1st Edition

The Politics of Community Building in Urban China

By Thomas Heberer, Christian Göbel Copyright 2011
208 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

206 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

208 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This book aims to make sense of the recent reform of neighbourhood institutions in urban China. It builds on the observation that the late 1990s saw a comeback of the state in urban China after the increased economization of life in the 1980s had initially forced it to withdraw. Based on several months of fieldwork in locations ranging from poor and dilapidated neighbourhoods in Shenyang City to... Read more

1 Introduction: Political Innovation without Democratization   2 Social Control, Social Fragmentation, and the Reimposition of State Power   3 Enhancing Infrastructural Power: Shequ Organization   4 Legitimating Narratives   5 Shequ Governance   6 New Schemes of Social Security: Urban Neighbourhood Communities as Institutions of Output Legitimacy   7 Attitudes   8 Conclusion

Biography

Heberer, Thomas; Göbel, Christian

"The authors conduct a truly meaningful project as it contains many firsthand interviews based on several months of fieldwork in diverse regions of China. Despite this diversity, a coherent central theme is formed. The book is of interest to students and scholars of Chinese studies, development studies, urban studies, and Asian studies in general.  Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and research collections." - CHOICE (April 2012)

'The Politics of Community Building provides a perceptive and intellectually lively guide to this evolving locus of urban governance.' - Benjamin L. Read, University of California, Santa Cruz; The China Journal (July 2013).

"Heberer and Göbel’s book is recommended for scholars interested in fields ranging from Asian or Chinese Studies to Urban or Development Studies. Practitioners in these fields will also find this book to be an essential resource." - W. Ma , Department of Public Administration, College of Management, Shenzhen University