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Section One: The Role of Civil Society in a Democracy
Believe that change can happen.
Introduction
This section discusses the role of civil society in a democracy. It looks at the various services civil society can provide to the government. It also looks at the other functions it may provides in keeping government accountable and transparent. It introduces the importance of public information in a democratic society and the important role of public associations as a communications link between citizens and elected officials.
1.1. The Importance of Civil Society in a Democracy
The strength and pluralism of civil society, and its ability to unite in a broad front, has been a crucial factor for shaping democratic change, according to Larry Diamond, Senior Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution. Additionally, he states that «civil society performs many other crucial functions for democratic development and consolidation.» These functions include:
 limiting the power of the state more generally, including challenging the abuses of authority;
monitoring human rights and strengthening the rule of law;
monitoring elections and enhancing the overall quality and credibility of the democratic process;
educating citizens about their rights and responsibilities;
building a culture of tolerance and civic involvement;
incorporating marginal groups into the political process and enhancing the latter's responsiveness to societal interest and need;
providing alternative means, outside the state, for communities to raise their level of material development;
opening and pluralizing the flows of information; and
building a constituency for economic as well as political reforms.*
Diamond also explains that «where civil society organizations build up credibility and trust among various political actors, they may be able to stabilize, even save, democracy in time of crisis.» He describes a situation in the Central African Republic, for example, where an NGO, the Central African League for Human Rights (LCDH), played a crucial mediating role during two Army uprisings in 1996.
During the first Army mutiny ... LCDH officials played the chief mediating role between the military mutineers and the government «drafting protocols (to provide soldiers their back pay) and ultimately persuading soldiers to lay down their arms.» A second, more serious, uprising ... took the form of a military coup attempt, and threatened not only democracy but even civil war with its ethnic overtones, internal military divisions, distribution of arms, demands for the resignation of the president and looting and terrorizing of the civilian population. Although this uprising was ultimately put down by French military intervention, its political resolution, which saw the society rally behind democracy, was catalyzed by the LCDH's declared support for the regime and its mediation of negotiations between the regime and the military rebels ...
The ability of the LCDH to perform this democracy-saving role owed to the «consistent neutrality and objectivity» and widespread image of «moral credibility» it had established during the country's previous five years of democratic struggle.*
Countries experience different challenges during democratic transitions. In nearly all cases, civil society organizations may do much to keep the quest for democracy alive, raise the consciousness of society and even contain the abuses of the regime (in part by exposing and documenting them.) In the face of continual pressure, intimidation - even arrest and physical danger - human rights groups and other civic organization have courageously pressed on with the struggle for democracy.
1.2. How Civil Society Can Help Government
This handbook is designed for public associations involved in democratic development who, together with other civil society stakeholders, can play an important supporting role for local, subject, oblast and national governments of the Russian Federation.
Civil society encompasses most of a democratic country's population. It is you and I, non-elected people - students, members of clubs, associations, churches and sports teams. In highly authoritarian countries, however, the lines between government and civil society are blurred. There are well known situations where civil society (that is, entities not connected to the government) barely exists at all.
Looking at the history of democratic development on the African continent, for example, Diamond warns that
One of the greatest threats to democracy has been the intense politicization of social life. The state has been so central and pervasive in distributing what people want that every major group has wanted desperately to obtain access to or control over it. Virtually all major groups (political and civil) have been oriented to what they could get from the political system, rather than to make it work fairly ... What is vitally needed in these circumstances is some neutral, trusted umpires and monitors whose commitment is unequivocally to the process, not to any particular outcome, party, faction group or leader.
When this is the case, the government is tasked to provide or control most or all services to its constituents, a daunting task even for the richest of countries. Inevitably, resources are limited and people often have to settle for nothing, or something that is less than what they want or need, but what the government is able to offer them. Although there may be good reasons to believe the government has the best interests of everyone at heart, the task of delivering the goods and services that people need is a goal best shared with civil society.
Civil society can take some of the burden from the government by delivering some goods and services to the nation's citizens.
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While in this Section we have focused specifically on civil society organizations as they relate to democratic development, civil society also plays a key role in all aspects of community development and outreach. Health, education, welfare, sport, the arts, business - each can be seen as different aspects of non-governmental, civil, society.
As Diamond remarks «democratic development requires that civil society not simply monitor, check and criticize the state but also give it loyalty and positive support when it is faithful to democratic principles.»
Non-partisan public associations in the Russian Federation have an exciting role to play in the economic and political transition presently underway.
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Clearly, there are problems and many people have worked for several months without pay. Whether people are working for wages (though waiting for months to be paid), or working in a volunteer capacity, however, each in his or her own way is enabling the country to move forward to better days.
In many countries around the world, individuals provide such help pro bono - that is, people volunteer their assistance or services without pay. Even in countries where charity assistance tops 500 million dollars annually, millions of people volunteer their time to make the system work. US President John F. Kennedy's most remembered quotation - «Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country» - was addressed to civil society in America but is relevant in every country.
1.3. Public Information in a Democratic Society
If individuals within civil society are the heart of a democratic society, public information is the life blood that helps citizens see, hear and feel. «Public information» means objective, non-partisan information about election processes and government: for example, voting rights and responsibilities, or issues being debated in government. Public associations can facilitate communication between the government and the people who elected it into office.
Open and frequent communication is vital for public perceptions of accountability and transparency.
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Public information empowers people because it enables them to understand how their lives are impacted by government decisions. It shows them how to participate in the election process. It demystifies democracy so that everyone feels part of the process even if they are sometimes discouraged by its progress.
Voters need to know both their rights and responsibilities in a democratic government. They need to connect with the people they voted to represent them. They need to feel confident enough to voice their support in elections and to take a vocal or written stand on issues they are concerned about.
A public information program may provide many different products and services. It may be a resource for new voters or a «get-out-the-vote» effort aimed at apathetic voters. Between election periods, it may be a civic advocacy organization representing issues of importance to youth or a parliamentary monitoring service keeping citizens informed about the work of their elected officials. Your public association could also provide information or volunteers to help election commissions.
Without organized and vocal communications from voters, elected officials may grow lazy or arrogant. Even in older democracies, elected leaders often become alienated from the people they represent. Voters need to both demand answers to their questions and to supply elected officials with information that will help them make public policy decisions. Most elected officials do not have large staff to help them.
Information is a two-way flow. Voters need to play a part in keeping their government informed of issues of importance to them.
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The challenging task facing public associations is to present facts and issues in such a way that the public demands information, knows who to ask and is eager to be involved in a pro-active way. The following sections will address different ways to do this.
Questions for Discussion
- How would you define civil society in the Russian Federation?
- Who are the main people and organizations involved in the Russian Federation's civil society today?
- Do public associations presently support the work of the government at national and local levels? How?
- What role do public associations play in providing public information?
- Do any public policies make it difficult for public associations to communicate information?
- Why is it important for groups with similar interests to let elected officials know they represent a voting block?
- Who is the most trusted source of public information? Who else is involved and why are they less successful?
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