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Abstract: 1. Introduction Currently two concepts are very much en vogue in social sciences: ‘governance’ and ‘civil society’. Numerous publications and conferences are documenting their recent popularity. Governance arrangements and civil society organizations are gaining importance almost everywhere, in international and national politics but also increasingly at the level of local communities.

Originally the two academic concepts – governance and civil society - have very little in common. Governance, initially introduced in the academic debate by scholars of international relations, was soon taken up by policy analysis. In the meantime, governance has almost replaced the term ‘government’ for the description of how the interplay of polity, politics and policy functions in the real world.

The term civil society, on the contrary, belongs to the realm of political theory and as such it illustrates an abstract and highly normative concept. The underlying rationale of the term civil society indicates that societies have constantly to struggle for a better world by both confronting everyday politics with its failures and simultaneously referring to a democratic utopia that is worth fighting for.

The two concepts, despite belonging to different traditions and sub-disciplines of the social sciences, are increasingly used simultaneously. Indeed governance arrangements without the input of civil society seem more and more to be looked upon as to be ham without eggs. Why is this case? Why do social sciences and particularly policy analysis turn to the abstract and normative concept of civil society while trying to come to grips with the complex reality of policy making in the modern democracies of our globalized world? And does it really work? Does civil society indeed contribute that extra something to policy analysis particular within the complex context of the European Union?

In the following, I will briefly describe each concept by highlighting its background and origin. In the next step, I will take a closer look at why and how the European Union makes use of the two concepts. In a third step, I will summarize central issues of civil society research. Finally as a recap I will discuss the hypothesis of civil society organizations gaining importance for the deepening of European integration.

Keywords: Governance; Civil Society

55 pages, August 24, 2007

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RePEc:hhh:senior:2007_057

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