Thesis (Ph. D.)--Western Michigan University, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 384-407).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Southern California, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 219-235).

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Université Laval, 1998. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 267-276).

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The Republic of Colombia, with approximately 48 million inhabitants, is the fourth largest country by population in the Americas, after the U.S., Brasil, and México. It is divided politically into 32 departments and 10 districts with 1101 municipalities. Colombia has a rich history of philanthropy and solidarity since colonial times. Together, with the political strife of the past, these shed light on present day philanthropic practices and trends toward thriving civil society formation in the country. In order to strategically address human challenges and strengthen civil society in Colombia, a vision of what the civil society landscape looked like was needed. No such system existed in Colombia, and the extent and breadth of the sector was not known. The federal government has no single database that tracks the sector. Therefore, the primary research question for this case study is—What is the size and scope of civil society in Colombia? This dissertation, in good measure, provides the answer. It provides a geographical and taxonomical map of civil society organizations (CSOs) in Colombia. This dissertation also examines how Colombia came to have a thriving civil society sector yet lack a federal registry. Findings show there are 24 federal and capital district registries of different types of civil society. Moreover, each of the 32 departments have registries for health and education and some also register CSOs related to environment, culture, sports, and recreation. Findings from 21 of the 24 federal or district registries and three of the 32 departments reveal a total of 296,467 CSOs. This constitutes an estimate of 98.60 percent of all possible records. There is approximately one CSO for every 163 inhabitants or 61.5 CSOs for every 10,000 inhabitants, giving Colombia the highest number of registered CSOs per capita in the Americas, save the United States. The National Taxonomy of Exempt Entity (NTEE) codes were applied to CSOs, where possible. Findings reveal Colombia has a balanced civil society, with no subsector greater than 33 percent of total CSOs.

No / The volume, which this chapter forms a part, explores how the idea of civil society has been translated in different cultural contexts and examines its impact on politics worldwide. Comparing and contrasting civil society in Latin America and Eastern Europe, Western Europe and the United States, Africa and South Asia, and the Middle East, the contributors show that there are multiple interpretations of the concept that depend more on the particular political configuration in different parts of the world than on cultural predilections. They also demonstrate that the power of civil society depends less on abstract definitions, and more on the extent to which it is grounded in the context of actual experiences from around the world. This book includes some of the biggest names in the area such as Mary Kaldor, Ronnie Lipschutz and Helmut Anheier.

許英. / Thesis (doctoral)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 354-392). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Xu Ying.

This multi-year, multi-city investigation seeks to examine how and why civic associations are employing information communication technologies (ICTs) in their work and the extent to which these uses are transforming urban ‘civic space.’ Rather than being passive non-state actors shaped by technologies in the ‘networked city,’ civic environmental associations are treated in this study as co-evolving ‘actor-networks’ that are both shaping and shaped by their ICT practices. This study systematically examines how ICT-linked tools or platforms are reconfiguring civic associations and civic space in the three ‘tiger city’ settings of Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei. This investigation employs grounded theory, case study methods, and actor-network theory to examine the co-evolution of ICTs and civic environmental associations. The concept of info-sociations (ICT-associations) is employed in constructing a socio-technical model for analysis of the fast-evolving ICT practices of civic associations. Such an approach suggests that diverse forms of ICT-linked praxis—where civic ideals and knowledge are being put into practice—involves multimodal digital practices; alongside blended or multiplexed physical and virtual practices; and multiscalar practices. The info-sociational model compares ICT-linked organizational, participatory and spatial practices at the associational level by examining digitally-linked: internal and external organizational change; reconfigurations in the public sphere and cyberactivism; scalar transformations and associational alliance formations. Analyses of city-specific ‘civic space’ storylines; alongside a discussion of the problems and potentialities of ICT-linked practices also contributes to an integrated info-sociational model. An info-sociational approach therefore serves to examine transformations in knowledge, power and space as civic environmentalists employ ICTs. The info-sociational model supports an analysis of three pairs of age-distinct civic environmental associations in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei. These six cases (as units of analysis) were selected for their diverse civic environmental activities; their differences in age; and their variety of ICT-linked practices, including uses for: public deliberations, and mobilizing activism; networked alliance formations; identifying environmental and spatial issues in city regions; and creating alternative green media. Employing the info-sociational model in analyses of the six civic environmental associations led to the observations that: ‘externally-oriented’ ICT-linked practices were of greater importance than ‘internal practices’ amongst civic associations; that groups prioritized ‘digital green public sphere’ practices compared to ‘cyberactivism’; and these associations employed ICTs more frequently for ‘alliance-building’ than for ‘spatial transformations.’ Several of the cases illustrated how ICTs can enhance or augment existing alliances and potentially support new types of civic-cyber formations. By touching on questions of knowledge, power and space an info-sociational approach therefore can contribute to integrated explanations of how and why civic associations are using and (re)shaping ICTs in pursuit of their diverse aims for more livable and just cities. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This thesis examines how transnational advocacy networks operate across local, national, regional and international arenas. It takes a close look at the nature of peasant resistance and civil society in Mali, and explores how these interact with campaign and advocacy activities of Northern-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The central argument of this thesis is that these encounters have strengthened an elite, while marginalising alternative perspectives. This has happened through the collision of actors’ diverse interests, through competition between distinct framings of debate, and through differences in modes of political participation which reflect the power dynamics of the political arenas in which actors are rooted. The thesis is informed by the results of qualitative fieldwork research, which was carried out, mainly in Mali, between 2006 and 2008. By identifying the nature of connections and disconnections between actors at multiple levels, the thesis contributes to a more nuanced understanding of transnational civil society action.