By John Burbidge
Beyond Prince
and Merchant
Citizen Participation and the Rise of Civil Society
No longer are people willing to leave it to governments and business to lead. Citizens are seizing the initiative and reclaiming their rightful place as the catalysts of social change.
Beyond Prince and Merchant gives a human face to the global phenomenon of citizens catalyzing social change. Beginning with a description of the origins and evolution of the concept of civil society, the book explores the global mosaic of civil society today, as well as its new frontiers — the role of women and youth, local community, micro-enterprise, participatory methods, indicators of a healthy civil society and much more.
Written by practitioners and academics from around the world who are striving to create a global civil society, this book describes the challenges confronting civil society and provides inspiring examples of how these challenges are being met.
Citizen activists
Reviews of
Beyond Prince and Merchant
In the abundance of literature on civil society, this book stands out with its clarity, understanding of diversity, and multicultural approach. A truly civil book on civil society.
— Miklos Marschall, CIVICUS
Beyond Prince and Merchant describes the rise of civil society in a broad conceptual framework and practical, down-to-earth detail. The ICA is proud to be associated with this valuable contribution to the global dialogue on the subject.
— Hala El Kholy, The Institute of Cultural Affairs International
This extraordinary book provides a wealth of insights about the role of civil society in achieving sustainable, people-centered development through mechanisms and processes of good governance.
— Robertson Work, United Nations Development Programme
This book is a must for those wanting to understand the revolution happening the world over as citizens organize to meet the great challenges we all face.
— Richard Sandbrook, International Institute for Environment and Development
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Contrasting with governmental power and economic power — the power of the Prince and the Merchant — there is an immediate and autonomous power; sometimes evident, sometimes latent: people’s power.
— MARC NERFIN
My Writing Blog
Musings from a Writer’s Life
It’s OK to Judge a Book by Its Cover
How often have you been told “Never judge a book by its cover”? While there is wisdom in that saying, it tends to mask the vital role that actual book covers play in capturing readers’ interest. My experience with covers of a number of books bears this out. But getting to the final choice has often been a circuitous, rushed and last-minute undertaking, as the following examples show.
Titles and Subtitles: Critical Choices
When I published my India memoir, THE BOATMAN, in 2014, I received an email from a reader in Australia who enjoyed the book but felt deceived by my choice of title. He was a very talented artist, who had spent many years painting exquisite pictures of the lithesome...