Advocacy by Chinese Nonprofit Organisations: Towards a Responsive Government? (中国非营利组织的倡导性活动：趋向于促成反应式政府？)

Abstract

To what extent do Chinese nonprofit organisations, through advocacy activities, engage citizens in influencing public policies and contribute to the development of a participatory policy process in China? Based on data collected through a mail survey of 203 registered nonprofit organisations, this study examines the advocacy activities of Chinese nonprofits and their contributions to a responsive government. We find that the intensity of advocacy activities by Chinese nonprofits is relatively low and varies by organizational type, by degree of professionalisation, and by dependence on government funding. We find no association between advocacy intensity and the extent to which Chinese nonprofits engage citizens at the organisational level prior to their advocacy efforts. The ineffective marshalling and integration of citizens’ interests within Chinese nonprofit organisations might be attributable to the corporatist structure of the institutional and resource environments in which Chinese nonprofit organisations operate.中国的非营利组织通过其倡导性活动，究竟在多大的程度上能发动引导公民参与和影响公共政策，进而又能在多大程度上推动中国参与式政策过程或反应式政府的发展？基于对203个注册了的非营利组织邮寄调查所获得的数据，本研究考察了中国非营利组织的倡导性活动及其对中国反应式政府的影响。研究发现表明，中国非营利组织倡导性活动的强度相对来说较弱，而其对反应式政府的影响也相当有限。这一有限性与中国非营利组织在从事倡导性活动之前，难以有效地引导公民参与组织内部的治理与运作有关。换句话说，中国的非营利组织在政治与社会体系中倡导公民的权益之前，未能有效地在组织内部先行整合与回应公民的权益和诉求。这种组织内部对公民权益与诉求整合和回应的低效可以进一步归结于中国非营利组织所处的法团主义结构的制度与资源宏观外部环境。