Governance & Social Justice (Governance & Civil Society: Strengthening Democracy and Local Empowerment) by Abhishiekh Saxena

Model Answer

Question #1.“Civil society helps in the democratization of our social life which in turn helps to sustain a democratic system of governance”. Analyze.

Hints:

Civil society is characterized by a distinct social life- the domestic world, the economic sphere, cultural activities, and political interaction—that are organized by private or voluntary arrangements (such as NGOs) between individuals and groups outside the direct control of the state. It provides a special nucleus of independent political activity.

In any country especially in a democracy like India civil society is the only sphere that stands between the individual and the omnipresent and omnipotent state. Civil society helps in the democratization of our social life which in turn helps to sustain a democratic system of governance.

They do it in the following ways:

• To empower citizens: - Civil society empowers the citizens about their rights and duties and the necessity of them. It also encourages the traditionally excluded groups such as women, Dalits, and minorities to utilize their rights and access to power. For example- the recent Aarey forest protection witnessed coming of many concerned citizens on road.
• To keep state power in check: - Civil society checks the political abuses and violations of law. An empowered civil society will be able to hold the state accountable in case of abuse of political power. Example- RTI activists, Anti-Corruption NGOs, Human rights groups such as Amnesty, etc.
• To mitigate political conflicts: - Conflicts are not very uncommon in the democratic institutions constituting a wide range of interests. A well established civil society mitigates the main differences and will help the state in ensuring that the best interests are addressed. Example- Civil society's role in mainstreaming radical elements in both Assam and Jammu and Kashmir.
• To promote democratic values: - Civil society promotes democratic attributes amongst its citizens such as tolerance, freedom of religion and expression to compromise and respect for the conflicting views.
• To provide opportunities for political parties: - It allows political parties and other organizations to represent their interests. This improves the quality of democracy.

Example- Umbilical cord between trade unions and political parties such as Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh with BJP, All India Trade Union Congress with CPI.

• To support political & economic reforms:- Without the support of the public and the legislature, political and economic reforms cannot succeed. The civil society performs this role and paves way for reforms. Example-NGOs role in Swachh Bharat Mission.
• To train new political leaders:- If the state fails to represent the society’s best interests and if its interests are narrow and stagnant, civil society helps in identifying and training the new political leaders to revitalize their government. Example- Birth of Aam Aadmi Party after the famous Anna Hazare Movemment in Delhi (2012).
• Election monitoring:- In many states, non-partisan volunteer organizations monitored elections to check the legitimacy of the process and the result. This enhances public trust in the government. For the example-Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) role in the area of electoral and political reforms
• But there are few democratic dangers of civil societies:
• Civic organizations can work to promote their private petty interests and privileges. Such destructive groups engaged in promoting religious fundamentalism and work contrary to the democratic rights of others. For the example-Popular front of India .PFI is an extremist and militant Islamic fundamentalist organization.
• The state funding and benefits could corrupt the volunteers of the civic organisations.—Instead of focusing on there aims and objectives they could run in short term gains.
• Inadequate representation could seriously undermine the very fabric of democracy—If civil society has to realize its promises fully, then all strata of civil society should be duly allowed to access authorities and moreover, equality of opportunity in terms of participation otherwise civil society can reproduce or even enlarge structural inequalities and arbitrary privileges connected with class, gender, nationality, race, religion, urban versus rural location and so on.
• Civil society may lack internal democracy.—Civil society groups -including those that specifically campaign for greater democracy, can fall short of democratic behavior in their own functioning. A lack of internal democracy within civil society circles is not only objectionable in itself, but also contradicts its very goal of bringing democracy to society at large. The leadership of a civic organization may suppress debate in the name of welfare.

Civic groups may lack transparency as sometimes they do not publish financial statements or declarations of objectives of their organization, let alone full-scale reports of their activities.

Given these potential problems, we should balance our enthusiasm for civil society as a promoting agency for democracy. Civil society can be a means to good ends, but it is not the end itself. 

There are circumstances where civic involvement may detract from democracy or sabotage the very fabric of democracy. It should be the first demand of the society that civic associations should not merely assert but also demonstrate their democratic legitimacy.

The concept of civil society is normative, insofar as it specifies that associational life in a metaphorical space between the market based on profit, and the state that embodies power, is a distinct good. Associational life neutralizes the narcissist individualism through Social associations that enable the pursuit of multiple projects and engender solidarity. The projects can have multiple dimensions. Most importantly, the civil society concept recognizes that even democratic states are imperfect. Democracy has to be realized through sustained engagement with the holders of power. Citizen activism, public vigilance, informed public opinion, a free media, and a multiplicity of social associations are indispensable for this task.

