"Although civil society is definitely not a panacea for all challenges of the modern state, the chapters of the anthology show that national paths and patterns of civil society and third sector developments can be used as important benchmarks and examples of best - and sometimes worst - practices for the successful development of governance. By analysing theoretical and empirical evidence from local, national and international contexts, the authors contribute to a transfer of knowledge between the national discourses and practices of civil society and illustrate what civil society can achieve and what it cannot"--Page 4 of cover.