2020-04-22
Civic Agency
Publication
Publication
Definition
Civic agency is a human predisposition toward, and a capability for, leading life together with others in a society with concern for the whole. Agency which is considered civic incorporates a basic principle of a fair, tolerant society.
Civic agency connects political theory with purposeful sociopolitical action by persons who enjoy a minimal condition of meaningful citizenship, i.e., there is at least respect for the “right to have rights” (Dagnino 2005: 5). Environments with a minimum respect for the right of all to have their say and be socially engaged are a precondition for civic agency. Where this precondition is not fulfilled, notions of a public realm and civic agency remain a theoretical potential but cannot operate in a practical sense.
It is common practice to associate civic agency with noncommercial purposes that characterize philanthropy, voluntarism, and equivalent prosocial behaviors.
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| Springer | |
| doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99675-2_69-1, hdl.handle.net/1765/132212 | |
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Fowler, A., & Biekart, K. (2020). Civic Agency. In International Encyclopedia of Civil Society. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-99675-2_69-1 |
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