Civil Society and Good Governance
Role of Civil Society in Good Governance
With the change of the century, globalisation and development have increased at a very rapid rate. The technological and economic aspects of this development have led to a huge increase in the development of civil services and social dependence on them.
The concept of civil society can be dated back to approximately 2500 years ago to Greek and Roman societies from where it spread all over Europe and then soon became a global phenomenon (Glacius, Lewis and Seckinelgin, 2004). There has been numerous research and countless discussions on the importance of existence of these societies and their role in the current world. These societies have been debated to work for the government by helping to reduce poverty, spreading awareness regarding various issues and supporting those in need; but a darker side has also been associated with its existence; civil societies may provide an excuse to fight with the current system, create groups thereby causing tensions and also in some cases might have led to wars.
Edwards (2004) suggests people to not accept or disregard this concept completely but to at least clarify its meaning, as its value varies from person to person. As we try to understand the concept of “Civil Societies”, what also becomes clear is its relation with the political world. Through this article, I will try to explain the term civil society and its impact on politics which leads to good governance using a case study as an example.
Theory and Concepts
A civil society is a non-governmental organisation or an institution outside the family, state and market where people with common interests meet and work together for that interest. Civil societies have become the first medium of social service and support in places where other assistance and help is scarce. Civil societies may include NGOs, social movements or community groups, trade unions, faith groups and many more. As civil societies grow, they become powerful and
With the change of the century, globalisation and development have increased at a very rapid rate. The technological and economic aspects of this development have led to a huge increase in the development of civil services and social dependence on them.
The concept of civil society can be dated back to approximately 2500 years ago to Greek and Roman societies from where it spread all over Europe and then soon became a global phenomenon (Glacius, Lewis and Seckinelgin, 2004). There has been numerous research and countless discussions on the importance of existence of these societies and their role in the current world. These societies have been debated to work for the government by helping to reduce poverty, spreading awareness regarding various issues and supporting those in need; but a darker side has also been associated with its existence; civil societies may provide an excuse to fight with the current system, create groups thereby causing tensions and also in some cases might have led to wars.
Edwards (2004) suggests people to not accept or disregard this concept completely but to at least clarify its meaning, as its value varies from person to person. As we try to understand the concept of “Civil Societies”, what also becomes clear is its relation with the political world. Through this article, I will try to explain the term civil society and its impact on politics which leads to good governance using a case study as an example.
Theory and Concepts
A civil society is a non-governmental organisation or an institution outside the family, state and market where people with common interests meet and work together for that interest. Civil societies have become the first medium of social service and support in places where other assistance and help is scarce. Civil societies may include NGOs, social movements or community groups, trade unions, faith groups and many more. As civil societies grow, they become powerful and
References: e.g.: Muller, V. (1994) ‘Trapped in the body: Transsexualism, the law, sexual identity’, The Australian Feminist Law Journal, vol. 3, August, pp. 103-107. Glasius, M., Lewis, D., Seckinelgin, H. (2004) ‘Exploring civil society’, Chapter 1, London 2004. Scholte, JA. (2002) ‘Civil Society and Democracy in Global Governance’, Global Governance, vol. 8, pp. 281-304 What is a civil Society? [Online] Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/highlights/010705_civil.shtml Sheng, YK. (2012), ‘What is good governance?’ [Online] Available: http://www.unescap.org/pdd/prs/ProjectActivities/Ongoing/gg/governance.asp Evans, M. (2012) ‘Beyond the integrity paradox – towards ‘good enough’ governance?’, Policy Studies, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 97-113 Edwards, Michael (2004) Civil Society, Cambridge: Polity Edwards, M. (2005) ‘Civil Society’, The encyclopaedia of informal education, Available: www.infed.org/association/civil_society.htm. Mercer, C. (2002) ‘NGOs, civil society and democratization: a critical review of the literature’, Progress in development studies, vol. 2, no.1, January, pp. 5-22