Civil Society in the Age of Monitory Democracy

Since the emergence of the dissident "e;parallel polis"e; in Eastern Europe, civil society has become a "e;new superpower,"e; influencing democratic transformations, human rights, and international co-operation; co-designing economic trends, security and defense; reshaping the information society; and generating new ideas on the environment, health, and the "e;good life."e; This volume seeks to compare and reassess the role of civil society in the rich West, the poorer South, and the quickly expanding East in the context of the twenty-first century's challenges. It presents a novel perspective on civic movements testing John Keane's notion of "e;monitory democracy"e;: an emerging order of public scrutiny and monitoring of power.