Non-Governmental Organizations in Contemporary China: Paving the Way to Civil Society?

by Ma; Qiusha

• ISBN13: 9780415369190
• ISBN10: 0415369193
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-12-22
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

"The development of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the evolution of a civil society in China emerged in the aftermath of the 1978 reforms, creating for the first time new institutions and organizations outside of the state system. This book analyzes how the rapid growth of NGOs was a measure of the profound social change and political tensions occurring within China from the 1980s to the present day." "As the first comprehensive volume on Chinese NGOs, it covers crucial aspects of the subject including governmental NGO policy, roles of the grassroots organizations, features of people's associational behavior and involvement from international NGOs. Qiusha Ma draws on a wealth of primary material from interviews with key Chinese figures to detailed case studies on NGO organizations and individuals. Her in-depth research highlights the environmental protection movement, advocacy for victims of AIDS and drugs, organizations for women's rights and the activities of the HOPE project for children in deprived rural regions."--BOOK JACKET.

Author Biography

Qiusha Ma is Associate Professor of Chinese at Oberlin College, USA.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	ix
List of Tables	x
Acknowledgements	xi
List of Abbreviations	xiii
Introduction	1	(3)
Western theories vs Chinese reality	4	(4)
NGOs with Chinese characteristics	8	(4)
Chapter outlines and methodology	12	(4)
In search of civil society in China: theoretical and historical discourses	16	(31)
Chinese intellectuals' debates over civil society in the 1990s	17	(16)
Evolution of civil society in late Qing and early Republican China	33	(14)
``Small government, big society'': the Chinese government's NGO policy and its dilemma	47	(29)
The government's motives for promoting NGOs	48	(13)
Major features of China's registration-regulation of NGOs since the late 1970s	61	(8)
Contradictions in the government's NGO policy	69	(7)
NGO landscape in China: classification, scope, and autonomy	76	(29)
Defining NGOs in China: classification and terminology	77	(9)
Analyses of Chinese NGO growth	86	(9)
NGO--government relations in China: how much autonomy?	95	(10)
Social capital: the significance and dynamics of grassroots NGOs and social networks	105	(31)
The concept of social capital and its application in China	107	(4)
The significance of grassroots organizations	111	(10)
Dynamics and leadership of grassroots NGOs: the role of Chinese intellectuals	121	(15)
Corporatism vs civil society: NGOs in the economic realm	136	(31)
Simultaneous development of corporatism and civil society	137	(8)
Four categories of top-down associations	145	(14)
Bottom-up pattern: the chambers of commerce in Wenzhou	159	(8)
``It takes two to tangle'': international NGOs in China and their impacts	167	(34)
The impact of globalization and global civil society on China	168	(3)
Chinese government policy towards INGOs	171	(5)
The current state of international NGOs in China	176	(4)
The role of international NGOs in China	180	(15)
Limitations of INGOs' efforts in China	195	(6)
Conclusion	201	(8)
The major forces promoting Chinese NGOs	201	(3)
Changes in associational landscapes in China	204	(2)
Do NGOs facilitate civil society in China?	206	(3)
Notes	209	(10)
Bibliography	219	(18)
Index	237