Party-led public participation in neighborhood governance: a comparative analysis of two forms of social networks

Abstract

Neighborhood governance has been the center of attention in urban politics and public policy for many decades. Although wide-ranging literature explores the favorable effects of public participation on neighborhood governance, it is only relatively recently that attention has been directed to the manner in which effective participation develops and the consequent implications for participatory democracy. This article examines how local states encourage public participation in neighborhood governance using social networks in contemporary China. Based on a case study of the Minor Facts program, our findings demonstrate that even when participation mechanisms are introduced by the Party, horizontal networks also play a role in participation. Moreover, we present two forms of social networks and their mechanisms to illustrate how local states strategically mobilize them. These social networks also increase the social status and moral authority of Party members and political elites in ways they find useful for strengthening local government capacity to ensure political compliance. This article provides an important qualitative insight into network-related activators of participatory behaviors in the community.