The Local Corporatist State and NGO Relations in China

Journal of Contemporary China

Volumn 23, Issue 87, 2014, Pages 516-534

  Hsu, Jennifer Y J ^a   Hasmath, Reza ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA   (Canada)

^b UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

LOCAL PARTICIPATION; NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION; STATE ROLE; STATE-LOCAL RELATIONS;

CHINA; SHANGHAI;

EID: 84898026332     PISSN: 10670564     EISSN: 14699400     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/10670564.2013.843929     Document Type: Article

References (78)

1. Pumin Yin, 'A new dawn for NGOs: registration requirements relaxed for charity work', Beijing Review, (4 August 2011), available at: http://www.bjreview.com/nation/txt/2011-08/01/content_380902.htm (accessed 20 June 2012). According to Yin, the 440,000 registered groups are disaggregated as follows: 243,000 social groups, 195,000 private non-enterprise units and more than 2,600 foundations.
2. Xu Ying and Zhao Litao [China's Rapidly Growing Non-Governmental Organizations, EAI Background Briefing No. 514 (2010, p. i)] estimate that the number of unregistered groups can be as large as ten times more than the number of officially registered groups.
3. 'Top leaders meet civil affairs staff, urge progress', People's Daily Online, (20 March 2012), available at: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90785/7763003.html (accessed 7 May 2012).
4. See for example, Qiusha Ma, 'The governance of NGOs in China since 1978: how much autonomy?', Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 31(3), (2002), pp. 305-328.
5. Karla Simon, 'Reform of China's laws for NPOs-a discussion related to Shiye Danwei reform', International Journal for Civil Society Law 3(3), (2005), pp. 71-89.
6. As an anonymous reviewer pointed out, this situation is unlike areas such as Yunnan where the local coffers are frequently empty, and there is often little choice but to invite NGOs to help provide services the local state previously provided.
7. See Jessica Teets, 'Civil society participation in local governance: outsourcing migrant education in Shanghai', in Z. Deng and S. Guo, eds, China's Search for Good Governance (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011).
8. Ruojing Chen, Understand Government-Nonprofit Social Service Contracting Relationship using Shanghai Public Service Bidding as an Example, unpublished M.A. dissertation, Lund University, 2012.
9. Note, the authors endeavored to interview the same NGO representatives in 2007 and 2011. In the event that this was not feasible, an interview was conducted with a representative at the same position and level of responsibilities.
10. Jonathan Unger and Anita Chan, 'China, corporatism, and the East Asian model', The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs 33, (1995), p. 37.
11. Alan Cawson, Organised Interests and the State: Studies in Meso-Corporatism (Bristol: Sage, 1985), p. 8.
12. See for example, The-chang Lin, 'Environmental NGOs and the anti-dam movements: a social movement with Chinese characteristics', Issues and Studies 43(4), (2007), pp. 149-184.
13. Yongnian Zheng, 'China in 2011: anger, political consciousness, anxiety, and uncertainty', Asian Survey 52(1), (2011), pp. 28-41.
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18. David S. G. Goodman, 'Foreword', in J. Y. J. Hsu and R. Hasmath, eds, The Chinese Corporatist State: Adaption, Survival and Resistance (New York: Routledge, 2013), pp. xvi-xvii.
19. Lin, 'Environmental NGOs and the anti-dam movements', p. 178.
20. Benjamin L. Read, 'Assessing variation in civil society organizations: China's homeowners' association in a comparative perspective', Comparative Political Studies 41(9), (2008), pp. 1240-1265.
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23. Bjorn Alpermann, 'State and society in China's environmental politics', in J. J. Kassiola and S. Guo, eds, China's Environmental Crisis: Domestic and Global Political Impacts and Responses (New York: Palgrave, 2010), p. 145.
24. Gilley, 'Paradigms of Chinese politics'.
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26. Jean Oi, 'Fiscal reform and the economic foundations of local state corporatism in China', World Politics 45(1), (1992), pp. 99-126.
27. Jean Oi, 'The role of the local state in China's transitional economy', The China Quarterly 144, (1995), pp. 1132-1149.
28. Oi, 'Fiscal reform and the economic foundations of local state corporatism in China', p. 111.
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34. Elizabeth Remick, 'The significance of variation in local states: the case of twentieth century China', Comparative Politics 34(4), (2002), pp. 399-418.
35. Jennifer Hsu, 'Layers of the urban state: migrant organisations and the Chinese state', Urban Studies 49(16), (2012), p. 3527.
36. David S. G. Goodman, 'Sixty years of the People's Republic: local perspectives on the evolution of the state in China', The Pacific Review 22(4), (2009), p. 443.
