Abstract
As it is believed that volunteerism can help national development by promoting economic development and improving social integration, the state is likely to encourage the voluntary sector, even in countries where democracy is less established. As exploratory research, this chapter applies qualitative methods and combined sampling techniques of stratified purposive sampling, snowball sampling, and purposive sampling strategy to select 30 interviewees from six voluntary service agencies in a city between 2006 and 2014. The findings include: at the international level, the state promotes volunteerism to enhance cultural understanding and exchange. At the domestic level, the state mainly has the following three roles in promoting volunteerism: (1) establishing national monitoring system as a policy maker in volunteering; (2) legitimatizing the grassroots voluntary service organizations as a policy executor; and (3) creating volunteer schemes and organizing top-down movements as a service organizer. The implications of the relationship between volunteerism and the state are also discussed.
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Notes
- 1.
Formal volunteering should be an organized action (Brilliant, ed., 1995, pp. 2469–2470). However, an altruistic behavior (such as offering a bus seat to an elderly person) can sometimes be considered an act of informal volunteering, which does not necessarily require any organization. For example, according to the working definition for the State of the World’s Volunteerism Report, the term “volunteerism” refers to “social behaviour undertaken by people that is characterized by four main features. First, it is useful as ‘service’ or ‘productive work,’ not purely enjoyment for its own sake. Second, it is directed to other people outside the immediate family/household. If it takes place inside the family/household, the action is considered ‘informal care,’ ‘family care,’ or ‘household care,’ not volunteering. Third, volunteerism must be non-compulsory, thus not coerced or forced externally by law, contract, or other powerful social influences. Fourth, while the act of volunteering, the expression of volunteerism, may receive some expense-reimbursement or other financial payments, it is not done primarily for monetary gain, and the payments in monetary terms are usually less than the economic value of the volunteer work done.” Therefore, this chapter will take a much broader view of volunteerism to include not only formal service to others but also self-help, mutual aid, cooperation, social activism, political advocacy, civic engagement, political campaigning, religious and faith-based service, business or professional association activity, and other forms of activity that fall within the parameters outlined above.
- 2.
- 3.
According to organizational theory, an institutional system produces an organization. Serfs were dependent on the landlords, and the landlords were responsible for taking care of the serfs.
- 4.
The CYL was established in 1922 and is second only to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in terms of political power. According to its constitution, the CYL should absolutely support and unquestioningly obey the Party as “an assistant and reserve army of the CCP” (General Principles of Chinese Communist Youth League Constitution, 2008). As a youth organization under the auspices of the CCP, the CYL aims to train China’s youth to become faithful citizens who are willing to work toward the Party’s goals (Funnell, 1970).
- 5.
The Chinese voluntary soldiers (zhiyuanbing) in the Korean War (1950–1953) were excluded from our definition of both the volunteers and volunteerism since the soldiers were influenced by social or political power during the war.
- 6.
“Youth Work Events in China” (1994–1995), available at the CYL’s official website:http://www.ccyl.org.cn/history/events/200612/t20061207_4899.htm
- 7.
“Youth Work Events in China” (1998), available at the CYL’s official website: http://www.ccyl.org.cn/history/events/200612/t20061207_4901.htm
- 8.
Although it has not been approved, a proposal for developing the national “Youth Volunteer Services Regulation (draft)” was presented at the third session of the Tenth National People’s Congress in March 2005. See http://www.people.com.cn/GB/14576/28320/44535/44553/3233885.html
- 9.
Related documents are available at the MCA’s official website: http://www.mca.gov.cn/article/shfw/wmfw_mjzz.shtml
- 10.
State Council of the People’s Republic of China, Shehui tuanti dengji guanli tiaoli (Regulations on the Registration and Administration of Social Organizations, 1998), see http://www.jxepb.gov.cn/zcfg/fgtl/shtt.htm
- 11.
People’s Daily, Zhongguo qingnian zhiyuanzhe xingdong dashiji (Events of Youth Volunteers Action in China, December 6, 2001), accessed on July 27, 2009, http://www1.peopledaily.com.cn/GB/40531/40557/41317/41323/3025698.html
- 12.
Their first service traced back to April of 1997. Catalyzed by three fatal railway-crossing accidents, several journalists wanted to help people more directly rather than just report the news. Those journalists volunteered to guard the crossing until the government closed the railway crossing. Other voluntary services, such as “help the poor” and “care parents,” have been provided by this group since then.
- 13.
The Spiritual Civilization Office is a governmental institution that aims to improve the socialist spirit of civilization and beliefs of socialism and Marxism.
- 14.
CCTV, “Quanchengyigong zai xingdong” (“Quanchengyigong in Action,” 2007), accessed on November 2, 2007, http://www.cctv.com/video/jiaodianfangtan/2007/09/jiaodianfangtan_300_20070921_1.shtml
- 15.
In 2007, the city’s population was 6,048,500 (City J’s Government Information Catalogue, 2008).
- 16.
“Quancheng yigong”(Quancheng Volunteers), available at: http://www.ccgov.net.cn/cityforum/html01/gljbj/gljbj90.htm
- 17.
Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King, is the main character in the Chinese classical novel Journey to the West (Wu, 2003), written by Wu Cheng’en (c. 1500–c. 1582). “Bimawen” was one of the lowest titles in Heaven, and his duty was to care for the Heavenly Horses. Sun Wukong was given this position by the Jade Emperor after his first intrusion into Heaven (Wu, 2003).
- 18.
This study uses code numbers rather than names of sampling organizations and informants to guarantee anonymity. In this chapter, in addition to Officer-2, the secretary of the Department of Volunteers of the Committee of CYL of Province S is coded as “Official-0,” and the secretary of the Department of Volunteers of the Committee of CYL of City J is coded as “Official-1.” The staff member at the Committee of CYL of Province S that is responsible for the graduate volunteers’ record is coded as “Official-3.” The government officials are coded by chronological order, starting with the first interview date.
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Xu, Y. (2017). Volunteerism and the State: Understanding the Development of Volunteering in China. In: Butcher, J., Einolf, C. (eds) Perspectives on Volunteering. Nonprofit and Civil Society Studies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39899-0_11
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