Civil Society Organizations
What are they and how are they used?
Written by J. Mance Gordon
Updated at April 21st, 2024
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What is a Civil Society Organization?
Civil society is a sector of society (often a business group) devoid of government interference.
The term is also used to refer to non-governmental organizations that fight for the well-being of citizens.
Where do Civil Society Organizations come from?
The term civil society can be traced back to Aristotle's Politics. Here, he refers to political community to mean the Greek city-state which was characterized by shared set of ethos and norms.
The term gained popularity and was revived in 1990s where it was used by Vaclav Havel to denote civic associations that were threatened by state-dominated regimes in Communist Eastern Europe.
Civil society has been applied in the field of social life by activists. They argue that social life needs protection from globalization.
iCSO, Integrated Civil Society Organizations which was the brainchild of Department of Economic and Social Affairs, DESA, was created to enhance communications between civil society organizations and DESA.