Grassroots organizations in China: definitions, categories, and significance in the emergence of civil society

Grassroots and autonomous organizations and networks are the most vibrant and fastest growing part of China’s nongovernmental sector. Yet, few studies have focused on defining, categorizing, and determining the socio-political functions of these small organizations. The current study begins to fill this gap. It first defines and divides the diverse array of groups into four categories based on their organizational features, and then discusses the significance of grassroots organizations in the emergence of civil society in China.