Lang, Be am
Book Re iew — Published Ve sion
[Rezension] Spi es, A. J., Global Ci il Socie y and China,
Camb idge: Camb idge Uni e si y P ess, 2024, pp. 86
VOLUNTAS: In e na ional Jou nal o Volun a y and Nonp o i O ganiza ions
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Sp inge Na u e
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Lang, Be am (2025) : [Rezension] Spi es, A. J., Global Ci il Socie y and China,
Camb idge: Camb idge Uni e si y P ess, 2024, pp. 86, VOLUNTAS: In e na ional Jou nal o Volun a y
and Nonp o i O ganiza ions, ISSN 1573-7888, Sp inge US, New Yo k, NY, Vol. 36, Iss. 2, pp.
287-288,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s11266-025-00720-8
This Ve sion is a ailable a :
h ps://hdl.handle.ne /10419/323474
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BOOK REVIEW
Spi es, A. J., Global Ci il Socie y and China, Camb idge:
Camb idge Uni e si y P ess, 2024, pp. 86
Be am Lang
1
Accep ed: 12 Janua y 2025 / Published online: 5 Feb ua y 2025
ÓThe Au ho (s) 2025
How has Global Ci il Socie y (GCS) in luenced China, and
ice e sa? Poli ical sociologis An hony Spi es, Associa e
P o esso a he Uni e si y o Melbou ne, combines an
o e iew o cu en academic deba es on hese ques ions
wi h o iginal analysis in an accessible sho book o ma
emblema ic o he Camb idge Elemen s se ies. On me ely
67 pages o ex , Spi es explo es he ine i able ensions
be ween in e na ional NGOs p omo ing uni e sal alues
and human igh s no ms and an au oc a ic pa y-s a e bal-
ancing egime secu i y wi h socio-economic de elopmen
and in e na ional legi imacy objec i es. Spi es d aws on his
ema kable eco d o publica ions examining he in luence
o o eign unde s on Chinese NGO de elopmen du ing
he 2000s and 2010s, as well as long-s anding ela ionships
wi h in e na ional and local NGOs. The empi ical ma e ial
p esen ed he e p ima ily s ems om he au ho ’s ield
esea ch in o ‘‘su i al s a egies o INGOs in China’’
be ween 2014 and ea ly 2017 (p. 2). This pe iod was
cha ac e ised by he la ge shadow cas o e he sec o by
he d a O e seas NGO Law, which e en ually came in o
e ec in Janua y 2017 and has u he complica ed he
si ua ion o INGOs ope a ing in China e e since.
Apa om a succinc concep ual in oduc ion p esen -
ing ‘‘Global Ci il Socie y as a No ma i e and Poli ical
P ojec ’’ and an ou look ha aises many ele an ques ions
o u he esea ch, he book is s uc u ed in (only) wo
subs an i e chap e s dealing wi h he wo sides o he GCS-
China ela ionship. Chap e 2 (‘‘The Impac s o GCS on
China’’) excels in illus a ing he CCP’s calcula ed
engagemen wi h GCS since he 1990s, e ealing he s a-
e’s dual s a egies o le e aging GCS o socio-economic
bene i s while es ic ing i s democ a ising po en ial. I
ac ually dedica es e y limi ed space o explaining INGOs’
ac ual impac s in China. Ins ead, Spi es ocuses on he
CCP’s inc easingly pa anoiac conce ns abou ‘‘ o eign
in luence’’ (p. 17) and he discu si e con olu ion o INGOs
wi h ‘‘an i-China’’ o eign policy in e es s. I also del es
in o he o ced adjus men s a egies o INGOs such as
Fo d Founda ion, which ha e bowed o poli ical p essu e
by omi ing e e ences o g ass oo s NGOs and wo king
mo e di ec ly wi h s a e ac o s (p. 33). Only one sho
sec ion is conce ned wi h how ‘‘cosmopoli an alues’’ ha e
impac ed Chinese discou se. I p o ides a ew examples
(mos ly da ing back o he 2000s and ea ly 2010s) o how
Chinese ac i is s ha e adop ed GCS language on law-based
jus ice (p. 36) o gende mains eaming (p. 38) and p o-
mo ed commi men s o ‘‘pa icipa ion, o digni y, o
equali y, and o eedom o hough and exp ession’’ (p.
