In the relief efforts that followed the earthquake in Ludian County, Yunnan Province, different kinds of social organizations played a significant role. By the end of June in 2013, there were about half a million registered social organizations in China with more than 1million staff members. Social organizations have become an agent for performing some government functions, an instrument of social policy and a provider of social services. However, as uncertainties arise in the reform and transition, obstacles still exist for the development of social organizations.

First, there exists a low level of socialization and over-dependence on government resources. Many social organizations have insufficient autonomy, with limited control over human resources, property and substances. As a result, they lack social responsibility, and they have inadequate awareness and ability to manage themselves.

Second, laws are outdated, and there is a lack of fair systems. Regulations for social organizations are lagging far behind economic and social development, bringing disorder to the operation of social organizations and difficulty to government supervision. The government should make preferential policies to revitalize social organizations and be committed to building a regulated and fair environment for competition.

Third, development is unsustainable due to an overemphasis on quantity. In many places, social organizations, regardless of the actual needs, have been established in large quantities while their quality and sustainable development are neglected.

Fourth, there does not exist a healthy mechanism for cooperation and competition. To modernize social governance, it is essential to enhance cooperation among social organizations, especially non-profit projects, so that they can share resources, provide mutual help and realize synergistic development.

In light of these problems, strategies should be adopted to update the mode of development of social organizations, promote cooperation between them and the government, and shift the role of government from regulator to service provider.

Modern social governance advocates that social affairs should be solved by society. According to this perspective, much support should be given to third-party and non-profit organizations with special emphasis on grassroots self-governance. At the same time, governments at all levels should transform their functions while creating a competitive, fair environment and purchasing services of social organizations based on projects they provide.

Registration for social organizations should be improved. In addition to guidance from the government, supervision from the government, the market and the public are needed to guarantee healthy competition in which better services are encouraged while inferior ones are eliminated. We should also increase financial investments, introduce tax incentives and extend more public resources and fields to social organizations. Moreover, new approaches like service outsourcing should be applied to enhance the performance of public services.

Special attention should be given to the development of non-profit and charitable organizations. Chinese government should foster well-regulated industry associations and chambers of commerce with social credibility by focusing on emerging, pillar and competitive industries. Emphasis should also be put on social organizations in science and technology to advance academic studies and theoretical innovations. In addition, a mechanism should be formed in which communities serve as a platform that is assisted by social organizations and supported by social work professionals to bring diversity and specialization to social organizations in urban and rural communities alike.

Furthermore, management and self-discipline within social organizations should be strengthened. And it is important to clarify the responsibilities of social organizations as legal persons. An open and just evaluation system is needed for motivation and restriction. It is also necessary to protect the rights of donors, beneficiaries and the public of knowing essential information about social organizations.

In a word, more space should be given to the development of social organizations in order to strengthen their role in political participation and promoting social harmony. To modernize social governance, the key is to mobilize all parties to take part in social governance and development. （Chinese Social Sciences Today 2014-09-22）

The author is from the Institute of Sociology at Jiangsu Provincial Academy of Social Sciences.