Summary :
This book explores the question of whether and how civil society influences democracy, showing that the link between them is neither necessary nor universal—as many others have claimed. I argue that civil society has a “dark side” (i.e., a nondemocratic face) and that the specific sociohistorical context determines the nature of civic participation and its potential effect on democracy. I claim that institutions, the law, and dominant patterns of social interaction structure the conditions in which individuals organize.

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