Models of Civil Society

Dr. Tom G. Palmer“Ambassadors for Change: Individual Liberty and

Personal Responsibility”Cairo, Egypt

August 16, 2006

Themes

• Definitions• Historical Origins in Europe and in the Middle

East• Relations of Civil Society to the State• Relations of Individuals to Groups• The Formation of Identity• Challenges to Formation of Civil Society in

the Middle East

Definitions

• Does “Civil” Society distinguish the civilparts of society from the uncivil parts, orcivil societies from uncivil societies?

• What role does motivation of actors playin defining civil society?

• Civil Society in its historicalmanifestations

Definitions, continued

• The confusion of defining civil societyby motivation– Hegel and Marx: civil society is motivated

only by self-interest– Barber and Kymlicka: civil society is

motivated only by lack of self-interest• Such definitions birfurcate human life

and lead to confusion

Defining Civil Society byRelations Among Persons

• “Those who are unitedinto one Body, andhave a commonestablish’d Law andJudicature to appeal to,with Authority to decideControversies betweenthem, and punishOffenders, are in CivilSociety one withanother….”– John Locke, Second Treatise of

Government, §87

John Locke

Civil Society in Europe Emergedfrom the Medieval “Communes” –

Independent Cities• “Stadtluft macht

frei, nach Ablaufevon Jahr und Tag.”

• “City air makes youfree, after the lapseof a year and aday.”

Medieval City of Cologne (Roman/Latin“Colonia”)

Civil Society’s Two LinguisticRoots in European Languages• Latin Civitas: a city

understood as alegal association,not as a mere place(Urb)– From Civitas we

derive “civilization”and “civil behavior”

• German Burg: afortified or strongand defended place– From Burg we derive

“bürgerlich” (Marx:“BürgerlicheGesellschaft”),“bourgeois,”“burgher,” “borough,”“Pittsburg,” etc.

Relations of Civil Society tothe State

• The Officers of theState are Limited intheir Functions andhave onlyEnumerated Powers– Example: U.S. Bill of

Rights, AmendmentTen

• The Members ofCivil Society haveUnenumeratedRights– Example: U.S. Bill of

Rights, AmendmentNine

Relations of Individuals toGroups

• In a Collectivist Order, the Individual is (Allegedly)Completely Absorbed by the Group

• In a Civil Society, the Individual is a Member of ManyGroups, none of which Absorb Him or HerCompletely

The Complexity of CivilSociety

• “Our present system ofassociation, which resembles agreat number of infinitelyintersecting circles, rests on thepossibility of belonging withone part, one aspect of one’sindividuality, perhaps with onlyone closely defined part ofone’s range of ability, to oneorganization, and with others toothers.”– Otto von Gierke, Das Deutsche

Genossenschaftsrecht

Otto von Gierke

Relations Among Individuals and GroupsIn Civil Society Are Like IKEA Furniture

• “There are firms which produce,advertise, and market modularfurniture. The point about suchfurniture is that it comes in bits whichare agglutinative: you can buy one bitwhich will function on its own, butwhen your needs, income or spaceavailable augment, you can buy anotherbit. It will fit in with the one acquiredpreviously, and the whole thing willstill have a coherence, aesthetically andtechnically. You can combine andrecombine the bits at will. . . .Whatgenuine Civil Society really requires isnot modular furniture, but modularman.”

– Ernest Gellner, Conditions ofLiberty: Civil Society and itsRivals

Ernest Gellner

In Civil Society, Identities AreComplex

• Individuals CanForm Their OwnIdentities– Identity is partly

given, but also partlycreated

• Through Association• Through Fashion• Through Education• Through Choices

Challenges to Civil Society• Statist/Collectivist

Ideologies– Nationalism– Racism– Intolerance– Sexism– Protectionism– Socialism

• Rentier States– The Resource Curse– The Foreign Aid

Curse• Taxation Effect• Spending Effect

(Patronage)• Group Formation

Effect• Repression Effect

Some Steps Toward CivilSociety

• Establishing GenderEquality before the Law

• Protecting Religiousand Social Pluralism

• Establishing andDefending anIndependent Judiciaryfor a Law-GovernedState

• Combatting CollectivistIdeologies

• EliminatingBureaucratic Obstaclesto Formation of CivilAssociations, whetherNon-Profit or For-Profit

• Freeing Trade fromState and EliteDomination

• Freeing the Media• Freeing Education• Freeing Our Minds

One Great Human Being WhoFreed His Own Mind

• “The contest wasnow ended; thechain was severed;God and right stoodvindicated. I was AFREEMAN, and thevoice of peace andjoy thrilled myheart.”– Frederick Douglass,

1817? - 1895