The Role and Development of Grassroots NGOs in Eastern China Eastern in NGOs Grassroots of Development and Role The Li Yuejin NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology Faculty of Social Sciences Master’s thesis and Technology Management Department of Geography Trondheim, Spring2012 Trondheim, thesisinGlobalization Master’s China NGOsinEastern Grassroots of andDevelopment The Role Li Yuejin Yuejin Li The Role and Development of Grassroots NGOs in Eastern China MSc in Globalization: Global Politics and Culture Norwegian University of Science and Technology – NTNU Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology Management Department of Geography Trondheim, May 2012 DEDICATION This work is a special dedication to my dad and mum, Xuezi Li and Ye Huang. It is to show my profound appreciation for their love and care towards their three children, including me. I hope all the best in their lives. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT My most and profound appreciation goes to my supervisor, Ragnhild Lund. Secondly, I own immense debt of gratitude to grassroots non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou. I am grateful to these organizations for giving me this chance to interview and get data for my work and also grateful to the directors of these organizations: Yunlong Liu, Chunhua Li and Lei Li for their invaluable contribution to this report. Thirdly, I extend my sincere appreciation to Fusheng, Zheng, who granted me the opportunity of really knowing what grassroots non-governmental organization is all about and giving me Xinhuan as case for my work. And the interviews from Xinyuan, granted to me by Xuzhou city were very insightful. Again, my thanks to all staffs in Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS), especially Senior Researcher Cecilia Milwertz. My next appreciation goes to all my friends and classmates at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Finally, a warm hug goes to Liu Xinyuan, I have benefited greatly from her grammatical check in my thesis. I express my utmost gratitude to Lars Devold for language check and academic support throughout this process. The rapid development of the market economy has confronted China with a diversity of social changes in the public management and governance structure. NGOs make up for the lack of national capacity, providing a platform where citizens can participate in social development, in order to achieve harmonious coexistence between the state and civil society. Grassroots NGOs play an increasingly important role in the development of civil society. In this context, the development of grassroots public interest through NGOs targeting specific groups has caught the attention of the public. This study uses civil society as a framework and explores the development of grassroots NGOs. It examines key factors and breakthrough points in the development of grassroots NGOs now and in future points of time. The study concerns three classic representatives of this kind of organization: Loving Home, Green Stone and The Grassroots Home. The issues facing these individual organizations are in many ways representative of the larger issues facing grassroots NGOs in China. The study further examines the case of Xinyuan, a grassroots NGO in Eastern China. Based on observation and interviews, I find that its development is subject to the existing system similar to other NGOs. At the same time, its development has taken on a unique identity of its own. The Xinyuan’s way enables grassroots NGOs to build their own development track: I analyze how this NGO interacts with its surroundings – the Chinese system and society – from the perspective of an NGO worker and in the theoretical framework of civil society. In addition to sharing features with other NGOs, I find that this organization has a distinct personality and identity of its own. This study will serve as a reference platform for future researches into Chinese grassroots NGOs. CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................................ 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 The Chinese Context ................................................................................................................... 2 1.4 Research Problem ........................................................................................................................ 5 1.5 Reader’s Guide ............................................................................................................................ 5 CHARPTER TWO ............................................................................................................................ 7 THEORY AND LITERATURE ........................................................................................................ 7 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 7 2.2 Civil Society in China ................................................................................................................. 7 2.2.1 Background ............................................................................................................... 7 2.2.2 Civil Society ............................................................................................................. 9 2.2.3 The Situation of Chinese’s Society: Pre-civil Society in China ............................. 12 2.3 NGOs in China .......................................................................................................................... 15 2.4 Civil Society and Grassroots NGOs .......................................................................................... 17 2.4.1 NGO in Chinese’s Society ...................................................................................... 19 2.4.2 The Development of Grassroots NGOs in Pre-civil Society .................................. 22 CHAPTER THREE ......................................................................................................................... 29 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ........................................................................... 29 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 29 3.2 Qualitative Methodologies ........................................................................................................ 29 3.2.1 Case Study .............................................................................................................. 30 3.2.2 Why Xinyuan .......................................................................................................... 31 3.2.3 Interview ................................................................................................................. 32 3.2.4 Observation ............................................................................................................. 35 3.2.5 Ethical Considerations ............................................................................................ 36 3.2.6 Limitations .............................................................................................................. 36 3.2.7 Loving House, Green Store and Grassroots Home ................................................ 37 3.2.8 Summary ................................................................................................................. 39 CHAPTER FOUR ........................................................................................................................... 40 OBSTACLES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF GRASSROOTS NGOS IN CHINA .. 40 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 40 4.2 Five Common Challenges Facing Grassroots NGOs in China ................................................. 41 4.2.1 Legislative Environment ........................................................................................ 41 4.2.2 Human Resources ................................................................................................... 43 4.2.3 Funding ................................................................................................................... 43 4.2.4 Trust ........................................................................................................................ 45 4.2.5 Capability ............................................................................................................... 46 4.3 Summary .................................................................................................................... 46 CHAPTER FIVE ............................................................................................................................. 47 THE CASE OF XINYUAN ............................................................................................................ 47 5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 47 5.2 Xinyuan’s Way .........................................................................................................................