Civil society/Related Articles

Parent Topics

Science
Religion
Education
Charity
Community
Philanthropy

Subtopics

Citizen
Civic culture
Civic engagement
Civil society organization
Commons
Family
Foundations
Independent sector
Nonprofit, Not-for-Profit, Voluntary, Independent
Nonprofit sector
Third sector
Nongovernmental organizations
Nongoverment sector
Social capital
Social movements
Market
State
Voluntary associations
Voluntary sector

Related Topics

Catalog of types of civil society organizations
First Great Awakening
Second Great Awakening
Third Great Awakening
Fourth Great Awakening

Debate

In this section are listed a number of issues and controversial questions surrounding the concept of civil society:

• One of the most basic issues in the social sciences (perhaps ranking up there with nature-nurture) is the question of the relation of state and society. Which is more fundamental? Which precedes which logically? empirically? historically? Can the two terms be defined separately?

• Some U.S. political theorists have even suggested that the U.S. (as a "government of the people" does not (or cannot) have a political state distinguishable from society.

• A related question which has intrigued recent investigators is the relation between civil society and the third (voluntary or nonprofit) sector.

• Another related question is the relation between state and government.

• Are we experiencing genuine declines in civic participation and deteriorating civil society as Robert Putnam's research suggests? The experts disagree.