17.905 | Spring 2005 | Undergraduate

Forms of Political Participation: Old and New

Readings

LEC # TOPICS READINGS
Introduction
1 Overview  
2 Class Discussion: What is the value of community? Why do we participate in public life?

Movie: Pleasantville

Bellah, Robert, et al. Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life. New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1986, Preface, pp. 3-26, 167-95. ISBN: 9780060970277. (Chapter 2 optional.)

3 Class Discussion: What is the value of community? Why do we participate in public life? (cont.)  
Key Concepts
4 What is Civil Society?

Seligman, Adam. The Idea of Civil Society. New York, NY: Free Press, 1992, pp. 15-58. ISBN: 9780029283158.

Ehrenberg, John. Chapters 7, 8, and 9 in Civil Society: The Critical History of an Idea. New York, NY: New York University Press, 1999. ISBN: 9780814722077.

Marx, Karl. Excerpts from “On the Jewish Question.” In The Civil Society Reader. Edited by Hodgkinson, and Foley. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 2003, pp. 96-112. ISBN: 9781584652786.

Tocqueville, Alexis de. Excerpts from “Democracy in America.” In The Civil Society Reader. Edited by Hodgkinson, and Foley. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 2003, pp. 113-32. ISBN: 9781584652786.

5 What is Civil Society? (cont.)  
6 What is Civil Society? (cont.)  
7 What is Social Capital?

Putnam, Robert D. Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1992. ISBN: 9780691078892.

Coleman, James. “Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital.” American Journal of Sociology 94 (1988): S95-S120.

Granovetter, Mark. “The Strength of Weak Ties.” American Journal of Sociology 78, no. 6 (1972): 1360-1380.

Jackman, Robert, and Ross Miller. “A Renaissance of Political Culture?” American Journal of Political Science 40 (1996): 632-59.

8 What is Social Capital? (cont.)  
9 Debates About Civil Society and Social Capital

Portes, Alejandro. “Social Capital: Its Origins and Applications in Modern Sociology.” Annual Review of Sociology 24 (1998): 1-24.

Foley, Michael, and Bob Edwards. “Escape from Politics? Social Theory and the Social Capital Debate.” American Behavioral Scientist 40, no. 5 (1997): 550-61.

Boix, Carles, and Daniel Posner. “Social Capital: Explaining its Origins and Effects on Government Performance.” British Journal of Political Science 28 (1998): 686-693.

Participation and Democracy
10 Civil Society and Social Capital in the U.S. and Other Consolidated Democracies

Fiorina, Morris. “Extreme Voices: The Dark Side of Civic Engagement.” In Civic Engagement in American Democracy. Edited by Theda Skocpol, and Morris P. Fiorina. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press; New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation, 1999. ISBN: 9780815728092.

Berry, Jeffrey. “The Rise of Citizen Groups.” In Civic Engagement in American Democracy. Edited by Theda Skocpol, and Morris P. Fiorina. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press; New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation, 1999. ISBN: 9780815728092.

Skocpol, Theda, and associates. “How Americans Became Civic.” In Civic Engagement in American Democracy. Edited by Theda Skocpol, and Morris P. Fiorina. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press; New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1999. ISBN: 9780815728092.

Skocpol, Theda. “Advocates Without Members: The Recent Transformation of American Civic Life.” In Civic Engagement in American Democracy. Edited by Theda Skocpol, and Morris P. Fiorina. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press; New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation, 1999. ISBN: 0815728093.

Worms, Jean-Pierre. “Old and New Civic and Social Ties in France.” In Democracies in Flux: The Evolution of Social Capital in Contemporary Society. Edited by Robert Putnam. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN: 9780195171600.

Perez-Diaz, Victor. “From Civil War to Civil Society: Social Capital in Spain from the 1930s to the 1990s.” In Democracies in Flux: The Evolution of Social Capital in Contemporary Society. Edited by Robert Putnam. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN: 9780195171600.

11 Civil Society and Social Capital in the U.S. and Other Consolidated Democracies (cont.)  
Participation and Regime Change
12 Civil Society, Social Capital, and Democratization

Diamond, Larry. “Toward Democratic Consolidation.” Chapter 19 in The Global Resurgence of Democracy. Edited by Larry Diamond, and Marc Plattner. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993. ASIN: B000OMLGG6.

Gibson, James. “Social Networks, Civil Society, and the Prospects for Consolidating Russia’s Democratic Transition.” American Journal of Political Science 45, no. 1 (2001).

