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A Typological Study of the Recent Development and Landscape of Foundations in China

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Abstract

Foundations in China’s nonprofit sector have been increasing in both number and importance. However, scholarly research and nonacademic reports have left a question in the literature waiting to be answered: What led to the recent development and landscape of foundations in China? To answer this question within the framework of “manufactured civil society,” the typological method was used, in which 3342 foundations founded before 2014 were divided into seven types with regard to their founders and policy-related issues, namely government-created, corporate, school, family, religious, community, and independent. The results show that, to a large degree, (1) the government has been one of the major drivers behind the foundations’ development and (2) the government’s attitude and policy toward foundations have shaped and will continue to shape the foundation landscape in China.

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Notes

  1. See Wang and He (2018) for an introduction to the Regulations and the operational characteristics of the foundations. For Chinese and English versions of this legislation, go to https://www.cecc.gov/resources/legal-provisions/regulations-on-the-management-of-foundations-chinese-text.

  2. Self-understanding means foundations should have an organizational identity or self-understand themselves as a “foundation.” This is probably because a foundation is not a legal entity in all countries.

  3. Kang (2018) notes that “society” refers to civil society in AAS.

  4. Substantial differences also exist. See Johnson and Ni (2015) and Nie et al. (2016).

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Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank the volunteers at the Research Infrastructure of Chinese Foundations (RICF) for their continuous data support; Zhejiang Dunhe Foundation for its financial support; and Beijing Yifang Charitable Foundation for its Jinge Fellowship.

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  1. Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs, 1315 E Tenth Street Room 412, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Qun Wang

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Wang, Q. A Typological Study of the Recent Development and Landscape of Foundations in China. Chin. Polit. Sci. Rev. 3, 297–321 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41111-018-0094-2

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