The Forum on NGO Governance and Management in China will be held on Friday August 16, 2013 at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Canada).
Rationale
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in China have increased ostensibly since the 1978 market reforms. NGOs now operate in a diverse spectrum of activities ranging from education, poverty alleviation, community development, the environment, health to legal advocacy, and have come to offer a variety of services and support for often marginalized groups in Chinese society.
Coiled within the growth and diversification of the NGO sector is the restructuring of state-owned enterprises and subsequently, a shedding of social welfare responsibilities. Moreover, fiscal decentralization has increased the financial burden on cash-strapped local authorities in terms of social and welfare provisions.
Framed within this context, the Forum will address three main areas relating to Chinese NGOs' development and future:
(1) State-NGO Relations Theory and Practice
e.g. Tracking the emergence of NGOs in contemporary China; examining regulatory changes in governing NGOs; and, exploring the nature and type of interactions between the central/local state and NGOs.
(2) Defining the Role of the Modern NGO
e.g. Are certain types of NGOs more successful in weathering the institutional environment? Have certain NGOs forged national (and international) status, and how have they achieved this status? Does geography matter to the survival and success of issue-based NGOs?
(3) Future Directions in State-NGO Interactions
Rationale
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in China have increased ostensibly since the 1978 market reforms. NGOs now operate in a diverse spectrum of activities ranging from education, poverty alleviation, community development, the environment, health to legal advocacy, and have come to offer a variety of services and support for often marginalized groups in Chinese society.
Coiled within the growth and diversification of the NGO sector is the restructuring of state-owned enterprises and subsequently, a shedding of social welfare responsibilities. Moreover, fiscal decentralization has increased the financial burden on cash-strapped local authorities in terms of social and welfare provisions.
Framed within this context, the Forum will address three main areas relating to Chinese NGOs' development and future:
(1) State-NGO Relations Theory and Practice
e.g. Tracking the emergence of NGOs in contemporary China; examining regulatory changes in governing NGOs; and, exploring the nature and type of interactions between the central/local state and NGOs.
(2) Defining the Role of the Modern NGO
e.g. Are certain types of NGOs more successful in weathering the institutional environment? Have certain NGOs forged national (and international) status, and how have they achieved this status? Does geography matter to the survival and success of issue-based NGOs?
(3) Future Directions in State-NGO Interactions
e.g. What are the new adaptive strategies for Chinese NGOs? What conceptual frameworks can we develop from current research to inform not just future NGO studies in China, but beyond China?
Please take a moment to browse the content on the Forum website, and register for the Forum here.