Enacting urban entrepreneurialism through neighbourhood governance: A comparative study of Shanghai and Guangzhou, China

Abstract

ABSTRACT Under the concurrence of economic liberalization and political domination in post-reform China, a new mode of urban governance emerged, involving market and societal forces under the orchestration of state entrepreneurialism. However, empirical analysis investigating governance practices in urban neighborhoods through the lens of entrepreneurial urbanism is still lacking. Drawing on comparative case studies of Shanghai and Guangzhou, this study focuses on the coproduction of consensus-oriented neighborhood governance under the influence of state entrepreneurialism and the entrepreneurial society, and develops a typology of homeowner associations (HOAs). This study enriches the concept of state entrepreneurialism by revealing how HOAs are exploited strategically as a societal instrument to achieve extra-economic governance goals in post-reform China. Our examination of civic engagement suggests a rethinking of the ambiguous manifestation of “politics” and its relevance to the entrepreneurial nature of neighborhood governance in Chinese cities. Our research foregrounds the necessity and importance of studying urban governance at the neighborhood scale.