The role of private nonprofit organizations in promoting compulsory education in rural China: Applying the public-private mix model

Often referred to as the “public-private mix” in social policy, the social structure of all societies is characterized by a mix of the government, market, household, and nongovernmental actors. This dissertation examines the nature of the public-private mix in China, one of the world’s most rapidly developing countries. Particular attention is given to the changing responsibilities of the state, the market, households, and the nonprofit sector with respect to the provision of compulsory education in rural China. Government documents, media contents, and scholarly literature are used to map the changing roles of the state, market and households in contemporary China. A snowball sample of 464 private nonprofit organizations (NPOs) is studied to examine the role of the emerging nonprofit sector. Government officials and nonprofit leaders are interviewed in an effort to better understand the unique challenges and opportunities that confront each partner in the public-private mix. The results suggest that, currently, the state remains the dominant provider, although the market, households and the nonprofit sector are taking on more responsibilities. The study demonstrates that there is a lack of a clear division of labor among the sectors, in that all four sectors are providing similar programs. The study argues that such a phenomenon is caused by China mobilizing the state, market and households to create the nonprofit sector. The state, market and households are each contributing to the development of NPOs and, in turn, are providing support for the organizations they created. China’s efforts at establishing a viable nonprofit sector face challenges of various types and intensity. Findings of this study suggest that the process of NPO formation in China is similar to that experienced by the country in implementing market reforms, which resulted in the establishment of a vibrant market sector. Based on these observations and analysis, the study proposes strategies to facilitate collaboration among different sectors aimed at improving social welfare provision in China. Finally, the study extends and refines the public-private mix model and offers a methodological approach to the study of welfare provision in other countries going through structural social and economic changes