Strengthening civil societies
Convened by: Jenny Onyx, Mark Lyons, Bronwen Dalton
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As products of social action, civil societies depend on the capacity to create and maintain them. Clearly the actions of peoples, businesses and governments do not always have the effect of strengthening civil societies. On the contrary, in many respects social action can, inadvertently, or indeed deliberately, undermine civil societies. This program investigates what kinds of action can strengthen civil societies.
It does so by addressing public policy questions in relation to the management of civil societies, especially in terms of what may be legitimate constraints and necessary underpinnings. It investigates means of building community capacity to strengthen civil societies. Key factors in social capital that may underpin capacities are measured. The promotion of social capital, such as through community renewal programs, schooling, volunteering programs, health promotion, community leadership, and community cultural development, are evaluated. These infrastructures for civil society offer channels for engagement across differences, and for embedded dialogues beyond divisions. It is precisely these channels for collective dialogue that enable participants to reflect on connectivity and diversity, and enable a grounded societal commitment to cosmopolitanism.
CCS-initiated projects in this program: 'Strengthening Australian civil society - agendas for the new government', colloquium and book project (Lyons and Goodman).
