Social engineering of community building: Examination of policy process and characteristics of community construction in China

Abstract

This article briefly introduces the history and major policies of a massive community construction project launched by the People's Republic of China in the mid-1980s. Based on a literature review and field observations, the authors highlight four characteristics of this project: muddling through chaos, top-down control, regulated participation, and community as functional establishment. It is argued that the goal of the project is not to recreate, in China, a Western model of civil society, but to restructure the existing urban administrative structure so that it can adapt to new social demands. By transforming the grassroots neighbourhood organization – the residents' committee – into a welfare provider, this project is expected to ease the state's welfare burden while maintaining its political control.