The civil society index

Abstract

Why, when understood as civil society, do major international programs of comparative research on the third sector lack an explicit political framework and associated methodology? Taking the Civicus Civil Society Index as a practical case, answers to this question are explored through a compound hypothesis combining: a particular historical moment; and, geo-academic predispositions, allied to Western normativism and funders' sensitivity to a sovereignty imperative. The issue of power that is central to political enquiry is, at best, approached obliquely leading to far from robust conclusions that abet speculative assertions. An approach to bringing politics into third sector enquiry is therefore described based on a citizenship perspective allied to the application of a power matrix. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010.