Overview

In the past two decades, '""civil society"" has become a central organizing concept in the social sciences. Occupying the middle ground between the state and private life, the civil sphere encompasses everything from associations to protests to church groups to nongovernmental organizations. Interest in the topic exploded with the decline of statism in the 1980s and 1990s, and many of our current debates about politics and social policy are informed by the renewed focus on civil society. Michael Edwards, author of the most authoritative single-authored book on civil society, serves as the editor for The Oxford Handbook of Civil Society. Broadly speaking, the book views the topic through three prisms: as a part of society (voluntary associations), as a kind of society (marked out by certain social norms), and as a space for citizen action and engagement (the public square or sphere). It does not focus solely on the West (a failing of much of the literature to date), but looks at civil society in both the developed and developing worlds. Throughout, it merges theory, practice, and empirical research. In sum, The Oxford Handbook on Civil Society will be the definitive work on the topic.

Full Product Details

Author:   Michael Edwards (Distinguished Senior Fellow, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Demos)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 24.60cm , Height: 3.80cm , Length: 18.00cm
Weight:   1.063kg
ISBN:  

9780195398571

ISBN 10:   0195398572
Pages:   552
Publication Date:   03 November 2011
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Replaced By:   9780199330140
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Part 1. Introduction 1. Introduction, Michael Edwards 2. The History of Civil Society Ideas, John Ehrenberg Part 2. The Forms of Civil Society 3. The Non-Profit Sector, Steven R. Smith 4. Development NGOs, Alan Fowler 5. Grassroots Associations, Frances Kunreuther 6. Social Movements, Donatella Della Porta and Mario Diani 7. Social Enterprise and Social Entrepreneurs, Alex Nicholls 8. Global Civil Society, Lisa Jordan Part 3. Geographical Perspectives 9. Civil Society in the United States, Theda Skocpol 10. Civil Society in Latin America, Evelina Dagnino 11. Civil Society in Post-Communist Europe, Marc Morjé Howard 12. Civil Society in the Middle East, Eberhard Kienle 13. Civil Society in China, Jude Howell 14. Civil Society in India, Neera Chandhoke 15. Civil Society in Sub-Saharan Africa, Ebenezer Obadare Part 4. The Norms of Civil Society 16. Civil Society and Social Capital, Michael Woolcock 17. Civil and Uncivil Society, Clifford Bob 18. Civil Society and Civility, Nina Eliasoph 19. Civil Society and Equality, Sally Kohn 20. Civil Society and Diversity, Hilde Coffé and Catherine Bolzendahl 21. Civil Society and Religion, Donald E. Miller 22. Civil Society and Spirituality, Claudia Horwitz Part 5. The Spaces of Civil Society 23. Civil Society and Government, Nancy L. Rosenblum and Charles H.T. Lesch 24. Civil Society and Civil Liberties, Mark Sidel 25. Civil Society and the Public Sphere, Craig Calhoun 26. Civil Society and Public Work, Harry C. Boyte 27. Civil Society in the Digital Age, Roberta G. Lentz 28. Civil Society and Public Journalism, Charles Lewis 29. Civic Knowledge, Peter Levine Part 6. The Achievements of Civil Society 30. Civil Society and Democracy, Mark E. Warren 31. Civil Society and Poverty, Solava Ibrahim and David Hulme 32. Civil Society and Peace, Jenny Pearce 33. Civil Society and Power, John Gaventa 34. Civil Society and the Market, Simon Zadek Part 7. Supporting Civil Society 35. Civil Society and Institutional Philanthropy, William A. Schambra and Krista L. Shaffer 36. Civil Society and Grassroots Philanthropy, G. Albert Ruesga 37. Assisting Civil Society and Promoting Democracy, Omar G. Encarnación 38. Conclusion, Michael Edwards

Reviews

<br> This Oxford Handbook of Civil Society, happily, comes in well under $200, is spectacularly readable, and clearly earns every penny in both price and packaging. ... Michael Edwards, its editor, has taken on the daunting task over the past few decades of actually trying to understand one of the slipperiest ideas social scientists and philosophers have employed over the past few centuries. Edwards has written clearly on the subject, has funded research and action to enhance this understanding, and in this volume, calls upon a talented network of his colleagues to illuminate the civil society concept in a remarkable display of good sense and intellectual persuasion. --Jon Van Til, Rutgers University, for VOLUNTAS <br><p><br>

"""This Oxford Handbook of Civil Society, happily, comes in well under $200, is spectacularly readable, and clearly earns every penny in both price and packaging. ... Michael Edwards, its editor, has taken on the daunting task over the past few decades of actually trying to understand one of the slipperiest ideas social scientists and philosophers have employed over the past few centuries. Edwards has written clearly on the subject, has funded research and action to enhance this understanding, and in this volume, calls upon a talented network of his colleagues to illuminate the civil society concept in a remarkable display of good sense and intellectual persuasion.""--Jon Van Til, Rutgers University, for VOLUNTAS ""The Oxford Handbook of Civil Society presents a kaleidoscope of views...The entries are concise and well-written, focusing on major issues of contention in academic debate, thus providing ideal readings for classes and for introduction to the topic.""--CHOICE"

The Oxford Handbook of Civil Society presents a kaleidoscope of views...The entries are concise and well-written, focusing on major issues of contention in academic debate, thus providing ideal readings for classes and for introduction to the topic. * CHOICE * This Oxford Handbook of Civil Society, happily, comes in well under $200, is spectacularly readable, and clearly earns every penny in both price and packaging. ... Michael Edwards, its editor, has taken on the daunting task over the past few decades of actually trying to understand one of the slipperiest ideas social scientists and philosophers have employed over the past few centuries. Edwards has written clearly on the subject, has funded research and action to enhance this understanding, and in this volume, calls upon a talented network of his colleagues to illuminate the civil society concept in a remarkable display of good sense and intellectual persuasion. * Jon Van Til, Rutgers University, for VOLUNTAS *

Author Information

Michael Edwards is currently Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos in New York, Senior Visiting Scholar at the Robert F Wagner School of Public Service at New York University, and Senior Visiting Fellow at the Brooks World Poverty Institute at Manchester University in the UK. He is also the former Senior Advisor to World Bank on Civil Society and the former Director of the Ford Foundation's Governance and Civil Society Program.

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