Preface

This anthology is the second volume of series which presents papers on Central European countries of European Union Framework 6 research project CORASON.

Civil society is generally regarded as one of the most important factors of the stabilisation and functioning of democratic societies. It can be defined in many ways, for example as an active inclusion of citizens into common matters, "...as an independent self-organisation of the society, whose particular elements voluntarily join into the public matters in order to satisfy individual, group or public interests..." (Weigle-Butterfield 1993), "...as a crucial part of the public space between the state and the family..." (Marc Morjé Howard 2003), and by other definitions. The civil right is not represented only by free elections in which the citizens give their vote to political parties, but also as the control of their activities, fulfilment of the election promises and defending national interests of the population.

In a democratic society, every citizen has the right to express his/her opinions regarding common matters either as an individual or as a member of some interest group. The net of different associations, clubs, communities and societies that can influence all the important decisions of the state creates civil society. However, the citizens who are willing to interfere into the public matters by their attitudes and opinions also take over the responsibility for their managing.

The importance of civil society is strengthened in the periods of economic, political and social changes. It is not by chance that the totalitarian power systems suppress civic activities consistently and that the formation of civic society proceeds relatively slowly in the systems where there occurred the political transition from totality towards democracy.

The CORASON project includes research of civil society in the selected countries as a cognitive approach to rural sustainable development. The dynamics of the forming and sustaining the notion on the rights and obligations of citizens towards themselves as well as towards the environment they are living in (the material as well as non-material world) lays in their knowledge, abilities and real possibilities of their utilisation. In this understanding, civil society is a tool as well as the results of the process of sustainable development. The range of the followed elements is, naturally, much wider. It includes the national, regional as well as local viewpoints; it faces the individual actors, target groups as well as the local governance institutions. It takes into consideration human rights and obligations, social certainties as well as risks. However, the most important terms still are civic responsibility and public participation...