Civil Society in Wales provides a critical evaluation of the main themes and points of contention facing discussions of public policy in contemporary Wales. Topics covered include religion and civil society, the voluntary sector, the media, nationalism, community regeneration, young people, and citizenship.

This book reports a Welsh debate around the key findings of the Carnegie Trusts' Commission of an Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society in the UK and Ireland, published in March 2010. The aim was to ask how the Carnegie findings relate to the emergence of Welsh civil society following a decade of devolution.

Devolution, or home rule, is the transfer of power from a more centralized form of government to one that is of a local or regional nature. This book-length study examines the impact of the devolution from British rule on Welsh civil society during the Welsh Assembly's first term, from 1999 to 2003. Comprehensive theoretical examination is paired with case-based research in order to discuss the relationship between civil society, democracy, and national identity, and to question whether civil society contributes to promoting a stronger sense of Welsh national identity--essential reading for all those interested in contemporary Welsh politics.

The relationship between the family and civil society has always been complex, with the family often regarded as separate from, or even oppositional to, civil society. Taking a fresh empirical approach, Muddiman, Power and Taylor reveal how such separation underestimates the important role the family plays in civil society. Considering the impact of family events, dinner table debates, intergenerational transmission of virtues and the role of the mother, this enlightening book draws on survey data from 1000 young people, a sample of their parents and grandparents, and extended family interviews, to uncover how civil engagement, activism and political participation are inherited and fostered within the home.

Epdf and ePUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. Drawing on place-based field investigations and new empirical analysis, this original book investigates civil society at local level. The concept of civil society is contested and multifaceted, and this text offers assessment and clarification of debates concerning the intertwining of civil society, the state and local community relations. Analysing two Welsh villages, the authors examine the importance of identity, connection with place and the impact of social and spatial boundaries on the everyday production of civil society. Bringing into focus questions of biography and temporality, the book provides an innovative account of continuities and changes within local civil society during social and economic transformation.

Renowned social and political theorist Bob Jessop explores the idea of civil society as a mode of governance in this bold challenge to current thinking. Developing theories of governance failure and metagovernance, the book analyses the limits and failures of economic and social policy in various styles of governance. Reviewing the principles of self-emancipation and self-responsibilisation it considers the struggle to integrate civil society into governance, and the power of social networks and solidarity within civil society. With case studies of mobilisations to tackle economic and social problems, this is a comprehensive review of the factors that influence their success and identifies lessons for future social innovation.

This book explores how the uncertainties of the 21st century present existential challenges to civil society. These include changing modes of governance (through devolution and Brexit), austerity, migration, growing digital divides, issues of (mis)trust and democratic confidence, welfare delivery and the COVID-19 pandemic and the contemporary threat to minority languages and cultures. Presenting original empirical findings, this book brings together core strands of social theory to provide a new way of understanding existential challenges to the form and function of civil society. It highlights pressing social issues and transferable lessons that will inform policy and practice in today’s age of uncertainty.