The Participation of npos in the Economic Development of Rural Communities in China: A Review of the Existing Literature

Abstract

This article reviews literature of the last ten years on the participation of nonprofit organizations (npos) in the economic development of Chinese rural communities. The article starts by illustrating the significant role of npos in the economic development of Chinese rural communities, and summarizing three ways of npos’ participation: mobilizing farmers to establish and join mutual aid organizations; providing farmers with market information services; providing farmers with technological services. The existing literature investigates the positive role of npos in the economic development of Chinese rural communities from three theoretical perspectives: “social capital,” “collective action,” and “community-driven development.” However, in reality, unlike in theory, npos do not always play a positive role. They are faced with challenges in such areas as sound internal governance, professional external services, institutional environment, social cognition and financing environment. These issues are mentioned in some literature, but have not attracted enough theoretical attention. The existing literature is mainly based on theorization, and empirical studies are relatively insufficient.