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The Adoption of Bottom-up Governance in China's Homeowner Associations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2015

Feng Wang ,
Haitao Yin  and
Zhiren Zhou
Feng Wang
Affiliation:
Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, China
Haitao Yin
Affiliation:
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
Zhiren Zhou
Affiliation:
Beijing University, China
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Abstract

Since China's marketization-featured housing reform, homeowner associations have played a greater role in neighbourhood governance. Using the theory of social movements and organizations, this article investigates how homeowner associations strategically reorganize themselves to achieve their goals. Our survey in Beijing suggests that about half of the homeowner associations have adopted bottom-up governance structures, which are not specified in governmental regulations. We find that such innovations are more likely to occur when a neighbourhood needs grassroots participation to deal with external grievances, especially developer-related issues, or to overcome its powerlessness due to little access to the polity. We also find that homeowner associations are more likely to adopt bottom-up structures when their leaders believe strongly in resident participation or actively engage in extra-organizational professional activities as a means to overcome infrastructure deficit.

Keywords

bottom-up governanceChinahomeowner associationsleadershiporganizational structure自下而上的治理中国业主团体领导力组织结构
Type
Special Issue Articles
Information
Management and Organization Review , Volume 8 , Issue 3: Special Issue Innovations in Public and Non-profit Sector Organizations in China , November 2012 , pp. 559 - 583
Copyright
Copyright © International Association for Chinese Management Research 2012

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