Abstract
The term ‘civil society’ has in recent years enjoyed something of a revival. Politicians and academics in many countries have embraced it as a prescriptive model for the future organization of society. Exponents of civil society present it as a mediating space between the private and public spheres in a pluralist democracy. As Wedel has put it, ‘a civil society exists when individuals and groups are free to form organizations that function independently and that can mediate between citizens and the state’ (Wedel, 1994: p. 323). Amid widespread political disillusionment with the welfare state and its capacity to solve social problems, calls for the reinvigoration of civil society have gained ground.
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