From Service Contracting to Collaborative Governance: Evolution of Government–Nonprofit Relations
| Published date | 01 August 2017 |
| Date | 01 August 2017 |
| Author | Yijia Jing,Yefei Hu |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.1797 |
FROM SERVICE CONTRACTING TO COLLABORATIVE GOVERNANCE:
EVOLUTION OF GOVERNMENT–NONPROFIT RELATIONS
YIJIA JING
1
*AND YEFEI HU
2
1
Fudan University, Shanghai, China
2
Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
SUMMARY
Social service contracting between governments and nonprofit organizations has received increasing popularity in China and has
aroused enthusiasm in engaging nonprofit organizations in governance issues. This study argues that service contracting, driven
by New Public Management tenets, may unexpectedly evolve toward collaborative governance (CG) by creating and
consolidating necessary conditions of CG. Practices in Shanghai present evidence that governments and contracting nonprofits
jointly make decisions, enforce regulatory functions, set rules, and improve community governance. The analysis shows that
over time contracting may lead to generation of mutual trust, acquisition of governing resources, and consolidation of
collaborative accountability. The evolutionary perspective provides not only a contingent way to develop CG in a context of
heavy social control but also a theoretical link between New Public Management and New Public Governance. Copyright ©
2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
key words—collaborative governance; service contracting; nonprofit; China
INTRODUCTION
Collaborative governance (CG) with nonprofits has caused worldwide enthusiasm from governments in need of
resources, capacities, and legitimacy to respond to increasingly complex public and social issues (Donahue and
Zeckhauser, 2011). Different to a market model of service contracting (SC), CG highlights a win–win process
for governments to engage nonprofit actors into the exercise of public power and discretion for public purposes
(Kettl, 1993; Ansell and Gash, 2008; Donahue and Zeckhauser, 2011).
Nonetheless, the willingness and capacities of both governments and nonprofits to engage each other are restricted
by multiple factors. Governments may be bound by public rules and norms that preclude meaningful sharing of
power. Their distrust over nonprofits and worry of loosing leadership may impede the building of innovative
partnerships. Meanwhile, nonprofits may focus on social goals and professional development and hence refrain from
undertaking tasks that are typically governmental. Their emphasis on autonomy may lead to an inclinatio n to avoid
dependence on governments (Brooks, 2000; O’Regan and Oster, 2002). Nonprofits may have limited knowledge
about public rules and may fear the accountabilities induced by their exercise of public discretion (Frumkin, 2001).
Government–nonprofit relation in China may be especially unfavorable to CG. China’s long administrative
history has entrenched a strong-government culture that is resistant to power sharing with external actors. Moreover,
the post-1949 socialist regime created systematic distrust and control over nonprofits. In 2015, there were only 4.5
registered nonprofits per 10 000 citizens in Chinese Mainland, with a total of 4313 foundations (Ministry of Civil
Affairs of China, 2014). Besides, these nonprofits are usually small, young, and less professional. The majority of
them were created by government agencies for administrative or other purposes. These conditions may predict a
barren field for CG to emerge.
Nonetheless, recent research shows that Chinese government has been enthusiastically embracing cross-sector
cooperation to enhance its service capacities. Service contracting has been a major instrument. In 2002, the
*Correspondence to: Y. Jing, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. E-mail: jingyj@fudan.edu.cn
public administration and development
Public Admin. Dev. 37, 191–202 (2017)
Published online in Wiley Online Library
(wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/pad.1797
Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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