Governance Value, Growth Coalition, and Models of Community Governance

Abstract

This article aims to explore how the different models of community governance were produced in Shanghai and Taipei, and what factors had an influence on the processes. Unlike existing studies which focus on the micro-dynamics of community governance, this article proposes an integrated approach combining micro governance practices and the embedded urban governance milieus. This is a qualitative comparative study based on 60 in-depth interviews in the two cities. It shows that the differences in community governance in Shanghai and Taipei can be explained by the following factors: first, the governance value, and the positioning of residential neighborhoods in the urban governance system in transitional periods in particular, guided the directions of the reforms of community governance and second, the configurations and dynamics of urban growth coalitions had an impact on the actors involved in community governance and their respective motivations. This study promotes the academic dialogue between neighborhood studies and urban governance, and thus expands the analytical perspectives of neighborhood studies in urban China.