Social organizations in rural China : from autonomy to governance

Abstract

This article examines the government purchase of social services in China as a window by which to investigate the evolving relations between the party-state and social organizations. Going beyond the conventional focus on state–non-governmental organization (NGO) dynamics in urban areas, we explore the expanded role of social organizations in rural service provision under state-led campaigns of rural modernization. Engaging with institutional theory and the consultative authoritarianism thesis, we argue that NGOs initially operated in an emerging organizational field where they exercised considerable autonomy in setting agendas and designing services. As the party-state's incentives to utilize and co-opt the social work profession grow, however, we observe a trend towards incorporation, wherein social workers now play a bigger role alongside the strengthening of state control over the sector. Through tracing the inception and eventual termination of a decade-long social service project in Guangdong, this article shows how state incorporation might undermine the future role of NGOs in rural development. 本文以政府购买社会服务作为视角，研究政府与社会服务组织之间不断演变的关系。在乡村振兴的政策背景下，社会组织在农村地区的福利提供和基层治理中扮演着越来越重要的角色。结合制度理论和协商威权主义理论，我们的研究探索社会服务组织的功能和定位如何发生变化。在农村社会工作发展的初期，社会组织在一个新兴的组织领域中运作，在决策、议程设定、服务设计等方面都行使了相当大的自主权。然而，随着政府利用社工行业的动力不断增强，我们观察到社会工作者在发挥更大作用的同时，政府对该行业的管制亦有强化的趋势。通过研究广东省内一个长达十年的社会工作项目的起始及终结，本文将分析社会组织在农村发展中可能被弱化的角色。