scholarly journals Civil Society, Social Capital and Governance: Liberal Policy Agendas and Indigenous Civil Society: the  Fa'asamoa as a Case Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Edward Tonkin
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Ideal Types ◽  
Civil Society Organisations ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Nineteenth Century United States ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Democratic Life ◽  
Over The Top

<p>The funding of civil society has become a key aspect of the governance agenda for international aid. This arises out of a number of theories linking civil society to better governance through the leveraging of social capital. These theories find their genesis in a distinctly liberal body of work that has drawn its findings from Western historical experience. In particular, the work of Robert Putnam and many like him in the 1990's draws its inspiration from Alexis d'Tocqueville's observations of democratic life in the early nineteenth century United States. Here, civic associational, according to Tocqueville, played a key part in the vibrant democratic spirit of the USA. Putnam's own findings, on the difference between governance outcomes in Southern and Northern Italy, mirror those of Tocqueville. Although the formulations of civil society and social capital inherent in this liberal tradition are but one among many theories, they are the ones that have influenced the international donors and the allocation of development assistance money has reflected this. Civil society funding generally goes to ideal types of organisations that most resemble a Western conception of civil society. In particular, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO's) have proliferated to take advantage of this. This may well be overlooking many key forms of civil society that already exist in developing countries. A liberal reading of civil society that focuses on the associative values of civil society organisations would miss groups that are characterised more by kin, ethnicity or tribal ties. The fa'asamoa (or 'Samoan way') is an example of just such an institution that may be viewed as too traditional and backward looking by liberal theory, but upon reflection performs many of the key roles ascribed to civil society including as an important provider of social capital. It could be that donors concerned with good governance would do better to further engage with traditional institutions such as the fa'asamoa, than to simply create a new class of civil society, dominated by NGO's over the top of existing social structures.</p>

scholarly journals Civil Society, Social Capital and Governance: Liberal Policy Agendas and Indigenous Civil Society: the  Fa'asamoa as a Case Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Edward Tonkin
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Ideal Types ◽  
Civil Society Organisations ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Nineteenth Century United States ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Democratic Life ◽  
Over The Top

<p>The funding of civil society has become a key aspect of the governance agenda for international aid. This arises out of a number of theories linking civil society to better governance through the leveraging of social capital. These theories find their genesis in a distinctly liberal body of work that has drawn its findings from Western historical experience. In particular, the work of Robert Putnam and many like him in the 1990's draws its inspiration from Alexis d'Tocqueville's observations of democratic life in the early nineteenth century United States. Here, civic associational, according to Tocqueville, played a key part in the vibrant democratic spirit of the USA. Putnam's own findings, on the difference between governance outcomes in Southern and Northern Italy, mirror those of Tocqueville. Although the formulations of civil society and social capital inherent in this liberal tradition are but one among many theories, they are the ones that have influenced the international donors and the allocation of development assistance money has reflected this. Civil society funding generally goes to ideal types of organisations that most resemble a Western conception of civil society. In particular, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO's) have proliferated to take advantage of this. This may well be overlooking many key forms of civil society that already exist in developing countries. A liberal reading of civil society that focuses on the associative values of civil society organisations would miss groups that are characterised more by kin, ethnicity or tribal ties. The fa'asamoa (or 'Samoan way') is an example of just such an institution that may be viewed as too traditional and backward looking by liberal theory, but upon reflection performs many of the key roles ascribed to civil society including as an important provider of social capital. It could be that donors concerned with good governance would do better to further engage with traditional institutions such as the fa'asamoa, than to simply create a new class of civil society, dominated by NGO's over the top of existing social structures.</p>

scholarly journals Monitoring and Evaluation: Civil Society Organisations’ Competitive Edge in Effective Poverty Alleviation

2003 ◽  
Vol 42 (4II) ◽  
pp. 909-924
Author(s):  
Khadija Khan ◽  
Arshad Waheed ◽  
Saadia Iqbal
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Corporate Management ◽  
Civil Society Organisations ◽  
Community Organisation ◽  
The Government

The role of Civil Society Organisations as preferred partners in development is strongly emerging across the globe. Among many reasons, one is reasonably good governance. The social sector has shown the acumen to learn and apply corporate management practices and international standards fast enough to start leading the competition. Notwithstanding the fact that a large part of development funding under soft loans and grants is channeled to the government, the CSOs receive a significant share directly and indirectly to implement development projects in communities. It has opened tremendous opportunities for CSOs to experiment and evolve new approaches in project management, community organisation, service delivery, product development, resource mobilisation and financial management. What makes the civil society organisations different from the public sector organisations? Fundamentally two things; these are non-governmental and nonprofit. However, the real difference is in the way civil society organisations are managed. It includes leadership, commitment, professionalism, systems and practices, thrust of work and most of all performance.

EU’s support to civil society in Kazakhstan: A pilot evaluation of the social capital generated

Evaluation ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Pierobon
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
Ideal Types ◽  
The Social ◽  
External Assistance ◽  
Level Analysis

In the last decade, several studies have been devoted to the analysis of the EU’s support to civil society abroad, but only recently has scholarly attention turned to Central Asia. Most of the research in this field has adopted a macro-level perspective, concerned with the supply side of external democratization, and has examined external assistance to civil society in terms of democratization ideal types and typologies. The main contribution of this study consists of a meso-level analysis of the outcomes of the EU’s support to civil society in terms of production of social capital, conceived as the raw material of civil society itself. More precisely, the article evaluates the first wave of grants awarded to civil society organizations in Kazakhstan as part of two EU funding schemes—the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights and the Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development. The article sheds new light on the use of social capital and its two dimensions-structural and cognitive-as heuristic tools for evaluating civil society support programs.

