1st Edition
Non-Governmental Organizations in Contemporary China Paving the Way to Civil Society?
Based on documentary materials including interviews with key players in China, this book charts the development of non-governmental and non-profit organizations in China from the late 1970s to the present day. It recounts how in the aftermath of the 1978 reforms that created a market economy and diversified interests and social life, new institutions and organizations outside of the state system increased dramatically in number, size and influence. These organizations, which barely existed before the reforms began in the late 1970s, carry out many social, economic and cultural tasks neglected by the government.
Qiusha Ma examines two key questions crucial to understanding the development of NGOs in China: First, is it possible under China’s one-party state for non-governmental organizations to thrive and play important economic, social and political functions? And secondly, are NGOs facilitating the formation of a civil society in China?
Introduction: Western Theories vs. Chinese Reality NGOs with Chinese Characteristics Chapter Outlines and Methodology 1. In Search of Civil Society in China: Theoretical and Historical Discourses Chinese Intellectuals’ Debates over Civil Society in the 1990s Evolution of Civil Society in Late Qing and Early Republic China 2. "Small Government, Big Society": The Government’s NGO Policy and Its Dilemma The Government’s Motives for Promoting NGOs China’s Registration-Regulation of NGOs Since the late 1970s: Major Features Contradictions in the Government’s NGO Policy 3. NGO Landscape in China: Classification, Scope, and Autonomy Defining NGOs in China: Classification and Terminology Analyses of Chinese NGO Growth NGO-Government Relations in China: How Much Autonomy? 4. Social Capital: The Significance and Dynamics of Grassroots NGOs and Social Networks The Concept of Social Capital and its Application in China The Significance of Grassroots Organizations Dynamics and Leadership of Chinese NGOs: the Role of Chinese Intellectuals 5. Civil Society vs. Corporatism: NGOs in Economic Realm Simultaneous Development of Corporatism and Civil Society Four Categories of Top-Down Associations Bottom-Up Pattern: The Chambers of Commerce in Wenzhou 6. "It Takes Two to Tangle": International NGOs in China and their Impacts The Impact of Globalization and Global Civil Society on China Chinese Government’s Policy towards INGOs The Current State of International NGOs in China The Role of International NGOs in China Limitations of INGOs’ Efforts in China Conclusion The Major Forces Promoting Chinese NGOs Changes in Associational Landscape in China NGOs Facilitating Civil Society in China Bibliography Index
Biography
Qiusha Ma
'This book contains a wealth of interesting new material and insights...Ma writes in a clear, easily readable style that helps engage a reader's interest. Her book is recommended to anyone who wishes to know more about the growth of Chinese associations or about the prospects for corporatism and civil society in China.
- China Journal
'Quisha Ma's book is a highly readable account of one of the main impacts of the reduction in range and power of the central state and is a useful study of what public opinion in China might be.' - Asian Affairs
