The Role of Non-profit Organizations in Public Services Provision in Contemporary China: A Multi-case Study

摘要

The rise of non-profit organizations (NPOs) is a significant phenomenon in China since 1978. NPOs play important roles in Chinese public services provision today. In the historical perspective, the role of Chinese NPOs in the provision of public services has become from absent to active, from supplementary to complementary. Based on a multi-case study, we could distinguish Chinese government-NPO relations in the procurement of public services into three models, i.e., the competitive procurement, the noncompetitive one and the fake one. The latter two models are prevalent in practice. The problems of motivation, trust, regulation and registration, limit the role of NPOs in public services provision. It suggests that Chinese government should put forward administrative reform, encourage NPOs and make room for them to engage in the delivery of public services, and Chinese NPOs should struggle to improve their capacity and credibility as soon as possible.