Assistance And Permission:How International Aid And Government Policy Influence The Development Of Two NGO Types

China’s fast paced economic development and opening up to the world has led to unprecedented nation-wide improvement and an increase in people’s living standards. However, this development has come at a very serious price for China’s environment, social development, and personal health. Many of these problems do not only need government policy reform, but also the innovation and efforts of civilian groups and individuals. Civil society organizations (CSO) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are extremely important in promoting this type of civilian participation and healthy social growth. These organizations provide unique perspectives and innovative services in a variety of fields that are essential to ensuring smooth social progress and civilian participation. However, to fully understand the current condition and future potential of these organizations in China one must analyze the current political and international environment in terms of legal procedures, donations, cultural influence, etc.The author utilized both qualitative and quantitative research methods to compare development trends between environmental NGOs and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) NGOs. Both NGO sectors were analyzed in terms of international aid (as measured by financial donations, foreign volunteers, time spent in cooperation with foreign organizations, and information received from abroad) and government policy (as measured by feelings towards the current registration system and registration status). Data was gathered via an interview/survey method where environmental and LGBT NGO representatives were either interviewed in person or contacted via phone/email. The qualitative portion of this piece outlines3LGBT and4environmental NGO representatives’ comments and remarks about the current state of both types of NGOs in terms of international aid and the government registration system. This portion also describes current trends in government procurement of CSO services. The quantitative portion utilizes a linear regression to analyze the influence of international aid and government policy on national NGO development. Both sections combine together to provide an overview of the current environment and future potential of LGBT and environmental NGOs.