PIA 2528

Civil Society: A Conceptual Framework

Review- Five Themes1. Democracy

1. Governance

2. Local Government

3. Civil Society

4. Institutional State

Quote of the Week George Orwell, Burmese Days

"Why is it you are always abusing the pukka sahibs as you call them. They are the salt of the earth. Consider the great administrators who have made British India what it is.”

Discussion of Themes Orwell, Burmese Days

Lindsay Wood

Laura Meixell

Madison, Hamilton and Jay and Civil Society Federalist Papers

Fear of Populism Minority rights Shifting majorities The problem with majorities Tyranny Factions

Polyarchy: The Conceptual Framework

Competitive Pluralism

Diverse interest associations of society compete with each other over policy issues

Polyarchy: Six Principles

Interest Group Liberalism Problem of zero-sum game Civil Society as organizational not

individual or the mass. The need for apathy Institutional structures: Checks and

balances Constitutional vs. social stability

Civil Society: The Base Point

Civil Society- Networks of organizations, groups and individuals pursuing socio-economic interests

Themes- Civil Society Wenfu- “Peddler’s Family”

• Chunwrong Chen• Ali Ashraf• Lindsay Wood

Isabel Allenda- “Clarissa”

• Anh Ninh• Stephenie Schell

Review: Civil SocietyThe Nature of the Beast:

Non-Profits Not for Profits Private Voluntary

Organizations Community Based

Organizations Civics

Nature of the Beast-Continued

FoundationsAssociationsInterest GroupsQuangos

Nature of the Beast

The University of Pittsburgh is a Non-Profit

They are not always small

Five Caveats: Civil Society Groups Usually excludes “for profits”-

issue of contractors Both International and Local Internationals are not universally

loved Very often internationals are

religious or charity based Focus has been primarily on relief

rather than development or civil society goals

Theme: Institutional Development and History of State Civil Society

Allen, “Plain Tales,” and “Dark Continent”

•Sara Tilka

•Stephenie Schell

•Ali Ashraf

Types of “Development” NGOs

1. Philanthropy2. Humanitarian Assistance

War, Drought, Agricultural Failure (WWI)

Relief and Welfare Societies- Disaster-

3. Populist based development agencies (national)

Types of “Development” NGOs

4. Grassroots associations (local or village based): Focus on Rural Development

5. Advocacy groups: Democracy and Governance

6. Public Service Contractors and Grantees

International NGOs- Weaknesses

1. Lack of local legitimacy2. Donor driven3. Inefficiency4. Amateurism- leadership and

continuity problems5. Staffing problems

International NGOs- Weaknesses

6. Self-serving- own objectives: Faith Based

7. Fixation on projects- Problems of replication

8. Lack of perceived accountability

9. Learning problems/lack of institutional memory

International NGOs- Weaknesses

10. Tensions with government institutions- Politically threatening11. Ties with existing local elites12. Inability of humanitarian organizations to transfer to new development orientation

Break

Ten Minutes

Public Private Partnerships

The Twenty-First Century Paradigm

Types of Democracy,

Cooperative Movements (or Corporatism)

Diverse interest associations cooperate with each other and with organs of the state to make policy

Public-Private Partnerships

U.S. Parallel: Western Pennsylvania

Understanding the Public Sector of Allegheny County

Allegheny County is made up of 130 townships and boroughs. Each of these has its own public manager and council. The city of Pittsburgh is part of this mix of local government. Several Thousand non-profits

Operating Budget for the County for 2003 is $654 million. This budget provides for such services as:

Children and Youth ServicesJail/County PolicePort AuthorityDistrict attorneycoroner

Demographics of Allegheny County

Total population 1,281,666 84% White 12% African American 1.7% Asian 1% Hispanic 1/10 of 1% Native American

18% 65+ 6% under 5 years old

Public-Private Partnerships

Non-Profits Number in W. PA in tens of thousands and

deliver up to two-thirds of the social services of the County in several different sectors

Public Private Partnerships:The International Context

Defined: Partnerships (formal or informal) between: Non-Governmental Organizations

(NGOs), Community Based Organizations

(CBOs), Governments, Donors (International and Private), Private- Business Sector.

Public Private Partnerships Origins- Use in International

Development 

a. International Donors- Way of Dealing with Umbrella Grants and implementation of development policies

 b. Accepting donor money means accepting donor principles

Public Private Partnerships

c. Comes out of Structural Adjustment and Policy Reform (re. LDCs)

 d. Seen by some as an alternative to

Contracting Out- Others as part of it e. Critics see it as detrimental to a

market approach to economic change

Public Private Partnerships: Characteristics

a. Targeted at the expansion of Social Capital and Synergy in the promotion of Economic and Social Development

  b. Seeks a holistic or Integrated Approach to Economic and Social Development

  c. Involves informal processes, cultural sensitivities as well as legal norms and contracting principles.

Public Private Partnerships (PPPs)

Supporting Factors in the International Context:

  1. Democratic Governance- private sector and NGOs seen as legitimate actors; transparency, accountability and responsiveness

 2. Rational Government- Merit Principles, anti-corruption environment, acceptance of non-state actors as service deliverers. Contracting Out

Public Private Partnerships- Factors

Factors that Support PPPs  

3. Decentralization- Subsidiarity: Governance devolved to the lowest levels capable of implementation and contracting out

 4. Legal Frameworks- Acceptance of Contractual Agreement as the basic organizational relationship

Public Private Partnerships-Factors5. Institutional Norms, Organizational Capacity and regularized principles of inter-organizational interaction. Requires high levels of capacity building

 6. Requires Social and Economic Stability

 7. Organizational flexibility across all sectors

Public Private Partnerships- Factors

8. Social and Institutional Pluralism- win-win rather than zero sum game across social, ethnic, religious and racial groups

 9. Social Networks exist at Grass roots, and intermediate as well as higher levels of government-See diagram

The Model:

Local Governance and Civil Society

Decentralization Diagram

Target Group

Grassroots Organizations

Civic Education

Land Rural Industries

Governance / Democracy

Communica-tion and Support

NGOs Women’s Focused Groups

Decentralization

Reference:

Jennifer M. Brinkerhoff,Partnership for International Development: Rhetoric or Results

Boulder, Co.: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2002

Institutional Legacy- Discussion: Huntington, Culture Matters

Verona Benjamin (Lead)

Ali Ashraf

Stephenie Schell

Lindsay Wood

Anh Ninh

Sarah Tylka

Chunrong Chen

Laura Meixell (Questions to Panel)

Case Studies: The Institutional Legacy

1. Africa: “Dark Continent and Europe:” Lord Hailey, Oliver, Picard?

2. Eastern Europe: “Balkan Ghosts:” Kaplan, Glenny

3. Asia- China, Japan and America: Karnow, Kaplan, Storry

4. Latin America: Iberian Heritage (or US): Greene, De Soto

5. Middle East: Ottoman Legacy vs. European Influence: Lerner, Naipaul, Segev

Discussion

Questions, Comments?

Discussion: Next Week Governance Themes:

•Asia: Huntington, Clash of Civilizations

•Middle East, Nutting

•Africa: Picard, Botswana

•Latin America, Garrity and Picard, Dependency Avoidance