ABSTRACT
The formal and informal rules which dictate citizens’ activities when they are creating and running a civil organization make up the institutional environment of civil society. These rules have both positive and negative effects; the latter can be described as institutional barriers. In contemporary China, these institutional barriers include the dual approval requirement in the registration of civil organizations; the dual responsibility system for supervising and managing civil organizations; annual checks and examinations; and report requirements. These institutional barriers create many problems for civil organizations throughout the whole process of their development. They affect the role civil organizations can play, the financial resources available to them, their access to skills and knowledge, their access to skilled and talented people, and their ability to gain the trust of society. The institutional requirements for civil society are designed with the aim of controlling and restricting civil organizations, with a view to maintaining the political regime and political stability.
