Between Control and Empowerment: Governmental Strategies towards the Development of the Non-profit Sector in China

Continuous economic reform and social development have induced and forced the Chinese government to adjust its strategies towards non-profit development. Enhanced state capacities, emergent legitimacy of non-profit organisations, genuine demand for non-profit partners, public management modernisation and other factors have not only enriched the “control” mandate by introducing persuasive means, but have also driven the government to become a major empowering force for non-profit development. Advanced local governments in China take the lead in adopting mixed strategies of control and empowerment to forge a path of non-profit development in favour of non-profit organisations that are politically inactive and professionally capable. This paper shows the resilience of the regime by presenting examples of evolving governmental strategies of control and empowerment at the local and national levels. It argues that the Chinese government’s non-profit strategies are increasingly multidimensional and complicated, featuring changes in purpose, constraints, available means and government–non-profit relations.     

论华北灾荒期间天津商会的赈济活动(1903～1936)--兼论近代慈善救济事业中国家与社会的关系

民国前期灾荒期间,天津商会与官方及民间慈善团体通力合作,对灾民施行了一系列赈济措施,在一定程度上缓解了灾民的生存压力,也使商会在社会救助这一公共领域占据了一席之地。在赈济事业中,国家与社会有时合作,有时抗拒,越到后期合作越少,冲突越烈。     

Conservation charity land ownership in Scotland

Land ownership in Scotland has been the subject of increasing public debate. This paper traces the establishment of the conservation land ownership movement in Scotland from 1931. Charitable donations influence and affect the ability of voluntary bodies to acquire land. Voluntary ownership increased dramatically from the 1960s and the growth in outdoor recreation focused attention on the way mountain estates are managed by charities. Public bodies are instrumental in providing funding and influencing government support for land acquisition. The National Lottery, for example, affects greatly the ability of charities to acquire land. New charities have been formed with a specific focus on trees and wild land but conservation charities have been criticised for aspects of their land management. These charities continue to attract funding from people with a deep belief that their activities are for the benefit of the people of Scotland.     

清末民初北京地区的社会变迁与慈善组织的转型

北京地区的传统慈善组织在清末民初发生重大变化:数量上呈现较大幅度的增长趋势;救助功能方面普遍地由施养向教养转化;操作管理方式逐渐走上联合统一的道路。这些变化与北京地区在近代所具有的典型社会特征有着密切联系,因此一定程度上本文是对慈善事业研究的一种区域性探索。     

Before the NGO: Chinese Charities in Historical Perspective

Two decades ago, only a handful of NGOs operated legally in China. Today the sector is thriving. Even with the threat of new restrictions under the Xi Jinping government, private social initiative appears poised for even greater expansion in the future. To fully appreciate the significance of these recent developments, this essay presents a wider view of China’s long history of civic organisation, comparing the contemporary resurgence of NGOs to the historical development of private charities in the Qing and Republican periods. It finds similarities in the motivations of organisers and donors, as well as in the relationship between civic organisations and the state, but sees other developments, such as the capitalisation of the NGO sector and its ability to mobilise public opinion, as substantively new.     

The Influence of Elite Philanthropy on NGO Development in China

Scholars have explained the rise of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in China since the period of reform and opening in terms of a changing political and economic environment, NGO policy, international non-governmental organisations (INGOs), and the influence of communications media and the Internet. This article proposes a new explanatory factor: the philanthropy of China’s new wealthy. Four cases are used to analyse the influences of the philanthropy of the wealthy on NGO development. The article proposes not only that the philanthropy of the wealthy provides funding and intellectual support for NGOs but also that the wealthy use their influence and social networks to increase the autonomy, capacity, sustainability and impact of NGOs in China.     

从慈善事业看近代华侨精英与侨乡公共事务——以泉州花桥善举公所为例

结合近代百多年来沿海侨乡社会和慈善组织的历史变迁,以泉州花桥善举公所为例,分析阐述了华侨精英依托侨乡特殊社会文化网络,在地方公共事务发展中的主导作用。