Civil Society and Philanthropy in Africa: Parallels, Paradoxes and Promise

Civil society and philanthropy in Africa are regularly theorized in formal terms and oft perceived as inherently democratizing forces. Yet, existing evidence exposes the limitations of these assumptions. This article provides an introduction to the symposium issue on civil society and philanthropy in Africa. The objective of the introduction, and the articles contained in the symposium, is to examine important questions related to civil society and philanthropy on the continent: What is the complex history and role of civil society and philanthropy in Africa? How have donor dependence and professionalization affected the effectiveness of the third sector? What are the contours of the relationship between the state and civil society? We ask these crucial questions in an attempt to provide a more nuanced and contextualized understanding of civil society and philanthropy on the continent.

The Third Sector: The “Other” Actors of Rural Development, Andalusia 2000–2015

Civil society plays an essential role in the development of our rural areas. In spite of this, little research has been conducted on the role of non-profit organizations, often referred to in general terms as the third sector, within the framework of the LEADER program for rural development, especially in such a large geographical area as Andalusia, the study area of this research. The diversity of the groups that make up the “Others” group of rural development stakeholders is one of its most important characteristics. Over the course of the study period (2000–2015), these organizations have played a very significant role in Andalusia in both quantitative and qualitative terms. In order to find out more about the diversity of third sector organizations and to quantify and evaluate their importance, we carried out a detailed analysis of all the LEADER projects commenced in Andalusia between 2000 and 2015. The quantitative and quantitative results obtained highlight the diversity of these projects and how widely their presence varied from one type of rural area to the next. Our research reopens the debate about the growing role played by non-profit organizations in developed societies at a global level and within LEADER in particular.

The Third Sector Reform in Italy: an Opportunity for Matching Social Innovation and Youth Policies?

Social innovation should represent a step forward activation policies, promoting a new balance between economic development and social cohesion, reducing inequalities and vulnerability. The Third sector is a privileged sphere of social innovation: there are many expectations on its ability to provide innovative answers to unaddressed social needs; one area of its intervention are youth policies. In Italy, the Third sector reform established new provisions on volunteering, civil service and social entrepreneurship, which should primarily benefit the youth. It allows to explore the double face of the Third sector transformation and of the European rhetoric on social innovation. On the one side institutions are trying to recognize emerging grass-root practices which combine social involvement, professional fulfillment and political action in order to respond new societal challenges. On the other side, the market is still fundamental in practices and discourses around social innovation, that maintain many contradictions of the activation policies.

Contribuições da retórica para o estudo da gestão organizacional – Análise do texto “the third sector and domestic missions” de Amitai Etzioni / Contributions of rhetoric to the study of organizational management – Analysis of the text “the third sector and domestic missions” by Amitai Etzioni

A retórica é um método utilizado por autores para defender suas ideias e opiniões. É também um método para análise e estudo dos textos de ciência social aplicada, área caracterizada por debates e discussões. O objetivo do artigo é apresentar o potencial da análise retórica para a melhor compreensão da literatura sobre gestão organizacional e como método de ensino para preparação de bons gestores, atendendo às diretrizes curriculares do curso. A metodologia (compatível com o objetivo) é a do exercício teórico com texto seminal de Amitai Etzioni sobre a superioridade das organizações do terceiro setor comparativamente às organizações estatais no atendimento das demandas por bem-estar social. A análise retórica do artigo de Third Sector and Domestic Missions levou à desconstrução do texto, demostrando que a repercussão e importância do conceito de terceiro setor repousa em sua qualidade retórica, que aliada ao momento histórico, fez com que ETZIONI criasse uma ideia-força, que perdura até os dias atuais.

INTERACTION BETWEEN STATE AND CIVIL SOCIETY: INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE AND KAZAKHSTAN

This article is devoted to the study of the international and Kazakhstani experience of building, regulation of relations between the state and civil society institutions, the definition of modern directions for the development of the third sector of Kazakhstan, as well as barriers and constraints that impede the transformation of relations between government bodies and non-profit organizations. In the framework of the study the experience of European states was taken, as countries that in historical perspective have the greatest experience in establishing relationships with the civil sector. On the basis of the study, the authors identified general tendencies that characterize the relations between the state and civil society, which are expressed in the strengthening of support for the third sector, the managerial and controlling functions of civil society institutions, as well as the replacement of some areas of activity of state bodies by non-governmental organizations.