CDB Reports

Analysis

In-depth analyses on the issues facing Chinese civil society. Most of these articles have been written by CDB’s staff or translated from Chinese sources, while others are guest contributions from academics and NGO practitioners inside and outside of China.

The Year of Scandal: Whose Carnival?

CDB’s editor, Liu Haiying, examines in depth the various scandals in the charitable, public interest sector in 2011, how the sector has responded to improve its credibility, and the implications for the sector’s future development.

Rhizome Forum: Culture and Arts NGOs Exchange Ideas

CDB Contributing Writer, Li Simin, provides a glimpse into an underdeveloped field in China’s NGO sector: expressive activity through culture and arts.  The term “rhizome” here is used to describe creative activity that is unconstrained by accepted patterns and disciplinary boundaries

International Positions Draw Local Talent

As part of their analysis of staff recruitment in the NGO sector in China, Zhang Gengrui and Fu Tao examine another interesting trend taking place as part of China’s global expansion: the growing number of jobs in the international development sector that are targeting mainland Chinese talent.

Learning Social Innovation from the West

This article is less about what China can learn about social innovation from the West, and more about how Chinese academic, media and NGO leaders interpret these terms in the current political climate.

POLICY BRIEF NO. 6: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back?

This month saw more policy changes emanating from the provincial governments in Beijing and Guangdong as the central and local governments adopt various partial measures in the absence of more up-to-date, comprehensive, national laws and regulations.

NGOs Joining Forces in Response to Disasters

This is one of several articles on NGO responses to disasters that we are making available in commemoration of the May 12, 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan which measured 7.9 on the Richter scale and killed an estimated 70,000 people.

The Guo Meimei Incident and Grassroots NGOs

This essay by Yu Fangqiang recounts the various scandals that hit China’s philanthropy sector in 2011, and takes grassroots NGOs to task for remaining on the sidelines during this period and not taking a more public stance in promoting transparency and accountability in the sector

POLICY BRIEF NO. 4: Coopting Chinese NGOs?

Several news articles during this period offer a more sobering assessment of developments in the nonprofit sector, or the “charitable” or “public welfare” sector as it is commonly referred to in the Chinese press and official documents. These articles highlight an effort by the Chinese government to maintain close ties to, and control over, social organizations