The Influence of Society

This week’s discussion generated some interesting thoughts about the influence of civil society over states and markets. When thinking about the role of civil society I think a lot depends on the “type” of civil society which is being looked at. For instance, the amount of leverage able to be achieved by a society will be different in a democracy versus. a more restrictive type of government.

I think it’s fairly simple to observe the amount of leverage civil society has over markets and states which operate under democratic rule. A democratic society has the power to purchase goods and services of their choosing which dictates the companies that make money and which ones do not. Under a democracy, a society also has the power of the vote which allows them to pick the leader that best aligns to their interests.

It becomes more challenging to observe the influence of civil society operating within a more authoritarian type of regime. In this type of situation society loses the power of the vote which signals a loss in their influence over the state. Additionally, consumers may have fewer choices in regards to the purchases they make which limits their power to affect markets.

Despite the apparent restrictions on civil societies living under more restrictive regimes, they are still able to influence the state and markets. Black markets may spring up and allow consumers to trade goods not normally available which can severely affect the players operating within the regular market. Societies under authoritarian regimes may find it difficult to influence state action, but it is certainly possible. The Arab Spring phenomenon that occurred in recent years shows how societies have the ability to drastically affect state behavior.

There are certainly more ways societies can project influence than I have mentioned but it is interesting to note how much their options change depending on the environment they are operating in. Despite the change in options, states certainly do have great power to influence states and markets no matter what type of government structure they are subjected to.