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The Chinese New Middle Class and Green NGOs in South China: Vanguards of Guanxi (Connections)-Seeking, Laggards in Promoting Social Causes?

Tsang, Eileen Y H, Lee, Pak K. (2013) The Chinese New Middle Class and Green NGOs in South China: Vanguards of Guanxi (Connections)-Seeking, Laggards in Promoting Social Causes? China: An International Journal, 11 (2). pp. 155-169. ISSN 0219-7472. (KAR id:35422)

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Abstract

By examining the emerging Chinese new middle class as well as green non-governmental organisations, this study finds that while the emergence of the Chinese new middle class facilitates the growth of green NGOs, the Chinese new class is not activists or agitators working against the government. Based on in-depth interviews with leaders of green NGOs founded by the Chinese new middle class in Guangdong province, this research examines why green NGOs do not call for or advocate environmental protection It concludes that contrary to conventional wisdom, the Chinese new middle class is a vanguard of guanxi (connections)-seeking, but a laggard in promoting environmental protection and civil-society activism. Green NGOs are principally used as a tool to cultivate social capital in the form of guanxi in order to promote personal material interests.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled keywords: Chinese new middle class, environmental non-governmental organizations, social capital, civil-society activism
Subjects: D History General and Old World
D History General and Old World > DS Asia
H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
J Political Science
J Political Science > JQ Political institutions and public administrations (Asia, Africa, Australia, Pacific Area, etc.)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Politics and International Relations
Depositing User: Pak K Lee
Date Deposited: 11 Oct 2013 14:02 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:12 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/35422 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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