Handbook on Local Governance in China

Edited by Ceren Ergenc, Researcher, East Asian Studies and Research Centre, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain and David S.G. Goodman, University of Sydney, Australia

• Contents:Preface xivList of abbreviations xvIntroduction to the Handbook on Local Governance in China 1Ceren ErgencPART I SCALES OF STATE1 Central control and local governance: the political economy of changesince 1949 10David S.G. Goodman2 From the administrative hierarchy to the system of administrative divisions 30Carolyn Cartier and Puzhou Wu3 The administrative structure and restructuring of cities in contemporary China 48Kyle A. Jaros4 The internal organization of local government in China 66Nabo Chen and Xueguang Zhou5 Xi’s third way: illiberal institutionalization 85Björn Alpermann and Philipp C.D. Immel6 Cadres and local policy experimentation 98Reza Hasmath and Jessica C. Teets7 Developments in urban neighborhood governance 112Beibei Tang8 Informal governance at China’s borders 127Tak-Wing Ngo9 Public participation in local governance: formal and deliberative institutions 138Ceren Ergenc10 Technocracy on the ground: cadre competence, expert involvement, andscientific advice in China’s local governance 151Anna L. AhlersPART II ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE11 Digital governance in China 177Genia Kostka12 The digitalization and evolution of China’s vertical governance model 207Xiang Gao13 Cyberspace and social governance: the role of the CyberspaceAdministration office 223Yiran Li14 Local environmental governance 243Daniele Brombal15 Green and low-carbon-oriented urban redevelopment: thetransformation of urban governance in China 259Chen Li and Mark Wang16 The entrepreneurial state: the case of Wuxi’s solar industry 271Minglu Chen and Juan Chen17 Service organization reform at the local level 282Chenyang He, Ning Liu, and Carlos Wing-Hung Lo18 Solid waste governance in cities 299Natalie W.M. WongPART III SOCIAL GOVERNANCE19 The political economy of local housing governance: 1949–2022 306Zhao Zhang20 Newly founded local universities: “land-grant colleges” on Chinese soil? 331Qiang Zha21 Welfare policy at the local level 345Xian Huang22 Migrants and local social inclusion 360Wanyang Hu23 Urban China and COVID-19: how Chinese cities responded to the pandemic 378Xuefei Ren24 Labour relations governance at the local level 386Frank Lefeng Lin25 Innovative state and local variations: governing religion in Greater Suzhou 405Keping Wu26 Judicial relations in local China 415Juan Wang and Sitao Li27 The challenge of controlling corruption at the grassroots 427Andrew WedemanGlossary 448Index

‘The Handbook on Local Governance in China: Structures, Variations, and Innovations is a significant addition to the field of Chinese politics and governance. Its interdisciplinary approach, wide-ranging analyses and valuable information sources make it an essential resource for scholars and policy analysts seeking a comprehensive understanding of local governance in China today.’