Corporate Social Entities [社会复合主体] New Wine in Old

1、星期四, 一月 27, 2022Corporate Social Entities 社会复合主体: New Wine in Old Bottles or Old Wine in New Bottles? (draft)by Jørgen Elklit, Jinshan Li & Tuo YeCo-operation between social, political, economical, and politico-administrative entities take many forms and there is no lack of attempts to theo

2、rize about this phenomenon. Recent decades have thus witnessed the launch of concepts as, i.a., iron-triangles, neo-corporativism, policy communities, and issue networks as instruments to understand and empirically gauge different patterns of purposive interaction between such actors.There is no nee

3、d not even by way of introduction to open this paper by repeating the insights established elsewhere. One reason for this choice of ours is that we prefer to spend the space available on presentation and proper identification of the Hangzhou corporate social entities 杭州社会复合主体 as they might represent

4、 a new and interesting form of social organization in present-day China. This is in any case the question we aim to focus on. We are, of course, well aware that the formation of such entities does not only happen in Hangzhou, far from it! But we have for a number of reasons decided to use Hangzhou a

5、s our case, and we therefore concentrate of the corporate social entities, which have come into existence there. What we find particularly interesting is that the formation of these entities can be seen as a way to establish fora, where the interplay between public (governmental) and private actors

6、in Chinese municipalities (and maybe other politico-administrative levels) can take place. If this understanding has the validity we expect it to have, it also becomes interesting to study how corporate social entities are established, how they function, and what future role they have in China, wher

7、e the development of a strong and viable public-private partnership is considered by many to be a key to understanding at least part of the future development.The corporate social entities in Hangzhou come in somewhat different forms, so it makes sense to present some of them in order to give the di

8、scussion a firm and identifiable basis. A first introduction was given in a paper by Cao Zengjie (2009), and other literatures in Chinese which were very helpful in forming our initial understanding of the topic.For reasons to be discussed later, the number of corporate social entities in Hangzhou c

9、annot be stated firmly, as an official registration of such entities has only recently been introduced. Of the current more than ten examples of corporate social entities, we will present four, namely those related to the silk industry, to the tea industry, to the Hangzhou part of the Beijing-Hangzh

10、ou canal, and to the Hangzhou Life Style Network. We focus on these four corporate social entities, because they share features, we see as important for the understanding of corporate social entities, at least in Hangzhou. It is also important to note that the initiative in all four cases was taken

11、by the Hangzhou Municipal government.The Committee for the Promotion of Strategic Cooperation in Silk (杭州丝绸战略合作促进委员会）Silk is the specialty industry of Hangzhou, and it also represents the cultural characteristics of the city. In order to further promote the development of Hangzhous silk, women appar

12、els, culture and tourism, and also to better integrate political, industrial, intellectual and business resources, Hangzhou Municipal Government, represented by Mr Shen Jian（沈坚）, Vice Mayor of Hangzhou, i.a. in charge of industry, technology, transportation, established the Committee for the Promoti

13、on of Strategic Cooperation in Silk aimed at “transforming Hangzhou into the home of silk and the center of women apparels” and established three project working groups in silk industry, silk culture, and silk tourism. The Committee brought together well-known businesses in the silk womens ware circ

14、le and research institutionsabout ten agenciesincluding China Silk Association, China Academy of Fine Arts, Zhejiang Polytechnic University, National Silk Information Center, SILK magazine, Hangzhou Silk Association, Hangzhou Fashion Designer Association, and so on, forming a strategic alliance. On

15、the one hand, through the three project working groups, silk products upgrading, know-how and technology sharing, integration of silk products and culture are quite obvious. On the other hand, by organizing events such as China Silk Day, Hangzhou Silk Women Apparels Journey, Hangzhou Women Apparels

16、Brand Evaluation, Best Designer Contest, and the Best Designer Project, the integration of the silk culture and commercial activities for women apparels and silk was promoted through the forms of culture activities, performances, and exhibitions, aiding the marketing and promotion efforts for silk a

17、pparels and women apparels. The Strategic Alliance of the Tea Industry（茶行业战略联盟）Like silk, tea is a specialty product and culture of Hangzhou, especially the West Lake Dragon Well tea, which has been crowned “Queen of All Teas”. It is one of the best brands of tea and has often been used as tributes

18、to the palace and state presents to other countries. The West Lake Dragon Well tea is of considerable fame in the Chinese tea market, and many state-approved tea institutes are based in Hangzhou. In order to well exploit the function of state-approved tea institutes in developing the tea industry an

19、d tea culture, advocating tea preservation and tea tourism, a long-term strategic cooperative relationship was established among the tea-related agencies with a pushing from the municipal government, such as the China International Tea Culture Research Committee, China Tea Institution, Tea Research

