Chinese Journal of Sociology ›› 2018, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (1): 160-185.

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The Power of Co-optation: Party, Political Capital and the Development of NGOs: A Comparative Case Study in H city, Z Province

LI Shuoyan   

  1. the School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University
  • Online:2018-01-20 Published:2018-01-20

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Abstract:

In recent years, there has been a growing number of publications focusing on the state-NGOs relationship in China. However, most of the studies regard the state as "the government" and neglect the role of the Party, a key player, in shaping the state-NGOs relationship, as well as the difference between the government and the Party. As a ruling party, the CCP exercises tremendous influence on people's daily life.Current studies indicate that the government tend to use a strategy of categorization to control NGOs. What remains unclear, however, is whether the Party has a different impact on NGOs than the government and how it influences the relationship between the government and NGOs. 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 NGOs to establish CCP branch units. Two environmental grassroots NGOs are selected for the comparative case study in this paper to examine the different mechanism through which the Party makes its impact on NGOs. The finding indicates that only the Party is able to co-opt the leaders of NGOs and give them political credentials and capitals that help expanding NGOs'social networks and creating a hospitable regulative environment for growth. The finding suggests that a close tie with the state does not necessarily mean a loss of autonomy. This study is by no mean a comprehensive discussion of the impact of the Party on NGOs. Further research is needed to study the actual impact of this relationship on public governance.

Key words: co-optation, state-NGOs relationship, political capital, Party, grassroots NGOs