Friday, February 5th, 2010 Layers of the State: Migrant NGOs and the Chinese State

Description

This paper explores the interactions between migrant non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the different layers of the Chinese state. The emergence of migrant NGOs suggests the state’s growing inability, and to an extent unwillingness, at the local level to address the numerous challenges migrant workers face. The paper analyzes migrant NGOs in Beijing and Shanghai and their relationship with the central, municipal, district, street neighborhood committee and the residents’ committee. Moreover, the notion of a corporatist Chinese state is reconceptualized. The paper shows that while the local state is indeed corporatist, the varying relationships with NGOs suggests that a) studying migrant NGOs vis-à-vis the central and local states unveils a picture of a diverse Chines, state, and b) the varying forms of relationship between NGOs and the different levels of the state can be beneficial for the development of NGOs. By examining the local levels of the state and their engagement with migrant NGOs, it becomes clear that the local state is a significant stakeholder in the future development of China’s NGOs.

Jennifer Hsu is a Visiting Scholar at the Asian Institute where she is researching on the role of the local corporatist Chinese state in the development of domestic NGOs. She is currently completing a co-authored book titled “HIV/AIDS in China” (Routledge, 2010). She is also the co-editor of “China in an Era of Transition: Understanding Contemporary State and Society Actors” (Palgrave, 2009).