A democratic society took centuries to create, but the work not finished. The forces of change are still active as capitalist markets stand in tension with a democratic government and the Third Sector. Some advocates define civil society as the Third Sector composed of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), such as nonprofits and civic groups. They see civil society as shaping the future. Other advocates define civil society as one composed of a democratic government and voluntary sector in which free markets exist.

The development of a civil economy requires resolving the major differences among three sectors -- government, business, and NGOs. The construction of a civil economy takes place at the interface of these sectors. This book explores the relationship among these sectors and the meaning of civil capital. The idea of a civil economy presumes that people can solve social problems within these sectors, maximizing human values, and minimizing government intervention.

In this book, I describe how people in these sectors develop an accountable, self-regulating, profitable, humane, and competitive system of markets. I examine how government officials can encourage the formation of civil markets and reduce government costs; how local leaders deal with global corporations that would exploit community resources; how employees become participants in the development of civil corporations, and how investors allocate capital for the common good.

A Civil Economy encourages to interdisciplinary studies, assisting scholars in diverse fields, such as business management, sociology, political science, and economics to develop a common language. The purpose is to understand civic problems in systems of capital exchange.

As a college text, it leads students to think about the development of civil markets.  Students learn how the market becomes socially accountable, self-reliant, productive, competitive, and profitable.

The subject of civil economy is derived from the idea of civil society. The idea of civil society has been evolving for centuries, bringing together a democratic government and a market economy. Civil society now generates the subject of civil economy created at the interface of government, business, and the Third Sector that is composed of nonprofits and civic groups.

A Civil Economy: Transforming the Market in the 21st Century

Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press)  $20

Table of Contents

Forward: David Rockefeller
Preface
   Part One: A Story of Civil Development

1. The Moral Economy
2. Systems of Accountability
3. A Community Oriented Economy

 Part Two Civilizing a Capitalist Economy

4. A Theory of Civil Privatization
5. The Practice of Civil Privatization
6. Civil Associations

 Part Three: Toward a Global Civil Economy

7. Problems in Global Markets
8. A Global Civil Economy

Conclusion

Appendix: Academic Studies

Some Comments on the Cover of the Book.

"This is one of those rare books that makes you look at the world differently. Bruyn’s arguments provide a realistic yet revolutionary way of re-imagining how to make the world
better."
--Corey Rosen, The National Center for Employee Ownership

"All economic and political discussion, even the most learned, divides the modern economy and polity between government and the private economy, between the public and private sectors. In real life there is a large structure of regulation, restraints, social concern and related organization that lies in between. This admirably researched and excellently written book tells of this sector in detail and how it can be changed and strengthened better to serve the public purpose. I recommend it strongly to all who wish to see solid economic life as it is and how it can be improved."
--John Kenneth Galbraith, Emeritus, Harvard University

"Bruyn transforms the clichés of "the New Economy," Civil Society, "the Third Way," and "the Global Economy" into an original, provocative, and actionable perspective that demands public attention."
--S. M. Miller, Emeritus, Boston University

"Civil Economy--what a great concept! Bruyn has given us a wake-up call for a new kind of economic analysis--and better yet, a new kind of economic activism."
--Elise Boulding, Former Secretary-General of the International Peace Research Association

"Just as the discussion of ethics in public policy has moved--at last--into questions of the economy, we have this absorbing text by Severyn Bruyn who draws on a lifetime of research and reflection on these issues to develop the promising idea of a civil economy to undergird the civil polity we all hope to rebuild. This is a sweeping and original work that fits into no ideological niche."
--Harvey Cox, Harvard University Divinity School

"An indispensable, well-researched update on all the innovations occurring in our societies’ ‘third sectors’."
--Hazel Henderson, author of Paradigms in Progress and Building a Win-Win World

"Bruyn challenges the reader to reflect upon one of the greatest challenges of the twenty-first century: the relationships that may exist between a civil society and a globalized economy. The book is thoughtful and provocative."
--Stephen Viederman, President, Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation

"The World Bank is trying to move beyond the simplistic state-or-market dichotomies to involve the associations of civil society and other ‘lumps’ of social capital in the transformation of post-socialist and developing countries. The concept of ‘civil privatization’ in Professor Bruyn's new book A Civil Economy is just the concept we need to "civil-ize" privatization so that it is seen not just as a "stock market transaction" but as a re-embedding of economic activity in a market society.
--David Ellerman, Economic Advisor to the Chief Economist

"Quietly revolutionary, A Civil Economy helps us see what remains invisible to most--how the principles of responsibility and accountability are subtly bringing economic life into the democratic fold. Fascinating examples bring to life what may be the next stage in the evolution of democracy."
--Frances Moore Lappé, author of Rediscovering America's Values and co-author of The Quickening of America Rebuilding: Our Nation, Remaking Our Lives
 

A second volume in this book series on the civil economy is forthcoming.  Some online Appendices are drafted. See Civil Markets.