SYLLABUS

JSM437, JSM044, Civil Society in Central Europe

AIMS:

The main aim of the course is to give students a critical understanding of the role of civil society and civil sector in the process of transformation and modernization in Central Europe after Velvet Revolutions. Following the fall of Communism in 1989 the civil sectors in CEE countries were re-established after the several decades of communist totality. The most obvious evidence of that is the rapid growth in the number of civil society organizations (CSOs) during the last decade of 20 century. In spite of this impressive growth, the size and position of civil sectors in CE countries remains relatively limited. The lecture gives answers on the questions what are the origins of CSOs proliferation and why is the process of civil sector consolidation so difficult? What was the role of outside (western) assistance in the sector consolidation? What effects of Path Dependence have decisive impact on the shape of the sector internal structure and on the consolidation processes as such? What are the anomalies in civil sectors development in CEE countries in comparison with their western counterparts? What are the main achievements of the civil sector consolidation and what are the main failures? What are the crucial problems of the forming the civil sectors as a real societal actors? As theoretical background for identification and explanation of the mentioned factors, effects and problems will be used set of economic, sociological and politological theories (Theory of the (Market / State) Failure, Theory of Confidence, Welfare State Theory, The Resource Mobilization Theory, The Theory of Political Opportunity Structure, The Collective Identity Theory…)

COURSE STRUCTURE

Introduction

CS definition, theoretical approaches, organized CS – CS civil sector, three society life sectors, terminology, legal CSOs forms, CSOs functions in society, CS structure and segmentation.

Civil Society and CSOs as Schools of Democracy

Political role of CSOs in society, Theory of interest groups, Theory of democratic culture, power sandwich - demoelitism, CSOs as a space for socialization of citizens for political participation, the EU and the role of civic organizations in filling the democratic deficit, participatory engineering.

Historical Roots of CSOs in CE Countries

The main historical periods os CS development, CSOs and political régime discontinuity, communist darkness, patterns of CS under communism, fall of communism, rebirth of CS after 1989.

Consolidation of Civil Sector in CE Countries after 1989

Increase in the number of civic organizations, formation of the civil sector community, professionalization as a source of successes and problems of civil organizations, several crisis of civil sector (Kuti).

Power Elite and Civil Society (CSOs) Relations

Process of democracy consolidation, Civil society ideology, building the system of political parties, forming style of governing, contradictory visions of CS development - Václav Havel vs. Václav Klaus, Theories of State–CS relations.

Public Policy and Civil Sector in the CE Countries

Impact of public policy on the organized civil society, dilemmas of decision-making agenda, inconsistence of Public Policy, lack of political will to solve problems of CSOs, intersectoral partnership models, consequences of CSOs policy involvement – institutional embeddedness, domestication, depolitization.

Professionalization and Marketization of CSOs

Modernization, individualization, CSOs´ failure as schools of democracy, transactional activism, ideology of professionalism = threat of loss of CSOs´sectoral identity, decrease in the attractiveness of civic organizations in Czech society (membership, public trust …), civic or democratic professionalism.

Civil Engagement in the CE Countries after 1989

Types of citizens´ participation, collective and individualized activism, economic (financial) civic participation, weak civil engagement in CE countries and its causes, declining membership in CSOs.

Philanthropy in CE Countries

Philanthropy and proletarian altruism during communist era, communism as pure altruistic society, philanthropy consolidation after 1989, managerial and mission perspective on giving, CSOs and individual giving.

Volunteering in CE Countries

Three paradigms of volunteering, attitudes to volunteering under communism, residual and emancipatory value of volunteering, CSOs and institutionalization of volunteering, structure of volunteering, patterns of volunteering.

Anti-Civil Society and CSOs

Culture of informality, clientelistic networks, systemic corruption, institutional trap, simulated democracy, defective democracy, state party financing+political marketing=stateting democracy, CSOs and anti-corruption strategies, society disorganization

Un-civil society, populism and CSOs

The rise of populism and civic participation, autocratic populist leaders and CSOs, the struggle for the image of CSOs in society, society polarization, anti-populism, failure of CSOs as a brake on the erosion of democracy, economic participation of citizens in the maintenance of democracy.

Future of CS in the perspective of democratization/de-democratization

Current challenges of CS development, the role of CSOs in autocratic (illiberal) democracy, advent of political extremism, vision of civic sector development.

OBJECTIVES

By the end of the course, you will have acquired:

1. understanding of the theoretical background of the organized civil society development.

2. an awareness of the key issues of the political developments in Czech Republic and others Central European countries and its influence on civil society consolidation.

3. understanding of the Path Dependence Effects on Civil Society internal structure and consolidation process

4. knowledge of how to analyze and compare the basic parameters of Civil Society development.

5. understanding how the development of civil society has affected the quality of democracy in the Central European region

6. knowledge about the prospects for the development of civil society in Central Europe.

TEACHING METHOD

The lectures will be held in person.

Between individual lectures, students are required to read compulsory texts. One text for compulsory reading will be assigned to each lecture. All compulsory reading texts are available to students at Moodle.

Students will write homework in the form of answers to questions on the content of compulsory texts. They will submit the written assignments (of 15 lines) at least one day before each lecture to the "Task Folder" created in Moodle.

Each new lecture will begin with a discussion of the students´ answers to the homework questions.

At the end of the semester, each student will produce approximately 6 pages of homework text, which will be the subject of evaluation.

The final exam will take place in the form of final text of a minimum 5 and a maximum of 10 standard pages (each standard page has 30 lines of font size 12). Each student can determine the topic in the boundaries of the course lectures. The genre of the work is an essay, or rather a reflection on the recent problems of CSOs in Central Europe. Students will ask themselves questions about the origin and persistence of the selected problem or phenomenon and will look for answers.

The Essay can compare data for CE country(ies) with other country(ies). Can focus on different levels (international, national, regional, local) and on the different segments of CSOs.

EVALUATION

- written answers to homework questions = max. 36 points

- activity on lectures: max. 15 points

- final essay = max. 49 points

The subject of the evaluation of the essay will be:

The evaluation of the essay will follow the following criteria:

- Formal aspects = 5 points

- Choice of problem = 5 points

- Analysis = 15 points

- Logic of argumentation = 20 points

- Message = 10 points

To complete the course, the student must achieve at least 51 points!

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