State and Civil Society

The State: Powerful but Not Always Perfect

The state is the central institution for managing cultural diversity in a nation. It claims to represent the nation and its people, but it can also become somewhat independent of them. When the state's structures — the legislature, bureaucracy, judiciary, armed forces, police, and other arms — become insulated from the people, it has the potential to turn authoritarian.

An authoritarian state is the opposite of a democratic state. In an authoritarian state, the people have no voice, and those in power are not accountable to anyone. Such states often limit or abolish civil liberties like:

• Freedom of speech
• Freedom of the press
• Freedom of political activity
• Right to protection from wrongful use of authority
• Right to the due processes of the law

Apart from authoritarianism, state institutions may also become unable or unwilling to respond to the needs of the people because of corruption, inefficiency, or lack of resources. In short, there are many reasons why a state may not be all that it should be.

Why Civil Society Matters

Non-state actors and institutions become important in this context because they can keep a watch on the state, protest against its injustices, or supplement its efforts. This is where civil society comes in.

Civil society is the broad arena that lies beyond the private domain of the family, but outside the domain of both the state and the market. It is the non-state and non-market part of the public domain in which individuals get together voluntarily to create institutions and organisations. It is the sphere of active citizenship: here, individuals take up social issues, try to influence the state or make demands on it, pursue their collective interests, or seek support for a variety of causes.

What Makes Up Civil Society

Civil society consists of voluntary associations, organisations, or institutions formed by groups of citizens. It includes:

• Political parties
• Media institutions
• Trade unions
• Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
• Religious organisations
• Other kinds of collective entities

The main criteria for inclusion in civil society are that the organisation should not be state-controlled, and it should not be a purely commercial profit-making entity.

The Range of Civil Society Activity

Today, the activities of civil society organisations have an even wider range, including:

• Advocacy and lobbying activity with national and international agencies
• Active participation in various movements

The issues taken up are diverse, ranging from:

• Tribal struggles for land rights
• Devolution in urban governance
• Campaigns against rape and violence against women
• Rehabilitation of those displaced by dams and other developmental projects
• Fishermen's struggles against mechanised fishing
• Rehabilitation of hawkers and pavement dwellers
• Campaigns against slum demolitions and for housing rights
• Primary education reform
• Distribution of land to dalits

The Watchdog Role

Civil liberties organisations have been particularly important in keeping a watch on the state and forcing it to obey the law. The media, too, has taken an increasingly active role, especially its emergent visual and electronic segments.

A Key Example: The Right to Information Campaign

Among the most significant recent initiatives is the campaign for the Right to Information. It began with an agitation in rural Rajasthan for the release of information on government funds spent on village development. This effort grew into a nation-wide campaign, despite the resistance of the bureaucracy.

The Right to Information Act 2005 (Act No. 22/2005) was enacted by the Parliament of India, giving Indians access to Government records. Under the Act:

• Any person may request information from a "public authority" (a body of Government or instrumentality of State)
• The authority is expected to reply expeditiously or within thirty days
• Every public authority must computerise their records for wide dissemination …