37). Explici ly a oiding he ques ion o ‘‘whe he he ac ual
ope a ions o achie emen s o he speci ic o ganisa ions
discussed he e ma ch hei he o ical commi men s’’ (p. 38)
lea es one majo gap in he p esen analysis.
Chap e 3 u ns he able and deals wi h China’s own
in luence on GCS in he cou se o he ‘‘s a e-led in e na-
ionalisa ion o (GO)NGOs’’. The ex ensi e o e iew o
policy s a emen s endo sing o e seas ac i i ies by non-
p o i o ganisa ions, which p esen s he ‘‘going ou ’’ o
Chinese NGOs as ‘‘la gely a poli ical p ojec ’’ (p. 40) om
he op, doesn’ do ull jus ice o he uni e salis -minded
Chinese ci il socie y leade s who ha e long ad oca ed o
a mo e a ou able poli ical and egula o y en i onmen o
o e seas humani a ian ac i i ies o en i onmen al conse -
a ion in he con ex o Chinese o e seas in es men s. This
Book Re iew Edi o : Ma c Jege s.
&Be am Lang
[email p o ec ed]
1
Uni e si y o Ma bu g, Ma bu g, Ge many
123
Volun as (2025) 36:287–288
h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s11266-025-00720-8
nuanced bo om-up pe spec i e is be e e lec ed in se e al
conc e e examples o Chinese NGOs such as Peaceland
Founda ion ha seek o balance domes ic adhe ence o
‘‘pa io ic’’ (p. 50) pa y-s a e discou se wi h p og essi e
conce ns o ‘‘ ulne able g oups’’ and ‘‘local sus ainable
de elopmen ’’ (p. 51). The chap e also ouches upon he
inc easingly impo an poli ical ba leg ound o Chinese
diaspo a ac i ism ac oss he globe: Spi es ecoun s an i-
CCP p o es s in he A-4 Mo emen o mino i y igh s
mo emen s, as well as he pe spec i e o social igh s
ac i is s who used o wo k om wi hin China and seek o
pu sue hei causes h ough ansna ional ac i ism a e
emig a ing. He also c ucially add esses he g owing ‘‘ h ea
and eali y o ansna ional ep ession’’ (p. 60) exace ba ed
by he Hong Kong Na ional Secu i y Law and ha assmen
o Uyghu ac i is s by CCP agen s e en in democ a ic
coun ies.
Thus, he book excels a in eg a ing many aspec s o a
mul i ace ed opic in o a concise discussion. Wi h he
sobe ing conclusion ha ‘‘ he window may be almos ully
shu o GCS ac i i ies inside China’’ due o Xi Jinping’s
domes ic social con ol agenda (p. 67), he book appea s o
close a chap e o esea ch on in e na ional ci il socie y
while opening ano he one on he u u e engagemen o
GCS ac o s wi h au ho i a ian egimes ha ine i ably
shape he u u e o sus ainable de elopmen o humani-
a ian assis ance. Rega ding China’s u u e impac on GCS,
i mos ly p esen s open ques ions and calls upon hi d
sec o esea che s o ‘‘explo e he ideas, alues, and p ac-
ices ha [Chinese NGOs] ake wi h hem when hey lea e
China’’ (p. 64). Mos o all, howe e , eade s un amilia
wi h he Chinese con ex will bene i om a skil ul in o-
duc ion o many cu en issues ha will de ine he u u e o
GCS engagemen wi h Chinese ac o s ac oss he globe.
Re iew au ho : Be am Lang, Uni e si y o Ma -
bu g, Ge many
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