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Intermediary Capacities of Elites in Swedish Civil Society

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The Interplay of Civic Engagement and Institutionalised Politics

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Third Sector Research ((PSTSR))

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Abstract

Civil society organisations (CSOs) perform key intermediary roles in liberal democracies, yet their ability to link citizens and political decision-makers is under strain since major CSOs show elitist tendencies. Instead of analysing advancement through hierarchies of democratic representation, this chapter takes stock of Bourdieu’s theory of social practice and the related concepts of habitus and capital to understand what it takes to advance civil society structures. Based on interviews with top leaders, we identify two routes of advancement. A long internal route is shaped by leaders’ civic habitus, as they grew up in families with engaged parents. Their career is shaped by, and depends on, long-lasting commitment to one organisation and acquiring organisational capital unique to the organisation. An emerging route opens up for mobility between organisations as professional civic managers, as long as they learn how to act as a committed leader. This points to the relevance of analysing civil society intermediation as shaped both by internal systems of political representation, yet also organisational socialisation and organisational hierarchies. The chapter concludes that contemporary civil society faces a democratic deficit. Although it functions as a school of democracy, its leadership draws on a narrow and exclusive pool of candidates.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Håkan Johansson

Authors
  1. Håkan Johansson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Håkan Johansson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Heidelberg University, Centre for Social Investment and Innovation (CSI), Research Centre at the Max Weber-Institute of Sociology (CSI), Heidelberg, Germany

    Adalbert Evers

  2. Center for Civil Society Research, Marie Cederschiöld University College, Stockholm, Sweden

    Johan von Essen

Appendix

Appendix

Interview no.

Date

Role

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March 2020

Director

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January 2021

Chair

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January 2021

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December 2020

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December 2020

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February 2021

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March 2021

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February 2021

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February 2021

Chair

10

December 2020

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11

February 2021

Director

12

February 2020

Director

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February 2021

Director

14

January 2021

Chair

15

February 2021

Director

16

January 2021

Chair

17

March 2021

Director

18

December 2020

Director

19

February 2021

Director

20

February 2020

Director

21

January 2021

Director

22

February 2021

Chair

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Johansson, H. (2024). Intermediary Capacities of Elites in Swedish Civil Society. In: Evers, A., von Essen, J. (eds) The Interplay of Civic Engagement and Institutionalised Politics. Palgrave Studies in Third Sector Research. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54231-2_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54231-2_11

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-54230-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-54231-2

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