Reciprocal Engagement and NGO Policy Influence on the Local State in China
- PDF / 559,883 Bytes
- 13 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 74 Downloads / 193 Views
RESEARCH PAPERS
Reciprocal Engagement and NGO Policy Influence on the Local State in China May Farid1
. Hui Li2
Accepted: 16 October 2020 © International Society for Third-Sector Research 2020
Abstract While existing literature has conceptualized the multiple, complex ways in which NGOs might relate to the state, it has paid limited attention to how NGO–government collaboration leads to NGO policy influence. This study examines small, indigenous grassroots NGOs and their interactions with the local state in China. Using a grounded theory approach, we find that the aspiration for both NGOs and the local state is to establish reciprocal engagement, which consists of three dimensions—proximity and communication, mutual support, and joint action. We explain how reciprocal engagement might lead to NGO policy influence: (a) shaping government departments’ internal work methods, (b) facilitating policy implementation, and (c) influencing policy revision. We further define the boundary conditions for the reciprocal engagement and policy influence framework by examining how regions, administrative agencies, and evolving political climate affect the engagement–influence relationship. Our study provides a more nuanced understanding of the dynamics of NGO–government relations in China and of non-contentious methods of policy influence from the grassroots.
& May Farid [email protected] Hui Li [email protected] 1
Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, RM534, The Jockey Club Tower, Centennial Campus, Pokfulam Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
2
Department of Politics and Public Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Room 963, The Jockey Club Tower, Centennial Campus, Pokfulam Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Keywords NGOs · Collaboration · Reciprocal engagement · Policy influence · China
Introduction Since the 1980s, governments across the globe have embraced collaborative and networked management of public services (Milward and Provan 2000; Salamon 2002). Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have entered the arena and become heavily involved in delivering services and in some instances, shaping public policies (Hwang and Sua´rez 2019; Mosley 2012). NGO–government relations have become increasingly complex, involving resource flows, interaction styles, and divergent goals and strategies. Existing studies have developed a bewildering array of typologies to capture the multiple, complex ways in which NGOs might relate to the state (Brinkerhoff and Brinkerhoff 2011). These studies, especially those focusing on the developing world, have primarily focused on NGOs’ interactions with central governments; local governments have been studied far less (AbouAssi and Bowman 2017). NGO–government interactions may vary considerably if we disaggregate the traditionally monolithic state into different government agencies and regions. As Hsu and Jiang (2015) note, in a context of fragmented state like China, it makes little sense to talk about the relationships of NGOs with the state, given the fissures
Data Loading...
