Chinese Non‐Governmental Organisations and Civil Society: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

This article reviews the literature on Chinese non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society and argues that to understand the transformative potential of Chinese NGOs we need to consider beyond macro-level political change. By looking at the tactics and strategies of engagement between NGOs and the state, it becomes clear that Chinese NGOs are capable of affecting communities and change at the local level. Furthermore, to fully understand the capacity of Chinese NGOs, this article argues that we cannot insist on a state-society separation as we would in other jurisdictions because it would not lead to fruitful analysis. The state of the field is assessed through an interdisciplinary lens, characterised by four major themes: the linkage between the rise of NGOs and the expansion of civil society; the rise of NGOs as a reflection of state-society relations; NGO sectoral development; and, to a lesser extent, the development of theory and frameworks.

Shades of Authoritarianism and State–Labour Relations in China

“…The third key point is the changing relationships between local state actors and civil society organizations, including labour NGOs. While many local officials remained suspicious of NGOs and reluctant to sponsor their registration, the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MOCA) was eager to harness NGOs for welfare service delivery (Howell ; Hsu ). It was often thwarted in this by public security concerns about the destabilizing potential of more rights‐based groups, especially those with foreign funding.…”

‘Going Out’ or Staying In? The Expansion of Chinese NGOs in Africa

“…These organisations essentially work under the aegis of the state, and help it govern in areas that it lacks the capacity, time or political will to oversee. It is as service providers that most NGOs have enjoyed political space, and economic opportunities, that have been fundamental to their individual growth, and to the larger development of the NGO sector in China (see Hasmath and Hsu, ; Hsu and Hasmath, ). Informants who have followed the development of local Malawi NGOs (often from the inside) report a kind of maturation wherein the organisations ‘learn how to behave’.…”

“…The Expansion of Chinese NGOs in Africa 425 without a government sponsoring unit, such regulations only apply to a handful of NGOs working in a few pre-approved categories (see Hildebrandt, 2011;Tam and Hasmath, 2015). Still, Chinese NGOs have expanded and made an impact on a number of important sectors including migrant welfare, HIV/AIDS, environment and other issues that do not receive proper attention from the state (see Hsu, 2014). As local levels of the state are tasked with the responsibility of welfare delivery, the increasingly cash-strapped local authorities across China will likely shift the burden to individuals, households and other non-state actors.…”

Editorial retraction

“…Only the largest NGOs will be able to initiate lawsuits, with only around 300 qualifying (10). Provisions for lawsuits against environmental enforcement authorities remain unclear.…”