Advantages

When people participate in civil society, they make use of the rights to freedom of association and freedom of assembly. This promotes civic participation and strengthens democracy.

Civil society organisations put pressure on the government and political parties to pay attention to the needs and concerns of ordinary citizens. This creates more accountability and transparency in government and increases political participation.

Another advantage of CSOs is their ability to provide humanitarian and development aid directly to marginalised communities, especially in isolated and war-affected areas. A strong civil society often empowers groups to address issues affecting their communities.

Problems and Challenges

Some people claim that civil society actors have now obtained a large amount of political power without anyone directly electing or appointing them.

Another criticism of CSOs is that their structure is often undemocratic. Some are dependent on leaders who manage the organisation in a top-down way. For young people in these organisations, there is often little space to challenge opinions or discuss decisions made by senior leaders. In addition, there is often little financial oversight on civil society organisations.

Another problem is that many people think that civil society is the solution to all of society’s problems. In countries where government services are weak, there can be a danger of unrealistic hopes and beliefs about what civil society can do, especially in cases where the expertise and capacity of CSOs is limited (McLaughlin 2013: 139-144).

An overview of the advantages and possible disadvantages of a strong civil society are included in table 1.