Question #2. Discuss what role Civil Society has to play in strengthening the institutions of democracy. Examine the challenges faced by Civil Society in realizing its full potential.

Approach:

• The focus area of the question is to analyze the role of Civil Society in strengthening the institutions of democracy.
• The tone of the question is a balanced one (Summarize your argument by providing the importance of civil society and associated challenges).
• The important feature of the answer would be the measures which are required to revive the existence of Civil Societies in India.
• Conclude the argument by providing the importance of civil society in a democratic country.

Hints:

Civil Society refers to a wide array of organizations, community groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), labour unions, indigenous groups, charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations and foundations – World Bank. Globally, the term ‘Civil Society’ became popular in the 1980s, when it started to be identified with non-state movements defying authoritarian regimes, especially in Eastern Europe and Latin America.

The role of civil society in strengthening the institutions of democracy:

• In the absence of a strong push from civil society, our democratic institutions have no intrinsic incentive to reform.
• There is a need to re-examine parliamentary rules that are heavily tilted in favour of the sitting government, strengthen the judiciary, and bolster federalism and the independent media while creating transparency in decision making within the executive. Civil society has an important and irreplaceable role to play here.
• Civil society organisations need to broaden their agenda to include issues that strengthen India’s institutions while collaborating to present a strong unified voice that demands more transparency and accountability in all areas and levels of policymaking.
• This involves taking more fights to the courts on transgressions by the government, building public opinion about expectations from a well-functioning democracy and creating tools and fora that help citizens engage with policymaking more readily.
• Civil society can also promote political participation for strengthening vibrant democracy. NGOs can do this by educating people about their rights and obligations as democratic citizens, and encouraging them to listen to election campaigns and vote in elections.  NGOs can also help develop citizens’ skills to work with one another to solve common problems, debate public issues, and express their views.

Challenges faced by Civil Society

• The government has significantly curtailed the kind of activities that civil society actors can engage in.
• Philanthropists and donor organisations often find themselves unable to support initiatives that strengthen India’s democracy and its accountability mechanisms, for fear of retribution.
• By ignoring the politics around policy and focussing disproportionately on technocratic solutions, civil society has also missed the wood for the trees.
• The challenges are multifaceted, and they are exacerbated by the sector's "unorganized" nature, a lack of regulatory frameworks, and the fact that India has over a million NGOs of various responsibilities, structures, and sizes.
• Civil society groups and their funders are being identified and targeted.
• Funds are stopped, intelligence reports are provided selectively to present NGOs in a negative light, and their activities are put on a watch list.
• Not all civil society organizations work to protect our society's moral conscience. Some are only focused on obtaining funding from the government or others.
• Some sectors of the media are frequently intimidated by their corporate masters and the lure of stardom.
• Some NGOs have been classified by the Union Home Ministry as a security danger to the country as a result of this Union Ministry of Home Affairs rejected 25 NGO licence renewal applications in November 2016.
• NGOs like Greenpeace have been accused of being anti-national in several cases. This creates suspicion in the minds of government agencies concerning other genuinely working organizations. This in turn creates a hindrance to their working abilities.

Measures for the civil society their revival:

• Accountability to all stakeholders and transparency in functioning are key issues in good governance. The voluntary sector is expected to set its benchmarks in these areas. Since VOs vary in their objectives and activities, it would be impractical to expect uniform norms for accountability and transparency.
• Training is a crucial requirement for people working in the voluntary sector. However, this is often neglected on account of the limited availability of good quality training courses that are reasonably priced. The Government will support and encourage organizations that train aspirants to enter the voluntary sector, as well as those already working in the sector. It will make available physical facilities currently available with its training institutes as a measure of such support.
• Innovation in institutional, technical and social approaches to development problems is an essential ingredient of voluntary action. The Government will encourage and recognize innovative & pioneering work.
• Databases of VOs working in different fields and at different levels are useful for communication within the voluntary sector, as well as between the voluntary sector and the public & private sectors. The Government will commission suitable agencies to prepare and update such databases.
• Information on Government policies and programmes is often difficult for VOs to access. The websites of various Government agencies will be re-designed to provide links to key documents and databases, including those related to project funding schemes.
• The Government will encourage the involvement of volunteers in public services, such as family welfare centres, primary health centres, hospitals, schools, vocational training centres, sanitation campaigns, etc.

To not see the strengthening of institutions and the deepening of checks and balances as important areas of work is our collective failure, one we must address immediately. The state must respect not only the politics of the vote but also the politics of the voice. Only by collaborative effort in civil society can democracy's promises be realized. A democratic state necessitates a democratic civil society, which necessitates a democratic state. They are mutually reinforcing.