"All over the world, political systems are paralyzed by incompetence, polarization, and authoritarianism. Can voluntary organizations, engaged citizens, and intermediate associations rescue democratic participation and oversight? Michael Edwards's book provides essential guidelines for understanding the revitalizing possibilities of civil society."John Ehrenberg, Long Island University"This significantly updated edition provides an authoritative account of the contemporary complex relevance of civil society for the future of participatory democracy. Lucidly conceptualized and fluently written, this is required reading for twenty-first-century citizens of conscience."Richard Falk, University of California, Santa Barbara, former United Nations Special Rapporteur
PrefaceAcknowledgments1 Introduction - What's the Big Idea?2 Civil Society as Associational Life3 Civil Society as the Good Society4 Civil Society as the Public Sphere5 Synthesis - How Do the Different Models of Civil Society Fit Together?6 Action - So What's to be Done?NotesReferences and BibliographyIndex
Michael Edwards is a writer and activist based in upstate New York, and the editor of Transformation at openDemocracy.