Ekiert, Grzegorz, and Jan Kubik. Chapter 2 in Rebellious Civil Society: Popular Protest and Democratic Consolidation in Poland 1989-1993. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1999. ISBN: 9780472110278.

Paley, Julia. Marketing Democracy: Power and Social Movements in Post-Dictatorship Chile. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2001, pp. 1-20, 143-181. ISBN: 9780520227682.

Harik, Iliya. “Pluralism in the Arab World.” Chapter 23 in The Global Resurgence of Democracy. Edited by Diamond, and Marc Plattner. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993. ASIN: B000OMLGG6.

Gyimak-Boadi, E. “Civil Society in Africa.” Journal of Democracy 7, no. 2 (April 1996): 118-132.

13 Civil Society, Social Capital, and Democratization (cont.)  
Participation in Non-Western Contexts
14 Civil Society, Rebellion, and War

Petersen, Roger Dale. Chapters 1, and 3 in Resistance and Rebellion: Lessons from Eastern Europe. Cambridge, UK; New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2001. ISBN: 9780521770002.

Harpviken, Kristian Berg. “Transcending Traditionalism: The Emergence of Non-State Military Formations in Afghanistan.” Journal of Peace Research 34, no. 3 (1997).

15 Intertwining of State and Society

Perry, Elizabeth, and Ellen Fuller. “China’s Long March to Democracy.” World Policy Journal 8, no. 4 (1991).

Ding, X. L. “Institutional Amphibiousness and the Transition from Communism: The Case of China.” British Journal of Political Science 24, no. 3 (1994).

16 State Impact on Civil Society

Skocpol, Theda. “Rentier State and Shi’a Islam in the Iranian Revolution.” Theory and Society 11, no. 3 (1982).

Knight, John. “Making Citizens in Postwar Japan: National and Local Perspectives.” In Civil Society: Challenging Western Models. Edited by Chris Hann, and Elizabeth Dunn. London, UK: Routledge, 1996. ISBN: 9780415132183.

17 Civil Society, Social Capital, and Obligation

Weller, Robert. Chapters 1, 2, 5, and 6 in Alternate Civilities: Democracy and Culture in China and Taiwan. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2001. ISBN: 9780813339313.

Dunn, Elizabeth. “Money, Morality, and Modes of Civil Society Among American Mormons.” In Civil Society: Challenging Western Models. Edited by Chris Hann, and Elizabeth Dunn. London, UK: Routledge, 1996. ISBN: 9780415132183.

18 Civil Society and Gender

White, Jenny B. “Civic Culture and Islam in Urban Turkey.” In Civil Society: Challenging Western Models. Edited by Chris Hann, and Elizabeth Dunn. London, UK: Routledge, 1996. ISBN: 9780415132183.

Rabo, Annika. “Gender, State, and Civil Society in Jordan and Syria.” In Civil Society: Challenging Western Models. Edited by Chris Hann, and Elizabeth Dunn. London, UK: Routledge, 1996. ISBN: 9780415132183.

Skocpol, Theda. Chapter 6 in Protecting Soldiers and Mothers: The Political Origins of Social Policy in the United States. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1995. ISBN: 9780674717664.

Civil Society Before Democracy
19 Civil Society Before Democracy

Berman, Sheri. “Civil Society and the Collapse of the Weimar Republic.” World Politics 49, no. 3 (1997).

Lyttleton, Adrian. “Liberalism and Civil Society in Italy: From Hegemony to Mediation.” In Civil Society Before Democracy: Lessons from Nineteenth Century Europe. Edited by Nancy Gina Bermeo, and Philip Nord. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc., 2000. ISBN: 9780847695508.

Bermeo, Nancy. “Civil Society After Democracy: Some Conclusions.” In Civil Society Before Democracy: Lessons from Nineteenth Century Europe. Edited by Nancy Gina Bermeo, and Philip Nord. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc., 2000. ISBN: 9780847695508.

Social Capital and State Capacity
20 Positive Effects of Social Capital on State Capacity

Evans, Peter. Chapter 3 in Embedded Autonomy: States and Industrial Transformation. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1995. ISBN: 9780691037363.

Ostrom, Elinor. “Crossing the Great Divide: Coproduction, Synergy, and Development.” In State-Society Synergy: Government and Social Capital in Development. Edited by Peter Evans. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1997. ISBN: 9780877251941.

Lam, Wai Fung. “Institutional Design of Agencies and Coproduction.” In State-Society Synergy: Government and Social Capital in Development. Edited by Peter Evans. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1997. ISBN: 9780877251941 .