20、Center of the China Academy of Agriculture, Hangzhou Tea Research Institute of the China National Supply and Demand Cooperative Association, National Tea Quality Control and Supervision Center, Tea Quality Supervision and Testing Center of the Administration of Agriculture, China Tea Museum, and the

21、 Department of Tea Studies of Zhejiang University. The strategic cooperation members signed the Strategic Cooperation Framework Protocol, and agreed to establish an international tea culture exhibition center, an international training center for tea techniques and culture, national tea quality cont

22、rol training service center, national tea information center and national tea trading center. Due to the formation and operation of the strategic alliance of the tea industry, Hangzhou in 2005 was awarded the title “Chinese Tea City” by the China Tea Association, China International Tea Culture Asso

23、ciation, National Tea Quality Inspection Center, and seven other agencies.Comprehensive Protection Committee for the Hangzhou Stretch of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal（杭州市京杭运河（杭州段）综合保护委员会）Hangzhou is the starting point of the 1,794 kilometer long Grand Canal which ends in Beijing. In order to prot

24、ect this longest and oldest canal in the world, and bring a renewed life to the ancient canal, Hangzhou initiated a very comprehensive renovation and preservation project for the Hangzhou stretch of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. This project integrates different factors including research, plann

25、ing, construction, management, operation and protection, and is also related to all the cities along the way, therefore is a project of the ultimate importance to the long-term development of Hangzhous ecology, cultural heritage, citizens and competitiveness. Around this huge social project, a corpo

26、rate social entity called the Comprehensive Protection Committee for the Hangzhou stretch of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is set up, along with the Hangzhou Canal Group, is responsible for acting on behalf of the government in protection, planning, and coordinating different actors actions. As a

27、 Wholly State-owned Enterprise, the Hangzhou Canal Group is responsible for funding and constructing key infrastructures. But in the execution of the comprehensive protection project for the canal, the corporate social entity showed big openness by establishing a platform for expert participation. T

28、he project have been injected with expert knowledge and wisdom in all its phases, from the forum in Hangzhou on the protection of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and application for world-heritage held by the CPPCC, to individual project blueprints such as the Tangxi（塘溪） tourism project, to the Fre

29、nch lighting designer Roger Narboni who led the tourism illumination plans, to the National Master of Arts and Crafts Zhu Bingren（朱炳仁） who led the proposal for applying to the UN for World Heritage recognition.The Hangzhou Lifestyle Network （杭州生活品质网）Hangzhou lifestyle network is a corporate social e

30、ntity that engages in the research, evaluation, communication, exhibition, dissertation, and promotion of living standards. Members of the network come from different fields, bud majorly from four: academic, media, government, and business. The network serves as a platform for research, communicatio

31、n, publicity, and dedicated discussions on lifestyle, and helps promoting the Hangzhous brand as a “lifestyle city”. Promotion of the development of relevant industries was also part of the agenda. Institutions that participate in the network all have full-time employees such as Hangzhou Lifestyle R

32、esearch and Evaluation Center, Hangzhou City Brand Promotion Committee, Hangzhou Development Research Institution, and Hangzhou Entrepreneurship Research and Exchange center, while experts from Zhejiang University, Zhejiang Industrial University, Qianjiang Evening News（钱江晚报）, and planning enterprise

33、s take on various positions in the various institutions such as secretary general, vice secretary general, and vice director. In addition, some personnel in these institutions take on more than one position. This kind of interwoven personnel structure is beneficial for the network as a corporate soc

34、ial entity to integrate resources and operate efficiently in conducting research, implementing projects and holding activities.In order to allow a direct comparison of the various corporate social entities, we have organized the various elements of information in the table below:NameStructure of cor

35、porate social entityFormal startInitiatorPrevious activities (i.e., before formal start)ParticipantsCultural brandingBusiness developmentMain areas of concernCommittee for the Promotion of Strategic Co-operation in SilkVery complex2009Hangzhou Municipal GovernmentYesGovernmentChina Silk Association,

36、China Academy of Fine Arts, Zhejiang Polytechnic University, National Silk Information Center, SILK magazine, Hangzhou Silk Association, Hangzhou Apparels Association, Hangzhou Women Apparels Society of Commerce, Hangzhou Fashion Designer Association, Hangzhou Research Center of Silk Culture and Sil

37、k Brand, Hangzhou Silk Exhibition Center, Hangzhou Center for the Promotion of Silk ProductionSilk BusinessExpertsOpen for participation, but not all in the industry of silk participates (but most do)YesYesIndustrial studies and research (by academics)MarketingTraining of designers, technicians and

38、othersDissimination/propaganda on culture of silkThe Strategic Alliance of the Tea IndustryComplex2004Hangzhou Municipal GovernmentYesGovernmentExpertsChina International Tea Culture Research Committee, China Tea Institution, Tea Research Center of the China Academy of Agriculture, Hangzhou Tea Rese

