Organized Civil Society: A Cross National Evaluation Of The Socio-Political Effects Of Non-Governmental

Abstract:
Current world polity, international activism, and global civil society research reveal a common interest in the relationship between international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) and civil society. This interest is derived from a long standing theoretical convention emphasizing the pro-social effects of a robust civil sector. Although many of these studies have concluded that INGOs constitute international or global civil society, much is still unknown about the relationship between NGOs, INGOs and civil society. In this dissertation, I collect data published by the Yearbook of International Organizations to create a more refined measurement of organized civil society. Specifically I develop a density measurement of organized civic society to better account for the local “buy in” among citizens. Descriptive analysis indicates that organization density is highly correlated to associational membership rates. Using a globally representative sample of nations between 1990 and 2004, I argue and demonstrate that the presence of an active civil society works to decrease governmental corruption, reduce state terror, and minimize the impetus for anti-governmental demonstrations and riots. In other words, the presence of a robust civil society holds governments accountable, protects its citizens, and provides a suitable outlet for people to voice their concerns and be heard. Data are analyzed using a pooled time-series, cross-sectional (TSCS) analysis. Results show that civil society strength does have a significant impact on governmental corruption, state terrorism and anti-governmental demonstrations. These results remain significant when accounting for economic development, political institutions, and cultural-geographic controls. By emphasizing the role organized civil society plays in a broad sample of nations, this study refines our understanding of the role that non-state actors assume in the health and maintenance of their own societies. Consequently, this project demonstrates the importance of including the role of civil society in future studies of political stability.