3.1 Civil Society

what are civil societies

voluntary associations that are state autonomous

Human Rights Act of 1998

laid fundamental rights everyone in UK entitled to

Trades Union Congress

confederation of UK’s largest trade unions; used to be backbone of Labor Party

Confederation of British Industry

counterweight to Trade Union Congress

Quangos

quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations

Types of interest groups in Nigeria + examples

Regional, ethnic, religious: Arewa Consultative Forum: political group advocating for interests of northern Nigeria.

Labor: Nigeria Union of Journalists

Grassroots: grassroots Health Organization of Nigeria: focuses on issues on communities (lack basic healthcare, poverty)

Issue-Based: Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement": fosters youth political activity

NGOs

MEND social movement

regional, goal to hinder gov from produce/export oil from Niger Delta region by threatening international companies and their workers. equipped with speedboats, armor, rifles, machine guns, grenades.

Niger Delta Avengers

targets worksites of Shell Oil, Chevron, and ExxonMobil. Successful attacks

corporatism

system where state controls interest groups and chooses which ones to recognize

pluralism

system in which groups are allowed to form and advocate for their interests outside gov control

Mexico under the PRI…

was corporalist and banned civil societies that threatened gov control

Mexico City Earthquake 1985

gov run by PRI didn’t address devastation, so many civil society groups formed and volunteers coordinated efforts to rescue those trapped under rubble and help with lack of electricity

Social Movement: the Zapatista Rebellion

Zapatista Army of National Liberation coordinated uprising in Chiapas, Mexico. argued they were being marginalized as an indigenous community and were economically unequal

forms of controlling civil societies in russia

taxes: to investigate source of income (not from foreign agent)

registration: with authorities

police harassment and arrests

Social Movement in Russia

-Alexi Navalny’s Smart Vote Campaign used social media to encourage supporters to vote for any party but United Russia (Putin)

-LGBTQ+ rights bc Putin closely aligned with Russian Orthodox Church. Social media protest against July 2020 law banning same sex marriage

GONGOs

(government operated nongovernmental organization) formed by CCP and led by party officials. No believe in true civil societies outside the party bc could threaten legitimacy. Ex: All-China Women’s Federation, Communist Youth League of China

Civil societies in China

First not allowed, then later some NGOs were authorized, but restricted to non-political arenas and strictly gov monitored. Nearly impossible to receive international funding

Social Movement: China

Weiquan Movement: Chinese lawyers, legal experts + intellectuals seeking to protect and defend human rights through legal activism

Civil societies in Iran

not very strong, required to function within limits imposed by Islamic theocratic regime