Autonomy and Coordinating Mechanisms of State-Society Boundary Organizations in Mainland China

Abstract

State-society boundary organizations face the challenge to maintain autonomy as well as flexibilities to respond to various goals and needs of state and non-state actors. Chinese state used to exert much control over intermediary NGOs (boundary organizations) and some have become bureaucratized. Recent reforms have sought to transform them to be more autonomous from the government and more responsive to NGOs. This paper investigates the managerial autonomy and coordinating mechanisms of 29 intermediary NGOs in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangdong. Regardless whether they are initiated by the state or non-state actors, as boundary organizations, they can effectively play a bridging role when they simultaneously deploy multiple mechanisms to sustain autonomy and at the same time integrate differences of interests between state and non-state actors.