The power of co-optation: The party, political capital, and the development of grassroots non-governmental organizations

Abstract

In recent years, a growing number of publications has focused on the state–non-governmental organization relationship in China. However, most of these studies regard the state as “the government” and neglect the role of the Communist Party of China, a key player, in shaping the state–non-governmental organization relationship, as well as the difference between the government and the Communist Party of China. As the ruling party, the Communist Party of China exercises a tremendous influence over people's daily life. Current studies indicate that the government tends to use a strategy of categorization to control non-governmental organizations. What remains unclear, however, is whether the Party has a different impact on non-governmental organizations compared to the government and how it influences the relationship between the government and these organizations. This paper examines the emerging role of the Party since the policy implementation of “Strengthening the Party Organization in NGOs” in 2015, which requires all non-governmental organizations to establish Communist Party of China branch units. Two grassroots environmental non-governmental organizations were selected for the comparative case study of this paper, to examine the different mechanisms whereby the Party impacts such organizations. The findings indicate that only the Party is able to co-opt the leaders of non-governmental organizations and give them political credentials and capital that help to expand these organizations’ social networks and create a hospitable regulative environment for growth. The findings suggest that a close tie with the state does not necessarily mean a loss of autonomy. This study is by no means a comprehensive discussion of the impact of the Party on non-governmental organizations, and further research is needed to study the actual impact of this relationship on public governance.