Community Building (Concepts, Practices, and Comparative Analysis of Models)

Author: Li Xiyuan, Tong Xiaofan, Jiang Lianxiong
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 Macau to Promote Urban Community Development in the Pearl River Delta." Currently, most writings on Chinese community construction are authored by scholars in 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 Macau, highlighting the different problems and outcomes arising from varying 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 first 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 Macau, as well as the institutional structures between governments and civil society 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. Special attention is given to important topics such as resource mobilization in community construction and the marketization of community services. Finally, the book concludes with a community survey report.