Civil society - Контрольная работа

Civil society groups - charities, faith-based organizations, trade unions, advocates and others outside government, family and commerce - have proven essential elements in fully functioning democracies. Recent years have witnessed proliferating efforts by various governments to restrict the space in which civil society organizations in general and democracy groups in particular operate.Democracy can be defined as: 1. government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. 2. a state having such a form of government: The United States and Canada are democracies. So, the Democracy is a form of political organization in which all people, through consensus (consensus democracy), direct referendum (direct democracy), or elected representatives (representative democracy) exercise equal control over the matters which affect their interests. The term comes from the Greek: ?????????? - (dcmokratia) "rule of the people", which was coined from ????? (demos) "people" and ?????? (Kratos) "power", in the middle of the 5th-4th century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens following a popular uprising in 508 BC. As written, Ilyin, "nowadays the concept of democracy has expanded and evolved to include not only the behavior of a form of political power (participation in government), but also ideological and, more generally, attitudes to relationships between people as well as moral and even philosophical premise of human existence in modern conditions, and, as some researchers (S.Unlike a dictatorship, a democratic government exists to serve the people, but citizens in democracies must also agree to abide by the rules and obligations by which they are governed. Democracies grant many freedoms to their citizens including the freedom to dissent and criticize the government. Citizenship in a democracy requires participation, civility, and even patience since the beginning of it’s existence. Socrates, advocated that issues be resolved via public argument using the dialectic, a form of rational dialogue in which the arguers test propositions against other propositions in order to uncover the truth, that is, until they achieve a reasoning that cannot be refuted. A just society is one in which people dedicate themselves to the common good, practice civic virtues of wisdom, courage, moderation and justice, and perform the occupational role to which they are best suited.For some observers, it only includes political activity engaged in through nonprofit organizations such as nongovernmental organizations. At the other end of the spectrum, some observers include all forms of voluntary participation, whether in the public or private sector, political or apolitical. For Karl Marx and G W F Hegel, civil society was that part of society where self-interest and materialism were rampant, although Adam Smith believed that enlightened self-interest would promote the general good. · Civil society includes not just the individuals who participate, but the institutions they participate in-sometimes called "civil society organizations" or "CSOS". It is an intangible resource accumulated by civil society that can be expended when a society finds itself in crisis.There is an adopted definition of civil society developed by a number of leading research centers: “the term civil society to refer to the wide array of nongovernmental and not-for-profit organizations that have a presence in public life, expressing the interests and values of their members or others, based on ethical, cultural, political, scientific, religious or philanthropic considerations.The term “order” in social order indicates the absence of chaos and the presence of principles of cohesion. Society itself may be broadly understood as being comprised of three interrelated macro systems of organization-political, economic, and cultural-within each of which various institutions facilitate the satisfaction of the diverse material and intangible needs and desires of the members. The question of social order, then, is how social relations are most satisfactorily governed among individuals and the institutions that make up society.Civil society has become an important concept in the social sciences, and has emerged as a central topic among policymakers and practitioners alike. With such prominence comes a need for clearer understanding, better information and ways to position civil society and its various dimensions in the context of economy, polity and society at large. Moreover we can measure civil society at local, regional, national and even international levels. Marxists, in particular, argue that civil society and, especially, a civic culture tend to frustrate change and progress toward a more just and equitable society.

CONTENTS

Introduction

1. The concept of the democracy

2. The history of civil society

3. The definition of the civil society

3.1 Array of organisations

3.2 Social order and responsibility

Conclusion

The list of the used literature

Civil society has become an important concept in the social sciences, and has emerged as a central topic among policymakers and practitioners alike. With such prominence comes a need for clearer understanding, better information and ways to position civil society and its various dimensions in the context of economy, polity and society at large.

Civil society can be measured in various ways and at different levels: as separate units, each with specific characteristics, measures and data; or as a composite entity that combines individual components. Moreover we can measure civil society at local, regional, national and even international levels.

Not all observers agree that civil society is important at all. Marxists, in particular, argue that civil society and, especially, a civic culture tend to frustrate change and progress toward a more just and equitable society.

However, there is growing agreement that civil society, civic culture, and social capital are all important for strengthening democracy and enabling conflict resolution. To be fair, the first academic discussions of civil society were naive, all but suggesting that any expansion of civic engagement was good for democracy. This is important both for the building of democracy and for resolving conflict, because such values as trust and tolerance are important for both.

THE LIST OF THE USED LITERATURE

1. Michael Edwards, Civil Society - Polity, 2009. - 171 p.

2. Sudipta Kaviraj, Sunil Khilnani, Civil society: history and possibilities - Cambridge University Press, 2001. - 330 p.

3. Keith Tester, Civil society - Taylor & Francis, 1992. - 187 p.

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