Session 3: The "Resurrection of Civil Society"

I. The Role of Civil Society in a Transition to Democracy

A. Diverse Functions

1) Agent of Expression

2) Agent of Pressure

3) Agent of Mobilization and Organization

4) Agent of Healing

B. Settling Past Accounts without Upsetting Present Transitions

1) The Problem of Seeking Justice (graphic) (graphic)

2) The Problem of Social Distribution

II. The Unintended Consequences of the Resurrection of Civil Society

Handouts and Links:

Floating Exam Handout

Debate#1: Elite pacts v. civil societal "conquest."

Key Concepts: political space; regime concession and societal conquest; flattened civil societies; the Pandora's Box effect (also, the "popular upsurge"); ethical civil society; anti-politics; myth of moderation; amnesty; dual transitions; multinational states; the problem of stateness.

Study Questions:

(October 5, Tuesday)

What do O'Donnell and Schmitter mean by the "resurrection of civil society?" From what is it "resurrecting" itself?

What are the biases that Bermeo detects in the "moderation argument" in the transition literature? How does this compare with Bunce's findings? List three biases based on both readings and prepare to discuss them.

Based on a comparison of Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia, discuss under what conditions civil society is in a position to influence the outcome of a transition and under what conditions is it unable to do so?

(October 7, Thursday)

Why are "founding elections" important to civil society? What function do they fulfill in helping civil society organize during a transition?

How does the democratization of civil society affect the prospects for democratization of the regime? List at least four factors that explain this relationship. List three conditions that must be maintained if civil society is to promote democratization.

How does the composition and structure of "national identity" ("stateness") affect the prospects for democracy? Be sure to list three distinct challenges that issues of nationalism and identity present to democratizing regimes. How did these challenges emerge in Estonia and Latvia?

Floating Comprehensive Exam Questions: Answer One (Due October 19, Tuesday)

(A) To what extent is the tendency to emphasize moderation of civil society just empirically wrong and theoretically not helpful? Be sure to evaluate the empirical evidence by comparing at least three cases of transition.

(B) Discuss under what conditions civil society is in a position to influence the outcome of a transition and under what conditions it is unable to do so. Support your answer with a comparison of four cases of transition.

Note: If you choose not to answer one of these questions, you will have one more set of exam questions to satisfy the one question requirement during sessions 2-4. Difficulty level increases with each set.