China's Political Development: Chinese and American Perspectives by Kenneth G. Lieberthal & Cheng Li & Yu Keping

Author:Kenneth G. Lieberthal & Cheng Li & Yu Keping [Lieberthal, Kenneth G. & Li, Cheng & Keping, Yu]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Political Science, World, Asian, Comparative Politics, Political Ideologies, Communism; Post-Communism & Socialism, General, History, Asia
ISBN: 9780815725350
Google: EKKgAwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 18096455
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
Published: 2013-10-31T00:00:00+00:00

Figure 6-1. Growth of NGOs in China

Source: “Minzheng shiye fazhan baogao” [Report on the Development of Chinese Civil Administration] (Beijing: Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China, 2009).

However, it is certain that the number of social organizations has been expanding rapidly. Since 2000, social organizations have not only seen a rapid growth in number (as shown in figure 6-1), but have also become increasingly diversified, including a wide variety of social organizations such as grassroots organizations and foundations.

Much research has shown that social organizations have become an important social force, method of social organization and mobilization, channel for expression of interests of different social groups, and path of resource concentration in China. Active in various social fields, these nongovernmental organizations have played a major and positive role in helping address social problems in environmental protection, poverty relief, improving the lives of women, social welfare and assistance, civil education, agricultural and business development, social development intelligence support, and so on.

Among the various social organizations, industry associations are arguably those that are most supported by the government because they are thought to make up for the shortcomings of the government and play a more effective role than the government in regulating market competition, maintaining industry order, and improving industry service capacity, all of which are major tasks of industry development and administration. The government's basic policies on industry autonomy are as follows: The government takes the lead in giving financial support to establish industry associations. The government formulates and promulgates industry regulations to guide industry self-discipline. Civil affairs departments and industry regulatory authorities conduct administration and supervision of industry associations in accordance with relevant laws.

At present, almost all major industries in China have established industry associations. These include certified public accountant associations, bar associations, and associations of the tourism, real estate, chemical, financial, insurance, telecommunication, software, home appliance, printing and packaging, and property management industries. In addition there are many local industry associations, such as the Wenzhou Lighter Association. These industry associations have shared regulatory responsibility with the government and promoted industry self-discipline, while also facilitating interest concentration, interest expression, and interest coordination and organizing collective action.37

Concluding Thoughts

When it comes to issues in China, the same facts often lead people to different interpretations. This is particularly true of assessments of China's social autonomy development. Starkly different opinions exist on whether China has made real progress in this regard.

Chinese scholars have always focused on social autonomy in the context of China's political democratization based on the firm belief that independent social organizations are an important force in “minimizing government control of social life, ensuring political freedom, and improving people's lives” and that social autonomy is not only the direct outcome of democratization but also the precondition for the successful implementation of democracy.38 However, the failures of some countries and regions in their democratization process and China's own grassroots democracy exploration since the 1990s have puzzled some people as to whether democratic autonomy can remedy administrative defects or is actually itself a disaster in disguise.

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