Qian Wei holds a PhD in Sociology, and she is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at Stanford University. Her research interests broadly focus on the sociology of organization, political sociology, civil society, international development, and quantitative methods. Particularly, she has published research on NGOs in authoritarian China, nonprofit leaders’ power, and human rights in developing countries. Her work has appeared in journals such as The Sociological Quarterly and VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations.

• List of Figures List of TablesAcknowledgments 1 What We Talk About When We Talk About Governance: A Power Perspective and Three Levels of Analysis 2 CSO Governance in China Through the Lens of Power: Beyond the Civil Society-Corporatism Dichotomy? 3 Power at the Macro Level: Government’s Invisible Control Over Foundations in China 4 Power at the Meso Level: “Purer” Organizations, Less Democratic 5 Power at the Micro Level: CEO Power as a Double-Edged Sword 6 Conclusion: A Bleak PictureAppendix A: Recruitment LetterAppendix B: Survey Questionnaire Appendix C: Descriptive Statistics of the Sample Drawn From the Survey Index

Qian Wei holds a PhD in Sociology, and she is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at Stanford University. Her research interests broadly focus on the sociology of organization, political sociology, civil society, international development, and quantitative methods. Particularly, she has published research on NGOs in authoritarian China, nonprofit leaders’ power, and human rights in developing countries. Her work has appeared in journals such as The Sociological Quarterly and VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations.

• List of Figures List of TablesAcknowledgments 1 What We Talk About When We Talk About Governance: A Power Perspective and Three Levels of Analysis 2 CSO Governance in China Through the Lens of Power: Beyond the Civil Society-Corporatism Dichotomy? 3 Power at the Macro Level: Government’s Invisible Control Over Foundations in China 4 Power at the Meso Level: “Purer” Organizations, Less Democratic 5 Power at the Micro Level: CEO Power as a Double-Edged Sword 6 Conclusion: A Bleak PictureAppendix A: Recruitment LetterAppendix B: Survey Questionnaire Appendix C: Descriptive Statistics of the Sample Drawn From the Survey Index

Qian Wei holds a PhD in Sociology, and she is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at Stanford University. Her research interests broadly focus on the sociology of organization, political sociology, civil society, international development, and quantitative methods. Particularly, she has published research on NGOs in authoritarian China, nonprofit leaders’ power, and human rights in developing countries. Her work has appeared in journals such as The Sociological Quarterly and VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations.

• List of Figures List of TablesAcknowledgments 1 What We Talk About When We Talk About Governance: A Power Perspective and Three Levels of Analysis 2 CSO Governance in China Through the Lens of Power: Beyond the Civil Society-Corporatism Dichotomy? 3 Power at the Macro Level: Government’s Invisible Control Over Foundations in China 4 Power at the Meso Level: “Purer” Organizations, Less Democratic 5 Power at the Micro Level: CEO Power as a Double-Edged Sword 6 Conclusion: A Bleak PictureAppendix A: Recruitment LetterAppendix B: Survey Questionnaire Appendix C: Descriptive Statistics of the Sample Drawn From the Survey Index