Environmental philanthropy and civic engagement: Comparison of Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore

• In Event: 4255 - Section on Economic Sociology Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 2. Environmental Concerns

Abstract

This paper contributes to the debate on whether culture can sufficiently explain cross-regional variation in civic engagement, particularly in the domain of environmental philanthropy. By environmental philanthropy, we refer to participation in civil society through monetary donation and volunteering in environmental nonprofit organizations, as well as demonstrations for environmental causes. The paper uses a comparative lens to assess environmental philanthropy by focusing on four predominantly Chinese societies – mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore - to minimalize their cultural differences. Using the data from the World Value Survey, we found that residents in mainland China shared similar environmental concerns and beliefs with people from the other regions, but they are least likely to volunteer, donate, and demonstrate for these causes. After accounting for personal characteristics, the sizeable interregional gaps on pro-environmental behaviors remain. These findings are consistent with the argument that structural differences, particularly the developing nature of civil society in mainland China (e.g., limited associational life), hinders environmental civic engagement.

Authors

• Wenjuan Zheng, Stanford University

• Zhenxiang Chen