Research Interests

  • Chinese Society (Mainland China and Taiwan)
  • Leadership
  • Philanthropy
  • Global Civil Society
  • NGOs (Nongovernmental Organizations)
  • Organizational Culture
  • Democracy
  • Social and Political Theory
  • Authoritarianism

Recent and Ongoing Major Projects

  1. A long-term study of the internal cultures of grassroots NGOs in China and the development of democratic practices.
  2. A multi-year, comprehensive study of INGOs in China, funded by a US$131,500 grant from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council. 
  3. A study of advocacy strategies employed by Chinese grassroots environmental organisations, co-authored with Jingyun Dai. (Published in The China Journal.)
  4. A study of young Chinese volunteers' experience in bottom-up voluntary associations. (Published in China Information.)
  5. A survey of over 200 Chinese private foundations, with colleagues at the Center on Philanthropy at Sun Yat-sen University. (Published in The China Quarterly.)
  6. A comprehensive study of 263 grassroots NGOs in Yunnan, Beijing, and Guangdong. (Published in The China Journal.)
  7. A study of US foundations and their grantmaking practices in China. (Published in the Journal of Civil Society.)
  8. A study of relations between government and grassroots NGOs in China. (Published in The American Journal of Sociology.)
  9. A study of donor-driven ‘capacity-building’ training programs and their influence on Chinese civil society.  (Published in The China Journal.)
Photo of Lake Como, Italy (c) 2015 Anthony J. Spires