As popular movements sweep much of the world, the term “civil society” can be heard on many lips. Michael Edwards of the Ford Foundation has written a short book on the three meanings of the concept. Neera Chandhoke, from New Delhi, casts a sceptical eye over his argument. Read the rest of this post...

New readers start here! Citizens’ hunger for a new relationship with power needs a new process to satisfy it. What could that be? David Hayes maps an evolving openDemocracy debate. Read the rest of this post...

The traditional political party is dying. Can it reinvent itself in a way that matches transformations of society, technology, and personal identity? Paul Hilder draws on global democratic experimentation to present a vision of the political party for an age of “open politics”. Read the rest of this post...

Greece’s former foreign minister and current leader of its main opposition party, Pasok, tells openDemocracy’s Anthony Barnett of his ambitious plans to reinvent the way democratic politics is conducted. Read the rest of this post...

The former Irish president and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, now architect of the Ethical Globalisation Initiative, talks to openDemocracy about the 21st century human rights agenda – one that connects universal principles to the daily lives and needs of the world’s poorest people. Read the rest of this post...

The future of Europe will be decided in the Balkans, says the former Swedish prime minister and international envoy to Yugoslavia. He demands leadership and support to bring the region into the European fold and heal its bitter legacies. But the Balkans’ deeper resources of diverse creativity also offer hopes, and lessons, for the 21st century world – and Iraq. Read the rest of this post...