Since the end of the Cold War there has been a global ubiquity to the concept of civil society among researchers and activists, and a widespread assumption among many policy makers in different parts of the world of its global relevance to strengthening development and democracy. The aim of this discussion paper is to provide some reflections upon whether or not the concept of civil society could be seen as useful—both in terms of understanding social and political processes, and in terms of policy intervention aimed at poverty reduction and development—in the context of non-Western societies, and if so, how.