Dangers to going it alone: social capital and the origins of community resilience in the Philippines

2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
GREG BANKOFF
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Community Resilience ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Mutual Benefit ◽  
Mutual Assistance ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Informal Associations

ABSTRACTRobert Putnam's influential article ‘Bowling alone: America's declining social capital’ puts forward a number of possible factors to explain the decline of civil society in the USA. Many of these same forces are also at work in America's erstwhile colony in Asia, the Philippines, where almost the opposite outcome is true if one can measure such things as social capital by the activity of formal and informal associations and networks devoted to mutual assistance. Unlike Americans, however, Filipinos are exposed to a much higher degree of everyday risk. This article traces the evolution of mutual benefit associations and networks and suggests that it is in precisely those geographical regions most exposed to personal misfortune and community danger that they proliferate most readily.

Promoting Democracy in the Western Balkans after the Global Financial Crisis: Good Intentions Badly Executed?

2013 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 283-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Fagan
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Donor Funding ◽  
Emergency Relief ◽  
State Reform ◽  
Civil Society Organisations ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis ◽  
The Impact

International donors got involved in the Western Balkans during the last two decades, mainly through civil society organisations (CSOs), with the initial aim of providing emergency relief, and then to promote democracy and broadly support the Europeanization agenda. The intention has also been to contribute to the spread of western values and norms, as well as advance notions of ‘good governance’ and state reform. However, most local CSOs in receipt of such assistance have not developed high capacities and remain dependent on donor funding. They are also vulnerable to political pressures and have become detached from their local constituencies. Through a survey of donors that have operated across the region, this article seeks to examine why the long-term provision of aid and attempts to promote democracy via civil society have seemingly not delivered a sufficient dividend. What is examined here is whether donor conceptualization of ‘civil society development’ is the critical variable determining success. If we acknowledge that how donors view civil society and its contribution to democracy and state building is the basis from which aid is provided, projects are supported, and objectives set and measured, then better understanding the donors’ perspective is an important basis for trying to understand limited success. This, combined with poor co-ordination and collaboration amongst donors and between them and local stakeholders, arguably compounds the problem. The article concludes that although it has long been recognised that donor strategies are contentious and determine the impact of assistance, the economic crisis is exerting a significant impact in terms of priorities, exit strategies and co-ordination, the outcome of which is by no means certain.

scholarly journals A different face of faith‐based politics: social capital and community organizing in the public arena

2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 6-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Wood ◽  
Mark R. Warren
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Community Organizing ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Arena ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Deprived Areas

Questions whether, in the USA, faith‐based communities can have an important effect on politics. Contends that other areas, where there are poorer communities, are more likely to be influenced politically in civil society although does not preclude other income sectors from being similarly affected just that deprived areas are more likely to listen to faith‐based organizers.

scholarly journals Civil Society Organisations: Filling Up The Government Service Gap For National Development

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (03) ◽  
Author(s):  
Popoola Michael Akin ◽  
Omosebi Fredrick Adeola
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
National Development ◽  
The State ◽  
Civil Society Organisations ◽  
The Government ◽  
Zero Sum ◽  
Service Gap

Good governance is inextricably linked with development. That is why any government which is genuinely concerned about good governance makes the issue of development its central focus. However, the governments of many developing countries experience capacity deficit in the area of the requisite institutions, funds and capacity to foster comprehensive socio-economic development. This makes it imperative for the state to engage in collaborative relationship with civil society which can help to fill up the lacuna created by the lack of state institutional and technical capacity. The critical role of civil society in development is aptly appreciated by some donor institutions and western countries which channel their Official Development Assistance (ODA) to developing countries through civil society organisations for effective implementation.  This research therefore, undertakes an analysis of the way and manner which civil society organisations can complement the development efforts of the state. What makes this research crucial is the belief in some quarters that the state and civil society are often mutually conflicting and perpetually locked in zero sum game. However, this paper discovered that both the state and civil society are mutually reinforcing entities and that development is enhanced when there is collaborative efforts, rather than contestation  between them.

Trust: A National Project

2015 ◽  
pp. 138-146
Author(s):  
N. Rozinskaya ◽  
I. Rozinskiy
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
External Pressure ◽  
National Project ◽  
Low Level ◽  
General Trust

This article deals with the genesis of general trust and social capital in contemporary Russia, which faces the external pressure. The low level of general trust is noted, its economic, social and everyday life implications are considered, an explanation of Russia’s lower than in western Europe level of trust is provided. Considering society’s level of trust and social capital as externalia, the authors conclude that there is a necessity to "produce" trust intentionally. Promotion of collective charity is proposed as a mechanism of such "production". It is stressed that in order to activate the potential of trust in a society, there is a need for ideological and symbolic basis linked to its history. Russian People’s Unity Day, understood as the birthday of Russian civil society, is proposed to be used in this respect.

Social Capital and the Demand for Regulation in Russia

2014 ◽  
pp. 77-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Menyashev
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Government Regulation ◽  
Russian Regions ◽  
Strong State ◽  
Popular View

There is a popular view in Russian studies arguing that underdevelopment of Russian civil society is partly responsible for the failure of liberal idea in Russia. Fragmented society sees no alternative to massive government regulation, that is why support of strong state is so high. If this logic is true, the differences in civicness across urban societies should show up in liberal parties support. This paper estimates this effect using social capital framework and drawing upon the data from Russian regions.

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