Civil society, social capital, and development: Dissection of a complex discourse

Capitals and Capabilities: A Framework for Analyzing Peasant Viability, Rural Livelihoods and Poverty

“…Evans, 1995), as well as how far networks within a``global civil society'' are able to monitor and so in¯uence the behavior of particular states and their agencies (cf. Hyden, 1997). The implication is that the more embedded these institutions are in networks linking them to pro-human rights and pro-poor actors in society, and the more subject they are to global scrutiny by actors with similar concerns, the less likely they are to be repressive, and the more likely they are to be constructive.…”

Going with the Grain in African Development?

“…Donors were encouraged to support them. But where they were based on particularistic kinship or ethnicity, the usual recommendation was that they should be steered in the direction of openness and universality (see, for example, Hyden, 1997). This, however, was arguably bad advice, since it had the potential to remove the very features that made these organisations strong.…”

Contemporary Civil Society Theory Versus Hegel’s Understanding of Civil Society

“…However, as has been pointed out by Hyden (1997), the Neo-Marxist approach differs from the previous school of thought in that it suggests that the ability of individuals to organize and participate in governance issues is related to socioeconomic status, and therefore that policymaking is usually the preserve of a select minority with resources. The advocates of this approach support the idea that only the emergence of strong social movements, capable of challenging the unmitigated power structures of society, can provide hope for a more fundamental change.…”