39、arch Institute of the China National Supply and Demand Cooperative Association, National Tea Quality Control and Supervision Center, Tea Quality Supervision and Testing Center of the Administration of Agriculture, China Tea Museum, Department of Tea Studies of Zhejiang UniversityTea housesTea-releva

40、nt businessOpen for participationYesYesIndustrial studies and research (by academics)dissertation on culture of Teatea industry developmentComprehensive Protection Committee for the Hangzhou Stretch of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand CanalNormal2006Hangzhou Municipal GovernmentNoGovernmentBusinessExperts

41、(Not be specified)Not open for participationYesYesbeautify environmentprotection of the heritage,endow the Grand Canal a new lifedissertation for culture of CanalHangzhou Lifestyle Network Very complex2008Hangzhou Municipal GovernmentNoGovernmentBusinessExpertsmediaOpen for participationYesYesDisser

42、tation and promotion for Hangzhou lifestyle,Policy discussions and proposalsWhat is a CSE? A policy community (or network) or something different?Compared to the fast and impressive economic development over the last 30 years, the social development in China is lagging behind. With no political comp

43、etition and with no checks and balances outside the system, issues related to managing increasing social demands are a major challenge for Chinese government. This means that the transformation of government functions and the development of social organizations become increasingly important. The nee

44、d to develop structures which can share some of governments functions and also shoulder some of the responsibilities has become an inevitable challenge. As Yu Keping has expressed it: “Relying on social corporate entities to realize public governance is the direction and tendency of governance in Ch

45、ina” (Yu, 2008).Hangzhou obviously tries to establish a constructive relationship between government and citizens and the corporate social entities are one of the means used. In encouraging a wide participation of the CSEs, the municipal government apparently expects to be able to handle at least tw

46、o serious challenges: (1) How does one handle the dilemma connected with simultaneous economic development and environment protection, and (2) How does one handle the dilemma, which floats from having one party government and at the same time having increasing demands for at least some sort of democ

47、ratic development.The formation of corporate social entities is primarily seen in the larger municipal cities, i.e. not only in Hangzhou. The question then becomes as mentioned earlier how we are to understand this particular form of public-private partnership. We must also ask if the way CSEs have

48、developed in Hangzhou reflects the way they have developed elsewhere in China.Since the 1978 market reform, political scientists have taken note of the changing of policy-making process. Different from a pure organized Leninist state, China has been defined as a system of fragmented authoritarianism

49、 (Lieberthal and Oksenberg, 1992), where government departments fight turf battles and sub-central government compete with one another for achievement, especially economic advantage. Therefore the central government loses the direct tight control over society, over the economy, and over local govern

50、ment. As a price for some autonomy, local government faces the performance evaluation which central government initiates. In fact, the relationship between central government and local government just is similar to the relationship of the principal and the agent, but more complexly, which usually te

51、rmed asmarket conforming federalism(Montinola, Yingyi and Weingast, 1996). In the frame, we can find the incentive driving local government to develop the private economy, but we really do not know how local government is actually cooperating with the private sector in order to be economically advan

52、tageous. Obviously, the CSEs can show us a picture of at least one kind of partnership between local government and the private sector.The main research on Chinese government behavior cannot explain the CSE phenomenon, nor does the existing forms of public-private partnership, such as corporatism. A

53、lthough the CSE is the result of government intervention in the market, the CSE do not show important characteristics of corporatism. Firstly, to the market and society, they are based on functional distinction and roles among society and economy, but the groups are not well-organized and lack barga

54、ining power. In other words, independence of internal decision-making of the key actors does not exist, and the powerful local government always dominates the CSE.Secondly, CSE means a consensus shared by government and other legal or individual members, but it is also just a temporary agreement. Th

55、ere are many reasons for the sudden dismantling or replacement of the CSE, such as changing of government leader, alteration of the government agenda, and failure at achieving its goals Etc, though all these CSE have registered as legal persons. Thirdly, unlike actors interacting for policy-formatio

56、n in corporatism, the cooperation between government and private occurs after the policy relevant decision-making. Normally, Hangzhou Municipal Government takes the initiative to build a partnership in order to implement a policy. In order to have access to considerable resources coming from governm

57、ent, the private sector always intend to participate in the CSE. So the CSE is not a kind of systematic management of economy, but a way or a means by which local governments implement a policy when they need help from the private sector.The model below depicts our understanding of CSEs and how they

58、 work:Participant for resourcesPackagingPerformance evaluation（fragmented）Making policyImplementing policy（with resources）Superior government（fragmented）Hangzhou Municipal governmentProjectPolicyNGOsOthersCSEEnterprisesFor the purpose of getting a good performance evaluation, Hangzhou Municipal Gove

59、rnment should formulate a policy package to meet the needs of superior government, including central and province government. While economical growth is always a very important objective for local government, Hangzhou Municipal Party Committee Secretary（杭州市委书记）Guoping Wang (王国平）in 2007 also proposed to establish "City of High Quality Life&q