Accountability delegation: Empowering local communities for environmental protection in China

In China, the government remains cautious towards NGOs. This article notes the challenges the government of China faces in providing environmental protection services without a mature and empowered civil society. The authors draw on experiences from the Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP), implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the survey results from 51 Chinese NGOs to explore the roles of SGP in facilitating the state-NGO relationship in China. The article suggests that SGP has helped to promote state-NGO cooperation through institutionalizing NGO roles in decision-making, providing financial support, enhancing legitimacy, improving credibility, and consolidating the NGO sector. © 2016 Society for International Development.