Bounded by the State: Government Priorities and the Development of Private Philanthropic Foundations in China

Abstract

From a regulatory perspective, philanthropy in China has been officially modernized. Since the government established a legal framework in 2004 based on models from overseas, the number of private foundations in China has grown more than six-fold. Drawing on a nationally representative survey of 214 private foundations conducted in 2012, we present a landscape view of these new philanthropic institutions, discussing both who begins foundations and how their monies are used. We find that despite the rise of new private wealth in China and the adoption of the private foundation form, government priorities are structuring the field of Chinese philanthropy in key and consequential ways. We conclude with some considerations of the implications of these findings for the development of broader civil society.

摘要

从管理制度上看, 中国的公益慈善领域已经实现现代化。自中央政府在 2004 年通过借鉴海外管理模式正式出台《基金会管理条例》以来, 中国非公募基金会数量迅速增长了六倍多。基于 2012 年对于非公募基金会的一个全国性样本 (包含 214 个基金会) 的问卷调查, 本文呈现了该类新兴公益慈善机构的发展概貌, 其中着重讨论了非公募基金会的创办者情况及其资金使用状况。研究发现, 尽管中国的私人财富迅速增长、并且上述基金会采取私募基金会的运作形式, 但政府部门仍然在一些重要和关键方面型塑着中国公益慈善行业的发展。在结论部分, 我们进一步讨论以上研究发现对于中国更广泛公民社会发展的意义和影响。