Bootstrapping Democracy: Transforming Local Governance and Civil Society in Brazil By Gianpaolo Baiocchi, Patrick Heller and Marcelo K. Silva Stanford University Press. 2011. 224 pages. $21.95 paper

Social Forces ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 1111-1113
Author(s):  
B. Wampler
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Stanford University

Experimental Democracy for China

2018 ◽  
pp. 594-612
Author(s):  
Sor-hoon Tan
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
The Political ◽  
Social Reforms ◽  
Chinese Democracy

This chapter explores the relevance of Dewey’s philosophy of democracy for China within the context of Dewey’s historical visit to China (1919–1921) and continuing debates about his influence among the Chinese. Dewey’s pragmatism illuminates certain problems in the contemporary discourses about China’s democratization, including questions whether Chinese culture is an obstacle to democratization and the strengths of a Deweyan approach to articulating a Confucian democracy that could work in China. Dewey’s emphasis on experimentation in social reforms and his fallibilism regarding the political institutions of democracy open up new possibilities for China’s democratization and suggest where one might look to discover the indigenous conditions—the varied experiments being conducted in local governance and civil society—from which a Chinese democracy might be born.

Challenges for integrated water resources governance in Brasilia metropolitan area

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luiz Fernando Macedo Bessa ◽  
Marcelo Facchina
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
National Level ◽  
Federal District ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the reasons behind the difficulties in implementing proper participatory environmental and water governance systems in the metropolitan region of Brasilia, Brazil. Design/methodology/approach – This work is a result of a the qualitative analysis of documents and reports of local participatory arenas in Brasilia, and is complemented by a set of 13 interviews held between November 2009 and March 2010 with a variety of actors involved in the promotion of sustainability in the region. Findings – The findings reveal that impediments to the good performance of environmental governance in the Federal District are a consequence to two main factors: institutional framework poorly transferred from the national level and incompatibility between the set of regulations and local electoral power dynamics. Research limitations/implications – As a consequence of the deliberate choice of one specific case, the conclusions of this paper may erroneously overemphasize the perils of participatory local governance rather than its potentials. Practical implications – By identifying a series of mechanisms that threaten positive partnerships between governments and civil society at the local level, this work serves as an important tool for public managers and civil society to engage in more fruitful partnerships. Originality/value – The paper provides a power-based analysis of a case of ineffectiveness of participatory mechanisms. In doing so, it also demonstrates that policy planning must be analysed from a variety of perspectives, and often involve coalitions that cut across the traditional state-society divide. The identification of the mechanisms behind the creation of these obstacles constitutes the originality and value of this paper.

scholarly journals Participation of the Public in Central and Local Governance: Principles, Statistics and European Experiences for Ukraine

2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-30
Author(s):  
V. М. Semianovskyi
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Solution Process ◽  
Problem Solution ◽  
Public Governance ◽  
Society Business ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Soviet Union

Issues of the effective participation and cooperation of the civil society in power bodies have been a central social problem of the globe in the latest times. Although theoretical issues of participatory governance have been well developed and widely implemented, e. g. in business sector, cooperation of Power and Community pose a serious problem in the world and Ukraine in particular. The effectiveness of cooperation between Power and the civil society is downgraded by the issue the current condition of both parties, the quality of their work and their mutual trust. Also, it needs to be born in mind that this problem is a part of the triangle Power – Society – Business, and that the external environment has significant impact in the conditions of globalization. Given the Ukrainian context, it should be considered that the power system here was inherited from the Soviet Union. It is incompatible with the present-day realities, and its reform has been so far ineffective. The data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine (SSSU) show the vast numbers of officials in local governance and central power bodies, picked up in industry-like administrative departments. The bulky apparatus of public governance being streamlined on the problem solution process in economic industries, social problems, not mentioning the ones of individual humans, can be looked at only before elections.   On the other hand, according to SSSU, Ukraine has a network of rather diverse public organizations, but their total number is small. According to Eurostat, quantitative and qualitative parameters of the civil society in Ukraine lag far behind the European ones. A diversity of goals, weak consolidation of efforts, resources and methods for solving the most important problems are factors complicating the cooperation between Power and Community. Theoretical and practical aspects of the problem related with cooperation of Power and the civil society have been elaborated in Europe since long. Advanced principles and various technologies for its solution have been proposed and implemented. The first typology of the public participation in form of “public participation staircase” was admittedly made by researcher Sh. R. Arnstein. She broke the staircase into the three levels: non-participation, symbolic participation, public power. To boost the effectiveness of collaborative action, the European community has elaborated the Code of recommended norms for the participation of the public in taking public decisions. In fact, this technology is the standard of cooperation between Power and Community in Europe.   The need for reform of the system for cooperation of power bodies with the civil society in Ukraine by use the European experience of cooperation is substantiated. The issues of goals, principles, methods and phases of cooperation between the power and the society, their advantages and drawbacks are highlighted.

Integration, Innovation, and Intimidation?

2017 ◽  
pp. 75-95
Author(s):  
Brid C. Quinn
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Third Sector ◽  
Subnational Governance ◽  
The Impact

Local governments find themselves dependent on co-operation, not only with other levels of government but also with a range of non-governmental actors. New actors, drawn from the private sector, civil society, and technocratic élites, have become involved in the governing process and interdependencies have grown. Various approaches have been implemented to link the third sector and government, and various conceptualizations and analyses have emerged. This chapter explores strategies to involve the third sector in local government in Ireland. Ireland makes for an interesting case since it depicts an example of a state-designed system for formally integrating the third sector in the reformed structures of local governance. It provides insights about the theory and practice of subnational governance and generates transferable knowledge about the impact of nationally directed strategies to integrate the third sector with government. It also offers suggestions for further research on such linkages.

Networks, Organizations, Institutions:  An Interview with Walter W. Powell, Stanford University

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut K. Anheier ◽  
Walter W. Powell
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
The State ◽  
Organizational Forms ◽  
Stanford University ◽  
Organizational Sociology ◽  
New Organizational Forms ◽  
The Social ◽  
Network Organizations ◽  
Society Research

In this interview, Walter W. Powell and Helmut K. Anheier review the evolution of organizational sociology and institutionalism over the last thirty years, including the formation of new organizational forms such as network organizations. They also touch upon nonprofit and civil society research, and discuss the state of sociology and the social sciences more generally.

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