CIVILSOCIETY AND ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT A CASE STUDY OF CATHOLIC INSTITUTE FOR DEVELOPMENT, JUSTICE AND PEACE (CIDJAP)

Abstract

The concept of civil society gained much prominence in the development  debate of the late 1980s and 1990s. According to White's conceptual article, "civilsociety, democratization and development" (1994), he carefully brought out the competing, ambiguous, options in the definition and use of the concept. There is ambiguity over what to include as Civil Society and who can be seen to fit in into the concept. In addition, there is the question of categorization. For instance, does civic society institution such as stateregulated religious bodies, academic unions, and public sector interest groups whose members are state employees and, therefore, may be subject to special public rules and regulationsfit into the definitional set. The conceptual outlook notwithstanding, the role of CivilSocieties in the 21st century cannot be underestimated, considering their tremendous output in projecting societal differences in political, social, cultural, environmental and economic reforms.
The paper focuses on CivilSociety institutions that are independent or nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and other voluntary non-profit establishments whose primary function has been to protect the interests and rights of the citizens, especially the downtrodden and those in distress, as opposed to their bourgeois counterparts by providing social and economic
services. In Nigeria for example, with her diverse ethnic and rellqious differences, civil society organizations have helped in promoting unity, humanitarian services, paved way for new employment opportunities and have continued to establish new methods and strategies towards societal development. This work will use the activities of CIDJAP,a Nigerian and religious civil society group as a case study, by highlighting their modus operandi and milestone in economic management. Not minding the
ambiguity in the conceptual outlook, we chose liberalism as theoretical framework. At its revival in the 1980s, civil society organizations were associated with empowerment, democratization and participation and for Africa, it has remained the same  struggle, with the hope that social groups, viewpoints and institutions that were either previously excluded from policy making processes, or enjoyed limited spaces to influence the activities of the public domain, would gain voice, legality, strength and autonomy from the repressive grip of the state.