Community Building: Concepts, Practices, and Comparative Analysis of Models

Author: Li Xiyuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This book is based on the final research findings of the Ministry of Education's planned project "Learning from the Economies of Hong Kong and Macao to Promote Urban Community Development in the Pearl River Delta." Currently, most writings on community construction in China are authored by scholars of political science or public administration. Unlike these works, this research is a sociological application study of community construction. Using the methods of applied sociological research, we compare the practical significance of community construction in cities of the Pearl River Delta in foreign countries, Hong Kong, and Macao, highlighting the different problems and outcomes arising from distinct policy approaches and practical methods. From a sociological perspective, this study not only focuses on the interactive relationship between policies and communities but also emphasizes the impact of community construction on residents' awareness and actions of participation. Based on this research framework, the earlier part of the book elaborates on the relationship between community research and community development practice, while the latter part summarizes the characteristics of community development in Western countries, Hong Kong, and Macao, as well as the institutional structures between governments and non-governmental organizations, and between funders and implementers. It then provides a summary and analysis of the content, features, and issues of urban community construction in the Pearl River Delta, with dedicated discussions on important topics such as resource mobilization in community construction and the marketization of community services. Finally, it concludes with a community survey report.