Millions of children now rely on support from Chinese child welfare non-government organisations. The government is reforming NGO policy in response to public demands about service quality, but it lacks relevant research. The established team of Chinese Social Policy researchers at UNSW, London School of Economics, Right To Play and the Chinese government will refine theories of democratic and managerial accountability to the context of NGOs in transition countries.

We hypothesise that accountability to service users, the public and the state changes with the degree of user participation in NGOs. We analyse new datasets, policies and participatory fieldwork to inform policy change and to benefit capacity and training in child welfare NGOs.

Research Centre

Social Policy Research Centre

Research Area

Policy Design, Impact and Evaluation | Chinese Social Policy

  • Fisher KR; Shang X; Li J, 2015, Accountability of Children's Services Organizations in China, Asian Social Work and Policy Review, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 94 - 107, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/aswp.12043
  • Shang, X. & Wang, X. (ed.) 2013, Leading Research on Child Welfare in China: 2013, Beijing, China Social Sciences Academic Press.
  • Blaxland M, Fisher KR, and Shang X. 2015, Transitional and Developmental Challenges for Chinese Social Policy. Asian Social Work and Policy Review 9(1):1-2 11.
  • Blaxland, M., Shang, X., & Fisher, K. R. 2014, People Oriented: a New Stage of Social Welfare Development in China. Journal of Social Service Research, 40(4), P508-519.
  • Shang, X. and J. Yu 2014, Theorization of “Vulnerable Children” in Policy Research, Social Welfare, (Theory). 2014, 6, p5-8,13.
  • Shang, X. 2014, Accountability, NGO and Governance, presentation at the workshop: Governance in China: Theory, Experiences and Challenges, Peking University, China, Beijing, 23 October 2014. (Invited conference paper)
  • Fisher, K.R. and Shang, X. 2013, Research on NGO accountability of social service organisations in China, UNSW Asia Research Network Workshop on theory, methods, practice and findings of NGO social research in Asia, 1 August.

Australian Research Council – Linkage Program

  • Jude Howell (London School of Economics)
  • Tong Lihua (Beijing Child Legal Aid and Research Centre)

Related people