37. Philippe Schmitter's ['Still the century of corporatism?', The Review of Politics 36(1), (1974), pp. 93-94] definition of corporatism: 'Corporatism can be defined as a system of interest representation in which the constituent units are organized into a limited number of singular, compulsory, non-competitive, hierarchically ordered and functionally differentiated categories, recognized or licensed (if not created) by the state and granted a deliberate representational monopoly within their respective categories in exchange for observing certain controls on their selection of leaders and articulation of demands and supports'.
38. In addition, NGOs registered with the MCA must provide annual financial reports to the Ministry.
39. Simon, 'Reform of China's laws for NPOs'.
40. Approximate exchange rate US$1 = 6.3 yuan.
41. Reza Hasmath and Jennifer Hsu, 'NGOs in China and issues of accountability', Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration 30(1), (2008), pp. 1-11.
42. The English translation of the Agreement can be found at: http://www.cecc.gov/pages/virtualAcad/index. phpd?showsingle=135467. The full Chinese version is available at: http://www.sztx.org.cn/ass/detail.asp?id=4164.
43. Timothy Hildebrandt, 'The political economy of social organization registration in China', The China Quarterly 208, (2011), p. 976. Hildebrandt further points out that some organization leaders potentially fear that 'more independence will create a rift between their organization and local governments; they believe independence breeds antagonism, warranting more government scrutiny of registered groups, not less'.
44. 'The Minister of Civil Affairs on NGO direct registration: promoting the Guangdong experience', Xinhua, (7 March 2012), available at: http://www.chinadevelopmentbrief.org.cn/newsview.php?id=4784 (accessed 9 April 2012).
45. 'Yunnan social organizations will be able to directly register this year', China Development Brief, (29 February 2012), available at: http://www.chinadevelopmentbrief.org.cn/newsview.php?id=4754 (accessed 10 April 2012).
46. Christopher Heurlin, 'Governing civil society: the political logic of NGO-state relations under dictatorship', Voluntas 21(2), (2010), p. 233.
47. Christopher Heurlin, 'Governing civil society: the political logic of NGO-state relations under dictatorship', Voluntas 21(2), (2010), p. 233.
48. Note, the NGOs interviewed reported no interaction with the central state.
49. Given the potential sensitivity of the subject matter, the final version of this article has anonymized the organizations and individuals interviewed.
50. Personal communication, April 2007.
51. PI did not provide details of its yearly budget. However, with yearly tuition ranging from 1,200 to 1,800 yuan and with 200 children sponsored, we can gauge that the NGO has approximately 250,000 yuan per annum.
52. 'Shanghai dances with NGOs', China Development Brief, (8 November 2006), available at: http://www. chinadevelopmentbrief.com/node/854 (accessed 20 June 2012).
53. Personal communication, March 2007.
54. Liangliang Gao and Pan Zheng, 'Sunshine spreads love through libraries', Minghang Times, (7 February 2009), available at: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/minhang/pdf/0902.pdf (accessed 16 April 2012).
55. Personal communication, January 2012.
56. Personal communication, March 2007.
57. Personal communication, March 2007.
58. Personal communication, March 2007.
59. Personal communication, December 2011.
60. Gilley, 'Paradigms of Chinese politics'.
61. Hurst, 'The city as the focus'.
62. Hurst, 'The city as the focus'.
63. Personal communication, December 2011.
64. Personal communication, March 2007.
65. 'Answering social needs', Shanghai Star, (26 February 2004), available at: http://app1.chinadaily.com.cn/s tar/2004/0226//fo5-1.html (accessed 2 March 2012).
66. Personal communication, December 2011.
67. Personal communication, March 2007.
68. Goodman, 'Foreword'.
69. Personal communication, December 2011.
70. Personal communication, December 2011.
71. Carolyn Hsu and Yuzhou Jiang, 'Chinese NGOs and resource strategies: state alliances and internet innovations', paper presented at the Association of Asian Studies, Toronto, 15-18 March 2012.
72. Personal communication, December 2011.
73. For example, Cao Li, 'Govt urged to help NGO to help homeless', China Daily, (13 October 2009), available at: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-10/13/content_8785640.htm (accessed 21 June 2012).
74. Hsu and Jiang, 'Chinese NGOs and resource strategies'.
75. Yep, 'The limitations of corporatism for understanding reforming China'.
76. Michael Edwards and David Hulme, 'Too close for comfort? The impact of official aid on nongovernmental organizations', World Development 24(6), (1996), pp. 961-973.
77. Iain Atack, 'Four criteria of development NGO legitimacy', World Development 27(5), (1999), pp. 855-864.
78. Jennifer Y. J. Hsu and Reza Hasmath, 'The Chinese corporatist state: lessons learned for other jurisdictions', in Hsu and Hasmath, eds, The Chinese Corporatist State, p. 140.