1. Definition of Civil Society
Linz and Stepan (1996) defines Civil Society as follows:
Civil society = that arena of the polity where self-organizing and relatively autonomous groups, movements, and individuals attempt to articulate values, to create associations and solidarities, and to advance their interests.
Civil society can include manifold social movements (e.g., women's groups, neighborhood associations, religious groupings, and intellectual organizations), as well as associations from all social strata (such as trade unions, entrepreneurial groups, and professional associations).
The authors then differentiate civil society from political and economic society which they define as:
Political society = that arena in which political actors compete for the legitimate right to exercise control over public power and the state apparatus
The core institutions of a democratic political society are: political parties, legislatures, elections, electoral rules, political leadership, and interparty alliances.
Economic society = a mixed system of legally crafted and regulated non-state forms of property, production, exchange and consumption.
After defining civil society, here are some videos of some known civil society groups and Non-Govermental Organizations (NGO):
2. Green Peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo - Green Peace TV
Greenpeace launches its new office in the Democratic Republic of Congo - the second on the African continent - which will focus on the protection of the Congo Basin rainforest.
3. Green Peace blocks EU fisheries meeting - Green Peace TV
Around 200 Greenpeace activists shut down the annual meeting of the EU Fisheries Council.
4. Orange Revolution in the Ukraine - BBC
5. Orange Revolution in the Ukraine 02
6. Thailand and the PAD protesters take over the Airports - Channel News Asia (0:00-3:00)
7. Transparency International: Champion for Accountability
One of the more well known international NGOs, Transparency International's (TI) founder Peter Eigen talks about their organizations thrust on spreading accountability.
8. Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index 2008
One of the more established methods of measuring corruption is TI's annual corruption perception index.
The top ten countries with best marks were:
Denmark
New Zealand
Sweden
Singapore
Finland
Switzerland
Iceland
Netherlands
Australia
Canada
The lowest ten meanwhile were:
Somalia
Myanmar
Iraq
Haiti
Afghanistan
Sudan
Guinea
Chad
Equatorial Guinea
Congo, Democratic Republic
9. Battle for Seattle movie trailer
Battle in Seattle is the story of the 1999 WTO Protest that took place on the streets of Seattle. The movie was written and directed by Stuart Townsend. The official Battle in Seattle movie premiere date is September 19, 2008. This is the official movie trailer for Battle in Seattle.
10. Seattle Docu
From the WTO protests in Seattle, 1999.
We will be posting the syllabus and links for the readings soon.
You may also photocopy for yourself a hard copy version of our readings at room 3K 205. Remember to return the master copies promptly.
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