CIVIL SOCIETY PRESSURE GROUPS DIDEM BUHARI PR 1400

CIVIL SOCIETY & PRESSURE GROUPS DIDEM BUHARI PR 1400 WEEK 9

General feedback on essays I. Structure Best practices Topic: Political participation -Individual-level factors & contextual factors Human factors & structural factors - a person’s willingness & ability to participate

General feedback on essays II. Problematic issues “Many argue that…. ” Who ? ? “Several studies say that…. ” What studies? ? ? I believe that use ‘think/ argue/ suggest’ Do not use ‘I’ or ‘in my opinion’ in your next essay. Do not use academic titles such as Dr. & Prof. “foolish”, “embarrassing” are not neutral terms. Avoid them in academic papers. Avoid too long or too short paragraphs…

REFERENCING Within the text § No need to use italics for direct quotes! § Always include page number in the reference. § If you refer to a source cited in a paper, indicate it clearly: Marx (cited in Zolo 2009: 21) said that ‘capitalism is evil’. § If you have the same reference for consecutive sentences, use (ibid. ) for the second time. § Long quotes indented paragraph.

a long quote within the text

REFERENCING At the end of the text (Bibliography) No need to enumerate the sources! Just put the surnames in alphabetical order. Do not include publishers for journal articles. Include page numbers (start and end). Include publisher and place of publication for books. Do not rely on internet sources!!! (socialstudieshelp. com etc. ).

CIVIL SOCIETY Civil society is not a homogenous, united entity, but rather a complex arena where diverse values and interests interact and power struggles occur. Do you agree? Why?

State - civil society relations Autonomy of civil society? Antagonistic to the state? “the state is a precondition of civil society” State-civil society dialogue?

Robert Putnam: ‘America’s Declining Social Capital’ What is social capital? Is it good for the society? Why has social capital declined in the USA? Is it eroding in your country too? Why?

Is civil society good for democracy? NO! They are not elected! NO! Civil society represents only the rich and powerful segments of the society. NO! Civil society is a neo-colonial project driven by Western elites in their own interests. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Measuring the size/strength of civil society in your country The percentage of citizens that undertake political actions, donate to charity, do volunteer work and participate in community activities. The extent to which all minority groups are represented in civil society The extent to which civil society has financial, human, technological resources for its aims.

Civil society in your country Is it active and successful in influencing public policy (e. g. national budget, human rights and social policy)? Does it monitor, make transparent and speak out against actions undertaken by government and the private sector? Is it an “elitist” civil society that is ‘out-of-touch’ with citizens? or is it a “responsive” civil society that voices societal concerns?

Legitimacy of civil society in your country Assess to what extent civil society organisations practice internal democracy (e. g. in selecting leaders and making decisions) Look at corruption and financial transparency within civil society. Look at the balance between tolerant and intolerant forces within civil society

Group work Create a simple ranking of countries on the basis of the state of their civil society. justify your ranking.

UK marking system 80 -100 ------ unbelievable 75 -80 ------- wow! Perfect 70 -75 ------- nearly perfect 65 -70 ------- very good 60 -65 ------- promising 50 -60 ------- need for greater effort Below 50 ----- You can do better! Please see me before the second essay! OFFICE HOURS: THURSDAY 1. 30 TO 2. 30 PM AT FW 102