CIVICUS Global Survey of the State of Civil Society Vol. II

The second volume of the CIVICUS Global Survey of the State of Civil Society offers a wide-ranging analysis of key issues facing civil society worldwide with contributions from prominent researchers and civil society practitioners. Comprising 24 chapters, the book draws on the information collected by the CIVICUS Civil Society Index project in more than 45 countries to explore issues such as civil society’s accountability, its relations to the state and corporate sector and its role in governance and development. It also includes regional overviews of the state of civil society in different continents. By bringing together a diversity of perspectives and themes, this book offers one of the most comprehensive and engaging analyses of civil society worldwide.

Keystone's David Bonbright and Natalia Kiryttopoulou have contributed to this volume with a  coauthored chapter on the challenges faced by civil society infrastructure around the globe. Drawing from the findings of the CIVICUS Civil Society Index, the chapter identifies and examines  four enabling conditions for civil society -- a legal and regulatory framework; a sustainable resource base; knowledge and information; and human and organisational capacity -- focusing on the actions that only civil society can take to strengthen itself, and looking for the most significant innovations occurring across the world. The authors argue that the major challenge faced by civil society infrastructure today is the building of structures that enable downwards accountability.

For more information and to order the book, please visit the Kumarian Press website.