The term civil society is often used broadly — to describe the space between government, market and community. It is associated with participation, rights, institutions and social cohesion. But at its core, civil society has always had a more precise function: it is the system through which a society maintains stability, continuity and shared standards of living.
The question is not whether a country has a civil society.
The question is whether that society is structurally stable — and for whom.