So what is civil society - Scotland awaits

One area we are looking at is how to ensure that any theoretical solution is likely to work, and be respected, in practice. Corporate social responsiblity seems relevant to this - at its highest, can it be a useful tool to encourage or require IP owning corporations to take a broader, less commercial, approach to enjoyment of their property rights?

Although no one can agree on whether CSR is worth anything or not, the consensus does appear to be that "civil society" is acquiring growing influence over corporate conduct. But what is civil society?

The forthcoming G8 at Gleneagles has brought to Scotland the full gamut of activity commonly grouped under the civil society umbrella: from that of constructive, peaceful single issue activists to more strident, and potentially, as has been seen in the past, violent, fundamental challengers to globalisation and corporate power. Its certainly made me much more aware that civil society does not speak with a single voice. Response to "civil society" per se should not, I think, therefore be used lightly, as justification for requiring changes in law and practice. Broad analysis and rigorous testing should be carried out, even in response to the most intuitively attractive causes.