The Bratislava Network Effect: ‘Good Europe? Power, Participation and the Remaking of Civil Society’

The Bratislava Network Effect, hosted by the British Council Slovakia, IVO and Demos will take place on 18-20 October 2006. The topic for exploration is civil society and the event will be conducted in English. At its core civil society has been understood as the ‘good society’- a traditional European vision of what society should look like- with values and ambitions based around the common good. Many have argued that Europe embodies a distinctive set of values associated with a quality of life based on both social equality and secular liberalism. Robert Kagan famously summed it up when he described Europeans as being from Venus, with an ideal of society as being peaceful, collaborative and cosmopolitan.

Civil society

In making progress towards this good society, today commonly based around creating the best kind of everyday live for people and communities, the organised wing of civil society has earned itself a star role. While conditions differ from one country to another, it has been widely acknowledged that vibrant institutional civil society in the form of NGOs, community-based organisations, think-tanks and campaign groups have played an important role in shaping public debate and policy, helping to keep in check both the state and the market, and on occasion transforming them.

Transformations

In Slovakia, and in other Central and East European states, civil society and its institutions have played an important role in transformations during the last fifteen years. Among the players on this scene, watchdogs, think tanks, public policy and advocacy organizations and activities have proven to be essential in influencing political decisions, changing the frame of public debate, educating the general public, engaging civic participation, as well as ensuring accountable, transparent and effective government. Many of the reforms, or their concepts, had appeared in the sphere of independent think-tanks before they have been put into effect in the policy.

What’s good?

However, a rapidly emerging set of developments seem to be throwing many assumptions about the role and health of civil society in Europe into doubt. Thus, rising social diversity has triggered an increasingly plural world where different visions of ‘the good society’ compete against one another. The recent ban on demonstrations by gay people introduced by members of the Polish right-leaning coalition government and the furore in France over Muslim women wearing head-scarves in public illustrate this increasingly embattled space.

Uncivil society

From the outbreak of ‘anti-civilisation’ behaviour in the form of drunkenness and violence in British and Spanish cities, to the murder of Theo van Gogh, Europe is struggling to find ways to respond to the acts and agents of uncivil society. Certain groups, like the skinhead movement, which are uncivil in their very nature, can claim to be ‘civil’ by definition. How do we deal with this contradiction today, and what does it mean for civil society more generally?

Independence

Just as in Western European countries, NGOs in central and Eastern Europe are beginning to find themselves in different roles and relationships with the state, for example taking on the delivery of public services and government contracts. This has led to questioning over their independence and possible cooption by the state. Meanwhile, civil society groups are simultaneously under fire for lacking democratic legitimacy and transparency. For example, the current President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Klaus has described ‘NGOism’ and ‘the ideology of civil society’ as the main enemies of freedom and democracy. Despite these criticisms new forms of civil society are emerging to cope with a globalised world. Mass public campaigns such as the Orange revolution in Ukraine are visible to all, and international networks supported by technology allow ideas to spread rapidly across continents.

Where next?

Together, the participants to the Bratislava Network Effect will explore new and innovative ways for civil society to cope with this changing world by focusing on the following questions:

* Is there a shared European understanding of the good society and what are its prerequisites? For example universal healthcare, a living wage, freedom of speech, free education. Are these prerequisites changing?

* What opportunities do changing patterns of networks, lifestyles and technology open up for new forms of civil society action, including less institutional forms of collective action?

* How should Europe respond to the rise of uncivil society and what is its responsibility to civil society beyond its borders?

* Can civil society continue to deliver more public services, without compromising the very qualities that could help it play a greater role in the wider civil renewal agenda?

More information

The Network Effect is a venture set up by the British Council to create and nurture networks between the next generation of European leaders. European societies face a set of challenges over the coming decades that do not lend themselves to technical, managerial solutions: from placing their economies on a sustainable low carbon footing, to managing the democratic transition of an aging population, to building cohesive communities in the face of growing social diversity. Leaders of the future, in all sectors, face these new and complex challenges in a world where the understanding of leadership itself is in flux. The Network Effect aims to respond to this challenge by providing forums for debate, a creative perspective on critical issues, and helping to build the capacity required to address them. Through a combination of learning by doing, challenging content, a teamwork approach, and networking between events, the aim is to create a sustainable network of future European leaders committed to making a difference. For more information, please surf to www.britishcouncil.org/slovakia-society-bratislava-network-effect.htm.

This article was published in Politeia Newsletter 43 - October 2006