Legal and Political Barriers to the Development of Nongovernmental Organization in China

Abstract

Nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) serve as an important force to monitor government behavior and to lobby on behalf of the interests of certain socially disadvantaged people. Independent nongovernmental organisations re-emerged in China in the late 1970s after they were submerged in the 1950s and 1960s, and the number and diversity of these organisations have grown rapidly since the 1990s. The re-emergence of NGOs raises the questions whether, and to what extent, NGOs can contribute to the building of democracy, improvement of human rights, rule of law and facilitation of political and social change in China. This thesis approached these questions from the perspective of the legal and political barriers NGOs are facing in promoting democracy, human rights and the rule of law in China, as well as the channels available to them to reach their aims.