Evans, Peter, ed. “Introduction,” and “Conclusion.” In State-Society Synergy: Government and Social Capital in Development. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1997. ISBN: 9780877251941. (Optional)

Hardin, Russell. “Trust in Government.” Chapter 1 in Trust and Governance. Edited by Braithwaite, and Levi. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation, 2003. ISBN: 9780871541352.

Tyler, Tom. “Trust and Democratic Governance.” Chapter 11 in Trust and Governance. Edited by Braithwaite, and Levi. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation, 2003. ISBN: 9780871541352.

Peel, Mark. “Trusting Disadvantaged Citizens.” Chapter 13 in Trust and Governance. Edited by Braithwaite, and Levi. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation, 2003. ISBN: 9780871541352.

Braithwaite, John. “Institutionalizing Distrust, Enculturating Trust.” Chapter 14 in Trust and Governance. Edited by Braithwaite, and Levi. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation, 2003. ISBN: 9780871541352.

Levi, Margaret. “A State of Trust.” In Trust and Governance. Edited by Braithwaite, and Levi. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation, 2003. ISBN: 9780871541352. (Optional)

21 Positive Effects of Social Capital on State Capacity (cont.)  
22 Negative Effects of Social Capital on State Capacity

Stone, Clarence. “Urban Political Machines: Taking Stock.” PS: Political Science and Politics 29, no. 3 (1996).

Brownsberger, William. “Development and Governmental Corruption: Materialism and Political Fragmentation in Nigeria.” Journal of Modern African Studies 21, no. 2 (1983).

Hagopian, Frances. “Traditional politics against state transformation in Brazil.” In State Power and Social Forces: Domination and Transformation in the Third World. Edited by Joel Migdal, Atul Kohli, and Vivienne Shue. Cambridge, UK; New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1994. ISBN: 9780521467346.

Boone, Catherine. “States and ruling classes in postcolonial Africa: the enduring contradictions of power.” Migdal, Joel. “The state in society: an approach to struggles for domination.” In State Power and Social Forces: Domination and Transformation in the Third World. Edited by Joel Migdal, Atul Kohli, and Vivienne Shue. Cambridge, UK; New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1994. ISBN: 9780521467346.

Chazan, Naomi. “Engaging the state: associational life in sub-Saharan Africa.” In State Power and Social Forces: Domination and Transformation in the Third World. Edited by Joel Migdal, Atul Kohli, and Vivienne Shue. Cambridge, UK; New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1994. ISBN: 9780521467346.

Migdal, Joel. “The state in society: an approach to struggles for domination.” In State Power and Social Forces: Domination and Transformation in the Third World. Edited by Joel Migdal, Atul Kohli, and Vivienne Shue. Cambridge, UK; New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1994. ISBN: 9780521467346.

O’Donnell, Guillermo. “On the State, Democratization, and Some Conceptual Problems: A Latin American View with a Glance at Some Postcommunist Countries.” World Development 21, no. 8 (1993).

23 Negative Effects of Social Capital on State Capacity (cont.)  
24 The Nonprofit Sector and Substituting for the State

Salamon, Lester. “Of Market Failure, Voluntary Failure, and Third-Party Government: Toward a Theory of Government-Nonprofit Relations in the Modern Welfare State.” Journal of Voluntary Action Research 16, no. 1/2: 35-61.

Narayan, Deepa. “Bonds and Bridges: Social Capital and Poverty.” World Bank, July 1999.

Participation and International Politics
25 International NGOs and Transnational Social Movements

Anheier, Helmut, Marlies Glasius, and Mary Kaldor, eds. Chapter 1 in Global Civil Society 2001. London, UK: Sage Publications, 2001. ISBN: 0199251681.

Khagram, Sanjeev, James Riker, and Kathryn Sikkink, eds. “From Santiago to Seattle: Transnational Advocacy Groups Restructuring World Politics.” Chapter 1 in Restructuring World Politics: Transnational Social Movements, Networks, and Norms. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780816639076.

26 The Dangers of “Global Civil Society”

Elyachar, Julia. “Empowerment Money: The World Bank, Non-Governmental Organizations, and the Value of Culture in Egypt.” Public Culture 14, no. 3: 493-513.

Howell, Jude, and Jenny Pearce. “Manufacturing Civil Society from the Outside: Donor Interventions.” Chapter 5 in Civil Society and Development. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2001. ISBN: 9781555876197.

Fisher, William. “Doing Good? The Politics and Antipolitics of NGO Practices.” Annual Review of Anthropology 26 (1997): 439-464.

Course Info

Instructor
Departments
As Taught In
Spring 2005
Learning Resource Types
Written Assignments with Examples