Week 11: NGOs

Week 11: NGOs

Our final week of formal class addressed the topic of civil society and NGOs and how these might play into potential solutions. We frequently broached the topic for this week throughout the semester when we had discussed some of the current quandaries and were casting about for hope in the future. Viewed through Western eyes, NGOs and civil society organizations often appear to offer a solution to government and corporate tyranny, destruction of common goods, and oppression of human rights. However, despite the many systems that China (and other developing countries) have imported from the West, functions delegated to civil society remain unique in modern China. China is, after all, still tied to historic roots of authoritarian rule through just a few short decades.

In class, we highlighted the growth and development of social organizations in China, the regulations imposed on them and how these regulations are enforced and the functions that common social organizations can fulfill. International NGOs have a slightly different relationship with the Chinese government that is in some ways similar, yet also separate from the domestic NGOs. Taken together, however, both domestic and international NGOs have risen in popularity dramatically in the last few decades. Common ways to quantify NGO growth have been somewhat frustrated by the quasi-legality of many organizations. Although it is possible to register with the state (under the regulation of a body call MoCA, Ministry of Civil Affairs), many organizations choose not to for various reasons. Additionally, membership with NGOs is rarely recorded – given the tumultuous history between NGOs and the Chinese government, many Chinese citizens shy away from official membership (and NGOs may not seek it).

Specifically related to our class, we found that environmentally-focused NGOs are prominent and so are actions from civil society relating to environmental issues. Many long-standing and “famous” NGOs in China focus directly on environmental conservation, education and activism. Other social movements related to specific environmental issues are common. Overall, it is a sector of large overlap.

Unfortunately, the most difficult and uncertain questions relate to the effectiveness of environmentally oriented NGOs. Are they actually improving the situation? Kayla and I went on to address this question further for our final poster presentation and were frustrated by our inability to come up with a concrete answer. At the present moment, we believe that NGOs are starting to be acknowledged and have tangible impacts on the environmental issues that they lobby for, however, it is still too early to declare these positive changes. Yet there is no doubt in my mind that this will definitely be one of the areas of China’s future development to keep an eye on and to better understand.