Urban grassroots community organizations in the process of transformation

Author: Lei Jieqiong, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-05-01
Features: This book provides a detailed description of the development history of several street offices and resident committees in Beijing, as well as their operational characteristics, pressures, and problem-solving approaches in different periods. It offers valuable foundational materials for urban sociology research in China. It proposes new theoretical summaries on the operational models of urban grassroots community organizations. Based on extensive handheld data, the authors argue that the unit system—street-resident system implemented in Chinese cities is a complementary relationship. This means that even before reforms, and for a period after the reforms, urban operations primarily relied on the unit system, but as reforms deepened, the role of the street-resident system strengthened. The study analyzes the characteristics of this complementary relationship in detail. The book points out that the behavioral patterns of urban grassroots community organizations are shifting from administrative to administrative-economic models, highlighting the features of the administrative-economic model: the administrative-economicization of the work content of street offices and resident committees, as well as the administrative-economicization of their work methods. It emphasizes the strengthening of the leading actions of street offices and resident committees, indicating that they are no longer just "legs" for higher authorities but have become autonomous actors to some extent, with their own relatively independent interests. The research evaluates the specific work of street offices and resident committees and proposes recommendations for strengthening grassroots community organization development. The book acknowledges the contributions of the surveyed street offices and resident committees in urban management, urban construction, and resident services, while also pointing out the contradictions they face during reforms and offering some reference suggestions. It holds that the soul of community building lies in community participation. This not only includes residents passively participating in community activities but, more importantly, attracting them to actively care about and engage in community affairs. The study conducts a tentative theoretical analysis of the current vigorous urban community building efforts in China. It points out that community building is a complex economic, political, and social process. Economic strong support is needed for the construction of public facilities and the organization of public activities. Community building is a process of developing grassroots democracy and an interactive process among multiple actors. Community member participation is the key to community building. In community building, the government plays a leading role, but excessive government involvement is not conducive to the essence of community building. During the process of social transformation and institutional restructuring, community building also faces influences from the economic rationality of community organizations, the enhanced individual autonomy of community members, and the disruption of traditional social solidarity. Accordingly, it proposes the logic, theoretical model, and chronological model of community building. This book argues that the logic of community building in China includes the following aspects:
1. The meaning of community building is to build the community, which refers to activities that improve the living environment of community members and benefit their development.
2. Community building is a reflection of economic and social development at the community level, and it is an economic, political, and social process.
3. Community building is a community self-organization process supported by the government, a social process supported by economic forces, and a process of enhancing the sense of community among members in the context of facility construction.
4. The main body of community building is community members (including resident units and residents), who are the primary force in community building and the beneficiaries of its outcomes.
5. The social foundation of community building is the participation of community members, and community building is a system of participation and sharing.
6. The motivation for community participation comes from the mutual and common needs of community members. Stimulating their needs and encouraging their mutual integration is the psychological and cultural foundation of community building.
7. Community facilities or community activity projects are the material carriers of community participation, and community building requires a necessary material foundation.
8. The key to community building is to explore, mobilize, and integrate internal community resources, while also requiring external support, including economic support, but external support should aim to meet the needs of community members.
9. In community building, external organizations (including the government and other organizations) and community organizations are in a cooperative relationship. To advance community building, it is necessary to establish a community building committee (or similar organization) composed of relevant parties.
10. Community building and social solidarity may encounter resistance or destructive forces. Community building must strengthen community elements and promote their integration through continuous investment. Community building is a specific manifestation of economic and social development at the community level. As a community development activity with value orientation, it requires the unremitting efforts of various forces. In community building, the government, community organizations, and community members should cooperate as three parties, and economic, political, and socio-cultural resources should jointly support it. The government, community organizations, and community members are the three major actors in community building, and they are the joint promoters of community building. Community building requires mobilizing economic, political, and socio-cultural forces and striving to integrate them. The study proposes a chronological model of community building in China. Given the complexity of the process of change in China's urban economic, political, and socio-cultural complexes, specific community building can be roughly divided into:
- The early stage of community building, where the government increases the responsibilities and power decentralization of communities in the unit-community system.
- The initial stage of community building, where, with government support, street-resident grassroots organizations become the administrative entities of community operations and, based on this, mobilize and organize community members to participate in community building.
- The development stage of community building, where street-resident grassroots organizations and community members jointly construct cooperative relationships in service and management, and social factors in the community grow significantly.
- The mature stage of community building, where a strong community self-governance organization system is formed, with street offices (as government agents) and resident committees (as autonomous organizations) relatively separated, forming a cooperative yet mutually restrictive relationship system of streets (government) — resident committees (autonomous organizations) — community non-governmental organizations (economic, cultural, and service organizations) — community members (residents and resident units).
This book is rich in data and solid in research, offering innovative and unique insights in areas such as the transformation of urban grassroots community organizations, the analysis of forces in community building, and the theoretical and chronological models of community building. This work is of great significance for improving the theoretical level of community research and the practical development of community building.