Session 4. 4.

The expanding participation of nonprofits in co-governance signals a paradigm shift in state-society relations, where collaboration has evolved from hierarchical control to interdependent engagement. This paper introduces a conceptual framework that categorizes nonprofit-government interactions along two dimensions: government support and government embeddedness, forming four relationship types: dual embeddedness, pure external support, no support, and pure internal embeddedness. Drawing on stratified probability sampling, we collected data from 4,085 nonprofit staff and managers in Heilongjiang Province, a region illustrating China’s strong-state-weak-society configuration, to explore how these relationships shape nonprofit involvement in community governance.
The findings reveal that internal government embeddedness, especially at the project level, significantly enhances nonprofit participation compared to external support alone. Government support, while necessary, is amplified when nonprofits are deeply integrated into localized, context-specific governance projects, rather than relying on distant organizational frameworks. This indicates that nonprofits are most effective when embedded within tangible, ground-level initiatives, where their proximity to community needs aligns more closely with governance outcomes.
By employing stratified probability sampling, this study ensures a robust representation of various nonprofit-government interactions across different community types, offering a nuanced understanding of how embeddedness functions in diverse settings. The research extends co-governance theory by proposing that vertical state authority and horizontal nonprofit agency interact most productively at the project level, where the flexibility and adaptability of nonprofits can best complement the structure of state involvement.
The policy implications are substantial: prioritizing embedded, project-specific partnerships fosters a more sustainable and responsive model of governance. Aligned with the conference theme, “Regenerating the Commons”, this study demonstrates how localized, historically-informed governance models can catalyze future innovations, offering strategic pathways for enhancing nonprofit engagement and governance in China and beyond.

Social value creation is frequently described as the purpose [1] of nonprofits and social enterprises (SE). To fulfil this purpose, SE often rely on business-centric frames, e.g. social value proposition [2] and social investment. Consequently, market-based approaches are increasingly viewed as a key facilitator of social value [3]. With this, study of social value creation has become concerned with questions of resource availability and mobilisation [4].
This shift towards the market broadly corresponds to the way in which SE are viewed – as instrumental tools to fulfil a societal need [5]. While paying attention to instrumental concerns, such as efficiently delivering social services, is necessary for the functioning of SEs [4], too great a focus can sideline the expressive dimension (the normative values, beliefs, and symbolism) of SE [5].
By examining the values, beliefs and symbolism at play in the creation of social value, we aim to identify and discuss the mechanisms involved in social value creation. In doing so, we look to explore how the instrumental and expressive dimensions of SE interact in the process of creating social value.
To facilitate this approach, we rely on an adapted definition of social value co-creation, a perspective of social value creation which views social value as a beneficiary’s subjective perception of improvement. This definition forms the basis of a case study involving semi-structured interviews, which use a realist-based epistemology to trace the subjective experience of social value back the mechanisms which caused it. In doing so, it is hoped the expressive mechanisms driving social value creation can be uncovered.
The research is being conducted at a community-owned rural social enterprise, that is a tourist destination as a historic, functioning lighthouse in Co. Donegal, Ireland. Research questions are geared towards mechanisms of social value creation. This research aims to contribute to social enterprise and nonprofit theory and practice, by demonstrating a repeatable process that SEs can utilise to determine the ‘softer’ mechanisms which drive their social value creation.
This forms the second in a three-paper PhD thesis. Initial work has established a conceptual basis for ‘softer’ social value. Following this, an interview approach was developed to facilitate empirical exploration of SVCC. 14 semi-structured interviews have been completed, in Irish and English. Analysis is undergoing. Research will conclude in Summer 2025.

Urban encroachment and the blurring of urban/rural lines have contributed to the decline in ecosystems and their resources in peri-urban areas. This is occurring globally, driven by the capitalisation and commercialisation of food production or the belief that rapid urbanisation is the solution to endemic rural poverty. Social innovation, championed by change makers who contribute to sustaining long term engagement and responsible management of rural areas, are needed to provide sustainable futures. The local embeddedness of these actions, however, often make scaling such initiatives challenging, limiting their reach and impact.

This study examines the extent that different university-NGO partnerships can engage in collective action to scale and sustain environmental and social change at the peri-urban interface. We argue that universities can form different stakeholder partnerships to equip NGOs and community actors with resources, networks and structures to co-create rural revitalisation initiatives.

In this study, we compare two novel NGO/university collaborative partnerships for rural revitalisation initiatives. These are juxtaposed with a more conventional university-NGO collaboration for community-based action. The first novel case features an incubation-based approach, whereby the university acts as a social innovation incubator to co-create revitalisation programmes with a small NGO while growing the sustainability impact and capacity of the NGO. In the next case, the university works with other universities to form a regional knowledge and incubation platform. Together, they directly incubate the formation of innovative social enterprises and cross-sector collaborations to generate, replicate and translate social innovations to address rural issues.

By comparing the outcomes of these three programmes, through questionnaire data, interviews and observation records, we demonstrate the different ways that universities can partner and collaborate with the third sector in the sustained engagement, co-creation and dissemination of social innovations to address rural issues.

During the COVID pandemic, spontaneous collective action emerged through voluntary efforts In this study, we document the collective action by New York City nonprofit arts and culture organizations that built social capital where none existed. In NYC, the elite institutions (e.g., Carnegie Hall, The Metropolitan Opera) had a network before the pandemic; however, this was not the case for other parts of the sector. Each of NYC’s five boroughs had networks through their local arts councils. However, there were few or no network ties between smaller and elite nonprofits, across disciplines or boroughs beyond the cultural corridor of Manhattan and East Brooklyn. The elite organizations’ strong network led them to meet daily to collaboratively respond to the pandemic closures. At the suggestion of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, they opened the call to all nonprofit NYC arts and culture organizations. The Culture@3 virtual space was a daily call at 3 pm during the pandemic shutdown, where nonprofit arts and culture leaders came to share information and, in the process, establish common understanding across disciplines, boroughs, and organizational sizes. We title our study “The Power to Unmute” because the Zoom microphone and gallery view of participants equalized access regardless of organizational size, discipline, or borough. We held 16 interviews with nonprofit arts and culture leaders, government officials, and foundations who participated in the calls. One of our team collaborators participated in the Zoom calls on behalf of a nonprofit theater. Through the interviews and lived experience, our study identifies the rules, norms, and strategies that emerged during the pandemic shutdown that helped arts and culture organizations survive and ultimately wove a new arts and culture network fabric.