ABSTRACT

Civil society has been a force on the ground for centuries as groups of men and women, workers and residents, practitioners and intellectuals have formed associations to protect and promote their interests. However, the last ten years have seen a shift in the attitudes of governments, international agencies, the media and the public towards the activities of civil society. It is now argued that civil society is central to raising the living standards of the poor and furthering processes of democratization in partnership with the state, rather than being seen as marginal to development, or an alternative to the state strategy for development.