The definition of a civil society is complex because there is no real clear cut explanation. A "civil society" is made up of varied institutions. According to the Salamon study, a civil society is made up of different entities, which include organizations, private entities, non-profit distributing entities and self-governing entities. In Julie Fishers book, NGOs and the Political Development of the Third World Sector, there are variations as to what constitutes a civil society and to some degree what role a civil society can play. The philosopher, John Locke, stressed that one of the functions of a civil society was to protect property rights, whereas Antonio Gramsci characterized civil societies as independent establishments that may or may not support state power. Victor Perez Diaz defines civil society as "markets, associations and a sphere of public debate." Fisher discusses why she believes the definition of civil society can be expanded further than just the independent sector. She states that both business AND nonprofit organizations play the middle man between the citizen and the state. She further states that markets and associations are often more than unrelated members of the same civil society. Additionally, the for-profit sector promotes nonprofit organizations as well. .
According to Fisher, NGOs strengthen civil society in six major ways. The potency of civil society is more or less related to the immense number of middle-man organizations that function as mediators between the citizen and their state. According to Bebbington & Farrington, NGOs strengthen civil society because they develop their communities and promote social change. Additionally, there is a large number of grass roots support organizations that focus on microenterprise development, which I believe means the development of small businesses that produce and distribute goods and services and take in little or no capital.
