Social Organizations and the Authoritarian State in China [Hardcover]

An analysis of the emergence of NGOs across China in three different issue areas: environmental protection, HIV/AIDS prevention, and gay and lesbian rights.How have non-governmental organizations (NGOs) emerged in China's closed political system and what is their effect on the authoritarian regime? This book offers a groundbreaking comparative analysis of the emergence of NGOs across China in three different issue areas: environmental protection, HIV/AIDS prevention, and gay and lesbian rights. It demonstrates how organizations in different regions and issue areas must constantly adapt activities to match the changing interests of local governments and shows how, in doing so, these organizations can paradoxically strengthen, rather than weaken, the authoritarian regime.How have non-governmental organizations (NGOs) emerged in China's closed political system and what is their effect on the authoritarian regime? This book offers a groundbreaking comparative analysis of the emergence of NGOs across China in three different issue areas: environmental protection, HIV/AIDS prevention, and gay and lesbian rights. It demonstrates how organizations in different regions and issue areas must constantly adapt activities to match the changing interests of local governments and shows how, in doing so, these organizations can paradoxically strengthen, rather than weaken, the authoritarian regime.Received wisdom suggests that social organizations (such as non-government organizations, NGOs) have the power to upend the political status quo. However, in many authoritarian contexts, such as China, NGO emergence has not resulted in this expected regime change. In this book, Timothy Hildebrandt shows how NGOs adapt to the changing interests of central and local governments, working in service of the state to address social problems. In doing so, the nature of NGO emergence in China effectively strengthens the state, rather than weakens it. This book offers a groundbreaking comparativl.