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Czech Civil Sector - Transition, Consolidation, Perspectives (Erasmus+)

Class at Faculty of Arts |
AAN500088

Annotation

AAN500088/ Czech Civil Sector - Transition, Consolidation, Perspectives (Erasmus+)

ERASMUS+ course

Department of Adult Education and Personnel Management (Katedra andragogiky a personálního řízení)

Celetná 20, 3rd floor, room Nr. 304

Doc. PhDr. Pavol Frič, Ph.D. 6 ECTS

Aims:

The main aim of the course is to give students a critical understanding of the role of civil sector in the process of transformation and modernization in the Czech Republic during the Last 24 years. Following the fall of Communism in 1989 the civil sectors in the Czech Republic were re-established after the several decades of communist totality. The most obvious evidence of that is the rapid growth in the number of civil society organizations (CSOs) during the last decade of 20 century. In spite of this impressive growth, the size and society position of civil sectors in the Czech Republic remains relatively limited. The lecture gives answers on the questions what are the origins of CSOs proliferation and why is the process of civil sector consolidation so difficult? What was the role of outside (western) assistance in the sector consolidation? What effects of "Path Dependence" have decisive impact on the shape of the sector internal structure and on the consolidation processes as such? What are the anomalies in civil sectors development in the Czech Republic in comparison with their western counterparts? What are the main achievements of the civil sector consolidation and what are the main failures? What are the effects of learning within civil society on active citizenship? As theoretical background for identification and explanation of the mentioned factors, effects and problems will be used set of economic, sociological and politological theories (Theory of the (Market / State) Failure, Theory of Confidence, Welfare State Theory, The Resource Mobilization Theory, The Theory of Political Opportunity Structure, The Collective Identity Theory…).

Objectives (by the end of the course, you will have acquired): 1. understanding of the theoretical background of the organized civil society development; 2. an awareness of the key issues of the political developments in the Czech Republic and its influence on civil society consolidation; 3. understanding of the path dependence effects on civil society internal structure and consolidation process; 4. knowledge of how to analyze and compare the basic parameters of civil sector development.

Teaching & Learning Methods:

Lectures

Essays writing

Assessment: 80 % examination; 20 % coursework

The coursework consists of essays writing.

Course Requirements: 1. Participation on lectures 2. Mandatory literature reading 3. Essays writing a) topic: an analysis of particular aspect of civil society in the Czech Republic b) size: 5 pages c) date of delivering: the last lecture d) form: electronic 4. Oral exam

Core Mandatory Texts:

Anheier, H., Seibel, W. (eds.) (1990). The Third Sector: Comparative Studies of Nonprofit Organizations. Berlin - New York: De Gruyter.

Salamon, L. M., Anheier, H. K. and associates (1998). The Emerging Sector Revisited: A Summary. The Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project, Phase II., Institute for Policy Studies, JHU, Baltimore.

Zimmer, A., Priler, E. (eds.) (2004). Future of Civil Society. Making Central European Nonprofit-Organizations Work. Wiesbaden: VS VERLAG Für Sozialwissenschaften, pp. 601-633.

Selective Mandatory Texts:

For each lecture the students should reed one text according their own choice in the following list of literature:

Course Structure: 1. Historical Roots of the Czech Civil Sector

The Main Historical Periods, Historical Discontinuity, Communist Darkness, Patterns of Civil Society Life, Dissidents and Fall of Communism, Civil Sector Structure (Old and New CSOs)

Frič, P., Deverová, L., Pajas, P., Šilhánová, H. (1998). Defining the Nonprofit Sector: The Czech Republic. The Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project, Institute for Policy Studies, JHU, Baltimore, Working Paper No. 27.

Leś, E., Nalecz, S. and Wygnański, J. (2000). Defining the Nonprofit Sector: Poland. In: Working Papers of the Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Center for Civil Society Studies. 2. Consolidation of Civil Sector after 1989

Achievements in Size (employment, memberhip, mumber of CSOs), Theories of CSOs Origins, Market Failure, State Failure, Contract Failure, Resources mobilization, Political Opportunity Structure, Collective Identity, Structural Consolidation an Structural Anomalies, Legal Environment

Frič, P. (2004). The Third Sector in Central and Eastern Europe. In: European Foundations and Grant-Making NGOs. London and New York: Europa Publications, Tailor and Francis Group, pp. 10-15.

Kuti, E. (1999). Different Eastern European countries at different crossroads. In: VOLUNTAS, Vol. 10, No. 1.

Leś, E. (1994). The Voluntary Sector in Post-Communist East Central Europe. Washington DC, CIVICUS.

Potůček, M. (2000). The Uneasy Birth of Czech Civil Society. VOLUNTAS, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 107-121.

