By Wang Weijin, Institute of Public Administration and Human Resources, DRC; Wang Jiexiu, Policy Research Center of Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People’s Republic of China

Research Report, No. 122, 2020 (Total 5866) 2020-5-25

Abstract: Community governance is rooted in residents’ participation. According to the data of 3000 questionnaires in four cities and provinces across the country, the major affairs of urban residents’ participation in community governance include the election of residents’ representatives and services for special groups, and residents have shown strong willingness in the election of neighborhood committee and the participating proportion is high. The two types of neighborhood committees still serve as the main channels for urban residents’ participation in community governance with owner committee and social organizations being the major agents; online participation is becoming an important form of their participation while community consultation is yet to be universally recognized by the public. Residents have an active attitude and recognition towards participation in community governance with main motives of promoting social contact, protecting their own interests and satisfying their needs for community services. A sound relation between community and its residents is conducive to enhancing residents’ participation in community governance. Based on the analysis above, this paper proposes the following policy options: 1. the realization forms of Party guidance and residents’ autonomy need to be innovated; 2. greater efforts need to be made in the cultivation of social organizations in communities; 3. the publicity of consultative democracy needs to be strengthened; 4. community governance needs to be incorporated into community services to create space and environment for the establishment of good neighborhood relationship so as to foster a community with a shared governance by the residents, for the residents, and of the residents.

Keywords: public participation, community involvement, community governance