Education, Religiosity and the Cultivation of Social Capital: Philippine Ngos and the Democratization of Civil Society

The Philippine political milieu is characterized by a "weak state" dominated by elite cacique patron-client relations whom exploit state mechanisms for the private accumulation and distribution of public resources. Drawing on a rich collection of sources, this book examines the democratizing capacity of two forces within Philippine civil society - Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) and Catholic religiosity. Through an analysis of the political education, popular education, and micro-enterprise development efforts of three reputable Catholic NGOs, this book concludes that: 1) there are serious educational and knowledge conceptualization challenges inhibiting NGO democratization, and 2) Catholic religiosity is paradoxical concerning democracy, both reinforcing traditional patron-client patterns as well as offering a vast social capital and potent cultural framework for justifying and animating democratization at all levels of Philippine society. This book's thorough and detailed analysis offers theoretical insight as well as practical solutions to please both theorists and practitioners interested in the relationship between religion, democracy, and social capital.