« Home

Home » Politics & International Relations » Burnell & Randall: Politics in the Developing World 2e » Resources » Study Questions » Chapter 9

Burnell & Randall: Politics in the Developing World 2e

Chapter 9

  1. How should civil society relate to the market in a neo-liberal economic environment?

  2. In what ways can a strong state and strong civil society be mutually beneficial?

  3. How important is it that civil societies in developing countries develop transnational linkages with global civil society if they are to address the international structures that have bearing on the domestic politics?

  4. What can the international community do and what should it not do if it wants to help develop associational life appropriate to liberal democracy in developing countries?

  5. What different patterns of relationship exist between civil society organisations and political parties and what relationship should exist if society is to make a success of democratization?

  6. Why does everybody seem to agree that civil society is 'a good thing'?

  7. In developing countries, what problems lie in the way of civil society organizations being genuinely autonomous?

  8. Assess, giving examples, the role of civil society organizations in one of the following policy areas in developing countries: human rights, development, the environment.

  9. Discuss the argument that civil society organizations reflect, and help to build, social trust.

  10. Why has the study of civil society in developing countries burgeoned from the 1990s?

  11. Do you agree that too much attention has been given to the role of civil society in the study of democratization and not enough attention to the role of political parties?

  12. How helpful is the analytical distinction between civil and uncivil society to characterising politics in the developing world? Use concrete examples to illustrate your answer.

  13. What is the difference between a civil society organization and a nongovernmental development organization, and how helpful is the distinction to understanding politics in the developing world?

  14. Is the presence of many different civic associations in a society sufficient for there to be a civil society?

  15. What are the connections between civil society and social capital?

  16. To what extent can civil society organizations provide an adequate substitute for political parties?

  17. Does a 'vibrant' civil society require a substantial middle class?

  18. How useful is the concept of 'civil society' in a developing world context?

  19. To what extent can membership of civil society organizations be said to be 'voluntary' in developing societies?

  20. Discuss the value of the distinction between 'traditional' and 'modern' forms of civil society in developing countries.