Earthquakes and civil society: A comparative study of the response of China’s nongovernment organizations to the Wenchuan earthquake

Abstract

The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake presents an opportunity to study certain aspects of civil society in China. Using the 1999 “921” earthquake in Taiwan as a point of comparison, the respective responses of nongovernment organizations (NGOs) to earthquakes in China and Taiwan can be used to elucidate the state of civil society in both countries. The surprisingly robust response to the Wenchuan earthquake by China’s NGOs demonstrates the development of an increasingly sophisticated and professional NGO sector in China as well as a growing willingness on the part of the Chinese government to accept a limited role for NGOs in disaster relief, charity work, and the provision of social services. Comparison between the earthquake responses of NGOs in mainland China and Taiwan draws attention to the continued limitations of Chinese NGOs but also allows prediction of key trends in the future development of civil society in China. While Taiwan’s highly autonomous and effective NGOs contrast with mainland China’s semiautonomous NGOs, the similarities shared by organizations on both sides of the Taiwan Strait suggests that the development of China’s civil society may in some ways parallel that of Taiwan.