The nonprofit sector in China (including nongovernmental organizations, foundations, and charities) is fairly new, especially to foreigners, since the rapid development of this "third sector" has not been widely studied in Western scholarship. The contributors to this volume have been engaged in research of China's nonprofit sector for many years, and are intimately familiar with the operation of Chinese nonprofit organizations. China's Nonprofit Sector describes the development of China's nonprofit sector since 1995, including discussions on the rise of corporate responsibility and charitable foundations, grassroots organizations, and the microphilanthropy that arose after the Sichuan earthquake in 2008. It enumerates the shifting legal framework, the complex relationship between government-affiliated and private sector organizations, the media's role, the emergence of microphilanthropy, and the lack of knowledge of the general public regarding philanthropic enterprises. This volume, in Transaction's Asian Studies series, directly addresses the topic of China's nonprofit sector and gives a coherent and comprehensive account of its development and challenges. This work will be of value for all policy specialists, Asian Studies scholars, and all individuals interested in China.

The nonprofit sector in China (including nongovernmental organizations, foundations, and charities) is fairly new, especially to foreigners, since the rapid development of this "third sector" has not been widely studied in Western scholarship. The contributors to this volume have been engaged in research of China's nonprofit sector for many years, and are intimately familiar with the operation of Chinese nonprofit organizations. China's Nonprofit Sector describes the development of China's nonprofit sector since 1995, including discussions on the rise of corporate responsibility and charitable foundations, grassroots organizations, and the microphilanthropy that arose after the Sichuan earthquake in 2008. It enumerates the shifting legal framework, the complex relationship between government-affiliated and private sector organizations, the media's role, the emergence of microphilanthropy, and the lack of knowledge of the general public regarding philanthropic enterprises. This volume, in Transaction's Asian Studies series, directly addresses the topic of China's nonprofit sector and gives a coherent and comprehensive account of its development and challenges. This work will be of value for all policy specialists, Asian Studies scholars, and all individuals interested in China.

Published research in English is reviewed on the Nonprofit Sector (NPS) in mainland China since Mao’s death in 1976. Redefining civil society for the country, this review article demonstrates that China has a weak but slowly emerging civil society with far more associational freedom than under Mao.

Independent organizations aided China's rise but face an uncertain future Before the Communist Party took power in China in 1949, businesspeople and missionaries were among the most important and numerous Westerners in China. Since China's reopening to the world in the late 1970s, thousands of non-profit organizations, schools, universities, foundations, and trade associations--many of them with overseas connections--have worked and played important roles in China. The government has sometimes welcomed these institutions as major contributors to China's economic and social development. But under the leadership of President Xi Jingping, the government now tends to view independent organizations, of all kinds, as potential threats to the country's stability and security. Mark Sidel's book charts the history of China's relationship with a wide array of independent organizations and analyzes the current trend toward government restrictions on their work. Sidel also addresses the future for these organizations in China, given the current government's largely negative attitude toward them. Despite the importance of independent institutions in China's recent development and its relations with the United States and other countries, very little has been written about their work in China. This book by a noted expert on the topic fills that void. It will be of interest to officials and supporters of China-based independent organizations, along with government officials, academics, and anyone concerned about the future of China.

This book is the first monograph to provide a multilevel analysis of power dynamics underlying the governance of philanthropic foundations in the authoritarian context of China. As a special kind of organization with a democratic culture, Chinese foundations’ governance is under more pressure than we realize. The government has been evolving its methods to impose stringent control over foundations (Chapter 3) and “purer” foundations highly dependent on individual donations are more likely to adopt authoritarian leadership styles rather than being mechanisms spreading democratic values in Chinese society (Chapter 4). However, this practice does not come without a price. Given power’s double-edge of both enabling and constraining effects, although strongman leaders may use their power to get things done, their power may also cause the problem of accountability (Chapter 5). Overall, Chinese society is a stable system with authoritarian power modes. This system is not static but in constant flux, homogenizing incompatible parts until all units of the system adopt the same power mode. This book establishes a comprehensive and bleak picture of the unfavorable conditions foundations in China face and provides valuable insights to understand the future of the nonprofit sector in China. This book will be of interest to students and researchers in the fields of sociology, political science, and nonprofit studies (NGO management). It will also be a valuable resource for NGP practitioners.