Civil Society in Wales

Policy, Politics and People

Edited by Graham Day, David Dunkerley and Andrew Thompson

• Contents
• Contributors

‘ . . . will make a valuable contribution to better understanding aspects of Welsh society in the twenty first century.’ Professor Laura McAllister, University of Liverpool Management School

Over the course of the last decade the concept of civil society has come to occupy a place at the heart of public policy. However, civil society is never a neutral concept. What ‘civil society’ means, as well as what it can and should do, are matters of much debate.

This book provides a critical evaluation of some of the main themes and points of contention in debates on civil society, past and present. The contributors explore the relevance of the concept of civil society for thinking about the relationship between state and citizen, the significance of market values within contemporary societies and their impact upon individuals, and how societies voluntarily organize themselves beyond the state.

Written in a lively and accessible style by researchers from a range of disciplines, the book examines dimensions of civil society in contemporary Wales. Reflection on the consequences of devolution for civil society in Wales informs a good deal of the discussion throughout the book. In doing so the contributors draw on recent and new empirical research on Wales, as well as on wider political and social theories of civil society.

Topics covered include religion and civil society, the voluntary sector, the media, nationalism, community regeneration, young people and citizenship and ethnic minorities.

Graham Day is Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor. David Dunkerley is Professor of Sociology at the University of Glamorgan. Andrew Thompson is a Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Glamorgan.

Contents

List of Figures
List of Tables
Foreword Rt. Hon. Rhodri Morgan AM
List of Contributors
1 Introduction Graham Day, David Dunkerley and Andrew Thompson
2 The Communicative Dimension of Civil Society: Media and the Public Sphere David Barlow, Tom O’Malley, and Philip Mitchell
3 Civil Society and the Institutions of Economic Development Graham Day and David Jones
4 The Civil Society Index for Wales Anna Nicholl
5 Political Culture and Civil Society in Wales Alys Thomas
6 Infiltration or Incorporation? The voluntary sector and civil society in post devolution in Wales Mark Drakeford
7 ‘A Few Hours a Week’: Charity Shop Volunteering, Social Capital and civil society in Wales’ Sandra Betts
8 Young People, Identity and Citizenship Catherine Davies & David Dunkerley
9 Civil Society in Action: Network Building and Partnerships in Wales Lesley Hodgson
10 The Dilemmas of Civil Society: Black and Ethnic Minority Associations in Wales Charlotte Williams
11 Public Religion and Civil Society in Wales Paul Chambers and Andrew Thompson
12 A Community of Communities? Civil Society and Rural Wales Graham Day
13 Between Consent and Coercion: Civil Society, Bilingualism and the Welsh Language Robin Mann
14 Community Regeneration Policy, the State and Civil Society David Adamson
15 Civil Society in Scotland Isobel Lindsay
16 Evaluating Policy Initiatives to Enhance Civil Society Sarah Batterbury
17 Civil Society in Wales Graham Day, David Dunkerley & Andrew Thompson
Index

Contributors