Siegel, D., Yancey, J. (1992). The Rebirth of Civil Society: The Development of Nonprofit Sector in East Central Europe and the role of Western Assistance. New York: The Rockefellr Brothers Fund. 3. Political Developments after 1989, their Impact on the Civil Sector

Building Democracy after 1989, Totalitarian Regime Comeback Threat, Politicians and CSOs Coalition, Building the System Of Political Parties, Dissidents Political Failure, Representative vs Participatory Democracy

Anheier, H., Seibel, W. (eds.) (1990). The Third Sector: Comparative Studies of Nonprofit Organizations. Berlin - New York: De Gruyter.

Dvořáková, V. (2003). Civil Society in the Czech Republic: "Impulse 99" and "Thank You, Time To Go". In: Kopecký, P., Mudde, C. (eds.). Uncivil Society?: Ontentious Politics in Post-Communist Europe. London: Routledge.

Fagin, A. (1997). "Transition to Democracy in the Czech Republic: The Concept of Civil Society." The Practice of Civil Society, pp. 573-580. Middlesex University.

Frič, P. (2005). The third sector and the policy process in the Czech Republic. LSE, Centre for Civil Society: Third Sector European Policy Working Papers, No. 6, June 2005.

Kaminski, A. Z., Kaminski, B. (2009). Trajectories of Transition from Communism: Bumps, Exits and Deviations. Paper prepared for the conference "1989: Twenty Years After" to be held at the University of California, Irvine, November 5-8, 2009. 4. Public Policy and Civil Sector

Three Main Policy Dilemmas, Legal Framework Building, System of Public Funding, "State Nonprofit Sector", Policy Inconsistency, Lack of Political Will, Failure of Big Politcs

Frič, P., Bútora, M. (2003). The Role of Non Profit Sector in Public Policy. In: Potůček, M., Leloup, L. T., Jenei, G., Váradi, L., Public policy in Central and Eastern Europe: Theories, Methods, Practices. Bratislava: NISPACEE.

Frič, P. (2005). The third sector and the policy process in the Czech Republic. LSE, Centre for Civil Society: Third Sector European Policy Working Papers, No. 6, June 2005.

Potůček, M. (2003). Policy Coordination: Government, Markets, and the Civic Sector. In: Potůček, M., Leloup, L. T., Jenei, G., Váradi, L., Public policy in Central and Eastern Europe: Theories, Methods, Practices. Bratislava: NISPACEE. 5. Government - Civil Sector Relationships

Main Theories, Civil Society Diversity, Institutionalization of Co-operation, Partnership Models, Problems of Partnership, Informal model of Co-Operation,Negative Stereotypes

Chambers, S., Kopstein, J. (2008). Civil Society and the State. In: The Oxford Handbook of Political Theory, pp. 364-380. (http://individual.utoronto.ca/kopstein/publications/civil_society_and_the_state.pdf).

Frič, P. (2008). The Uneasy Partnership of the State and the Third Sector in Czech Republic. In: Osborne, S. P. (ed). The Third Sector in Europe: Trends and Challenges. Oxon: Routledge, pp. 230-255.

Jordan, P. (1997). Non-governmental organizations and the Public Administration: Cooperation or Separation? Known-Unknown Sector Roczniak, 1: pp. 79-84, Warsaw.

Miháliková, S. (1996). Understanding Slovak Political Culture. In: Plasser, F., Pribersky, A. (eds). Political Culture in East Central Europe. Avebury, Aldershot.

Rymsza, M., Zimmer, A. (2004). Embededness of Nonprofit Organizations: Government - nonprofit Relationship. In: Zimmer, A., Priler, E. (eds.). Future of Civil Society. Making Central European Nonprofit-Organizations Work. Wiesbaden: VS VERLAG Für Sozialwissenschaften, pp. 169-197.

Salamon, L. M., Anheier, H. K. (1994). The Emerging Sector. The Nonprofit Sector in Coparative Perspective - An Overview. Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins University.

Salamon, L. M. et. al. (1999). So What? The Impact of the Nonprofit Sector in Comparative Perspective. Paper prepared for presentation at the 28 Annual Conference of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), Arlington, VA, November 4-6. 6. Anti-Civil Society: Corruption and Trust

Traditions of Weak Civil Society, Informal Networks, Path Dependency and Transformation Anomy, Elites Legitimacy Crisis, Adapted Citizens, Culture of Corruption, Growing Radicalism

Frič, P. (2011). Czech Elites and Citizens as Part of a Public Accountability System. In: Osborne, S. New York: Routledge, pp. 79-89.

Howard, M. M. (2003). The Weakness of Civil Society in Post-Communist Europe. Cambridge University Press.

Mungiu-Pippidi, A. (2006). "Corruption: Diagnosis And Treatment." Journal of Democracy, 17 (3), pp. 86-99.

Uslaner, E. M. (2004). Honesty, Trust, and Legal Norms in Transition to Democracy: Why Bo Rothstein is Better Able to Explain Sweden than Romania. In: Kornai, J., Rothstei, B., Rose-Ackerman, S.