During recent years, civil society legitimacy has generated a growing interest in scholarly research. The present article therefore proposes four normative criteria, namely, independence, transparency, participation, and inclusion, in order to start assessing civil society legitimacy...

It is often claimed that the participation of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) can mitigate the democratic deficit of the European Union. This claim rests on the assumption that civil society organizations channel citizens' concerns to the European institutions, a view which is also shared by...

Introduction : activism from above -- States and the domestic political economy of NGOs -- Political globalization, "civil society" politics, and the global growth of NGOs in the 1980s-2000s -- International development NGOs in Japan -- Sustainable development and advocacy NGOs in Japan --...

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) play an active and noteworthy role in governance, both at the national and international level. Three questions arise: First, how do CSOs exercise their advocacy, what repertoires, strategies and resources do they use? Second, to what degree are they...

The roles of non-governmental or civil society organizations have become more complex, especially in the context of changing relationships with nation states and the international community. In many instances, state-civil society relations have worsened, leading experts to speak of a "shrinking...

The earthquake -- Was there charity in imperial China? -- The pioneer : from socialism to social entrepreneurship -- The perfect Suzhi fairy tale -- Getting in bed with the state -- Environmental NGOs : foreign funding and Chinese connections -- Conclusion : after the earthquake