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Introduction: The Relationship between Civil Society and Governance in China

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Civil Society and Governance in China

Abstract

Civil-society studies began in China in the early 1990s, though the roots can be traced back to China’s reform and opening that began in 1978. At the time, analysts started stressing the importance of the social sphere outside the state, signifying the decline of the monopoly of statist-oriented approaches to the study of China’s political and social development. Although there has been no consensus among Chinese scholars on the concept of civil society and its applicability in China, despite the fact that the state still controls and dominates major social resources, the notion of “state and society relations” continues to provide a helpful approach to the study of social changes in China since 1978.

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Authors
  1. Jianxing Yu
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  2. Sujian Guo
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Political Science and Public Administration, China

    Jianxing Yu (professor, associate dean, director, executive director) (professor, associate dean, director, executive director)

  2. College of Public Administration, China

    Jianxing Yu (professor, associate dean, director, executive director) (professor, associate dean, director, executive director)

  3. Institute for Civil Society Development (ICSD), China

    Jianxing Yu (professor, associate dean, director, executive director) (professor, associate dean, director, executive director)

  4. Center for Public Policy Studies, Zhejiang University, China

    Jianxing Yu (professor, associate dean, director, executive director) (professor, associate dean, director, executive director)

  5. Fudan University, China

    Sujian Guo (distinguished professor, associate dean) (distinguished professor, associate dean)

  6. Fudan Institute for Advanced Study in Social Sciences, Fudan University, China

    Sujian Guo (distinguished professor, associate dean) (distinguished professor, associate dean)

Copyright information

© 2012 Jianxing Yu and Sujian Guo

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Cite this chapter

Yu, J., Guo, S. (2012). Introduction: The Relationship between Civil Society and Governance in China. In: Yu, J., Guo, S. (eds) Civil Society and Governance in China. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137092496_1

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