This volume examines and contributes to debates surrounding social capital, social movements and the role of civil society in emerging forms of governance. The authors adopt a broad range of research approaches, from testing hypotheses drawn from rationale choice theory against available statistics on associations, to ethnographic study of emerging attempts at participant / deliberative democracy. Divided into three clear sections, focusing on the following core aspects of civil society: • the position of civic organizations between state and society in emerging forms of governance • the geographical scales of social movement mobilizations and actions from the local to the global • the patterns of public trust and civic engagement that falls under the rubric of social capital. The book draws on case studies from a wide range of countries, including: Russia, Ukraine, Britain, Greece, Spain, Germany, Argentina and new Asian democracies. Presenting current research on the key dimensions of civil society, Civil Societies and Social Movements will appeal to those researching and studying in the fields of political science, sociology and social policy.

This volume offers an historical and comparative overview of the literature, theory, practices and critiques of what has been variously labelled 'global' or 'transnational' civil society, which includes a broad range of non-state actors, political, social and economic. The volume includes an introductory essay that historicizes and problematizes the relationship of society to state and market and contextualizes the pieces in the volume, while locating the literature in relationship to international relations, political science and sociology.

This volume is unique because of its focus on small states. There are many studies on civil society and social movements, but none that specifically deal with this category of countries. As is well known, small states have particular characteristics, including a limited ability to reap the benefits of economies of scale, a high degree of exposure to forces outside their control, and the proximity of politicians to the voters, often leading to clientelistic relationships and patronage networks. The small island developing states have the additional problem of high environmental vulnerability, with some also dealing with disproportionate ecological footprints. These factors have a bearing on the organization and performance of civil society organizations and social movements, as explained in several chapters of this book. The volume is organized in three parts, dealing with aspects of civil society and social moments in small states in the political, social and environmental spheres, respectively. Various definitions of civil society are proposed in the chapters, but most authors associate the term with organized groups, operating in the interest of citizens, independently of government and commercial business, including various forms of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Civil society also encompasses social movements, which are considered to be loosely organized collective campaigns in pursuit of social goals. These two terms are sometimes used interchangeably; however, some authors argue that social movements tend to engage in ‘contentious politics’ including protests, while NGOs engage through more organized and institutional routes.

This book offers insights into the governance of contemporary food systems and their ongoing transformation by social movements. As global food systems face multiple threats and challenges there is an opportunity for social movements and civil society to play a more active role in building social justice and ecological sustainability. Drawing on case studies from Canada, the United States, Europe and New Zealand, this edited collection showcases promising ways forward for civil society actors to engage in governance. The authors address topics including: the variety of forms that governance engagement takes from multi-stakeholderism to co-governance to polycentrism/self-governance; the values and power dynamics that underpin these different types of governance processes; effective approaches for achieving desired values and goals; and, the broader relationships and networks that may be activated to support change. By examining and comparing a variety of governance innovations, at a range of scales, the book offers insights for those considering contemporary food systems and their ongoing transformation. It is suitable for food studies students and researchers within geography, environmental studies, anthropology, policy studies, planning, health sciences and sociology, and will also be of interest to policy makers and civil society organisations with a focus on food systems.

This book examines instances of transformative dissent, turning points or shifts in popular mobilisation patterns in contemporary India, while adopting a historical approach and analysing past events. Exploring the different continuities and discontinuities in mobilising patterns and dissident agency in India, the authors present a heterogeneous insurrectional pattern that pivoted around issues of caste, class, religion, land reform, labour, taxation and territorial control, with anti-colonialism movements becoming prominent in the first half of the twentieth century. The authors move beyond this to explore more recent templates of mobilisation which surfaced towards the end of the twentieth century, during India’s liberalisation period. With growing marketisation and technological advancement, unprecedented changes in social relations, growing economic opportunities and cultural transfusion taking place, the country became a ‘New India’ - one which aspired to be a global player in the wider technological public sphere. Tracing the historical trajectories of social movements in India, this book examines recent trends in digitised dissidence and explores new frontiers of protests, providing fresh insights for those researching the history of social movements, South Asian and Indian history and postcolonial studies.

This book contributes to the civil society and development debate by adapting a convergent analytic framework that synthesizes neo-institutional and social identity perspectives, to interrogate the competing interests among civil society organizations (CSOs). Within the scope of this objective, It analyses three sub-themes; the internal governance structures of Disabled People's Organizations (DPOs); the dynamics of competition for resources; and the relationship between civil and political society; and how these factors impact on the internal cohesion of the disability movement. The central argument is that the necessity to respond to the institutional pressures from the organizational field interacts with identity based interest articulation of actors, to shape the degree of internal cohesion among CSOs.

An inspiring collection that uses case studies and theoretical reflection to contextualise the linkages between collective action theories, social movement practices and the phenomenon of globalisation. All of the perspectives presented will force a rethink of the exact meaning of globalisation and the way in which such insights can be used to advance understanding of basic transformations occurring in the diverse world of the twenty-first century.

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License. It is free to read, download and share on Elgaronline.com. Mapping a wide range of civil society research perspectives, this pioneering Research Agenda offers a rich and clear insight for academics and practitioners hoping to embark on future civil society research. Kees Biekart and Alan Fowler bring together over 20 expert contributions from researchers across the globe who are actively engaged in testing the old and generating new knowledge about civil society.

This book investigates the development of contemporary Iranian civil society and the role of public intellectuals, looking in particular at how different reformist public intellectuals used civil society to craft their vision of Iran's socio-political future.

The numerous and far-reaching socio-political transformations that have taken place on the European continent since the mid-20th century have stipulated the emergence of new approaches and research fields in the social sciences. One of these is the development of a Sociology of Europeanization. This textbook provides an overview of its major topics, concepts, and research approaches. Each of the 14 chapters of this textbook introduces one particular topic of the Sociology of Europeanization – ranging from major conceptual considerations to an exploration of the numerous spatial, cultural, economic, political, judicial, and socio-structural implications of Europeanization. Hence, this book is very suitable as a fundamental introductory reading and for teaching in European studies and related study programs. It is also recommended to everyone who is interested in more recent European history and current sociological studies of transnationalization. Events around the book Link to a De Gruyter Online Event in which renowned scholars and experts discuss what is necessary for the teaching of European Studies today and what future directions European Studies should take in light of current challenges and crises. The event was moderated by Sebastian Büttner and Susann Worschech, two co-editors of this textbook: https://youtu.be/Deh13FJ1ctE During the annual colloqium of the European General Studies Programme of the College of Europe (Bruges), Sebastian Büttner discussed and presented his co-edited book: https://youtu.be/GLheIHQOEv4