MODES OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE STATE AND SOCIAL ENTERPRISES IN CHINA: IMPLICATIONS FOR THEIR INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

Abstract

This dissertation explores the nature of the relationship between the government and the newly emerging social enterprises and the implications for their performance in China. It explains how the delivery of social welfare services, particularly those that serve to socially integrate minority communities through job training and employment, are being shaped and delivered in China through Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs), and how their modes of interaction with the state ultimately influence their effectiveness and social roles. The study argues that the four modes of relationship, identified in this dissertation by the engagements between the WISEs and the state, reflect the strategic preference of the state in recruiting and incorporating private partners into its social service delivery network. The dynamic interactions between the state and the WISEs and the resulting resource transfers and institutional features eventually lead to variations in their organisational effectiveness.