Social status and governmental trust : a study of civil society organizations in Guangzhou, China

Abstract

Previously, two extreme points describe civil society organizers' intention to engage with the government. Western modernization theories suggest that all civil society organizations oppose the state; and State-dominant theories claim that all the civil society groups depend on the state and support the state. Based on my two months' fieldwork in Guangzhou City between May and July 2010, however, I find that some civil society organizations support the state while other groups oppose the state. Specifically, elite civil society organizations, which are established by people with mid or high social status, have more contacts with the government and show low trust in the government. On the other hand, non-elite civil society organizations, which are established by people with low social status, have fewer contacts with the government and show their willingness to engage with the government. This conclusion is valid in both the public good provision organizations and the advocacy groups. Four case studies of civil society groups in Guangzhou are used to illustrate the points above.