International Dialogue on Civil Society

Sponsored by:

The Asia Foundation and Center of Global Partnership
In co-operation with: Mainichi Newspaper

Time:

June13, 2001, 2:30 p.m to 5:30 p.m

Place:

The Japan Foundation Forum Map

The term civil society became popular both inside and outside of academe in the1990s. It is frequently used by commentators who emphasize the importance of self-organized, voluntary, democratically-structured, and civic-minded associations. But what exactly do we mean by "civil society" ? Current Japanese discussions of civil society have tended to focus narrowly on citizen-initiated groups or nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations (NGOs and NPOs) and on the legal, political, and social environments in which they operate.

Theories of social capital have provided a powerful stimulus to the study of civil society. The core idea of social capital theory is that social networks have a tangible value. Specifically, societies characterized by generalized reciprocity tend to enjoy better governance and greater efficiency than distrustful societies.

In this symposium, leading scholars and practitioners will consider the notions of social capital and civic engagement in order to shed light on the broadly conceived idea of civil society.

Speakers: Helmut Anheier Director, Center for Civil Society, LSE
Larry Diamond Senior Research Fellow, Hoover Institution
Takashi Inoguchi Professor, Tokyo University
Akira Matsubara Executive Director, Coalition for Legislation to Support Citizens' Organizations
Susan Pharr Professor, Harvard University

materials:
 What is ? Civil Society
 Civil Society, Social Capital, and Civic Engagement In Japan and the United States