Capable supervision, pragmatic engagement, and hands-off steering: Three preferences of Chinese government officials for governing non-profit organizations in public service delivery

Abstract

Governments’ preferences for governing non-profit organizations (NPOs) are a relevant but understudied issue for governance scholars. Using Q methodology, this study investigates Chinese government officials’ preferences for governing NPOs that deliver public services. We identified three government preferences: capable supervision, pragmatic engagement, and hands-off steering. We found different theoretical perspectives identified in the literature combine with one another to formulate these government preferences for governing NPOs. A key implication is that the Chinese state predominantly prefers the traditional public administration perspective, although it pragmatically borrows useful ingredients from other steering perspectives simultaneously. We recommend that governments, when governing NPOs, seriously address the configurations of governance strategies.