  First International (1864-1876) had 5-8m members

Empirical evidence: is GCS really autonomous?   Irish NGOs Goal 63% dependent on government funding Concern 39% estimated that Southern civil society organisation (CSO) dependency on Northern funding in some fields = 80-90% donor-created CS in developing countries?

Empirical evidence: is 'GCS' really global?   1993: 72% of all social change transnational NGO HQs were located in Western  Europe, Canada or the US 8-10 Northern-based Super-NGOs have controlled 80% of complex emergency funding in recent years vastly unequal access to 'global culture' due to inequality in telecommunications & media coverage 'global culture' not so global? another word for Westernisation?

NGO representation at the UN (2007)    

Global Civil Society translating civil society to global politics creates a whole new set of questions... can GCS really be global in a vastly unequal world?   can it exist without a global state/world government? is it emerging along with a nascent system of global governance? is it something really new or a continuation of long term historical trends?

Why study civil society?   allows study of actors not normally considered relevant to international relations allows attention to explicitly normative concerns often ignored in IR & politics  a way of thinking about the reform/revolution dilemma potentially an arena  in which new ideas and norms can emerge in which change can be organised