Chinese Journal of Sociology ›› 2010, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (5): 46-74.

• Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Author:Guan Bing,Division of Social Science,School of Humanities and Social Science,The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology   

  1. Author:Guan Bing,Division of Social Science,School of Humanities and Social Science,The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
  • Online:2010-09-20 Published:2010-09-20
  • Contact: Author:Guan Bing,Division of Social Science,School of Humanities and Social Science,The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology E-mail:guanbing@ust.hk
  • About author:Author:Guan Bing,Division of Social Science,School of Humanities and Social Science,The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Abstract:

 This paper discusses the relationship between citizens’ rightsprotecting actions and grassroots political participation. In the existing literature, most scholars do not believe that the election of the residents’ committee is important to urban residents. However, in the field study, the author has found that the homeowners who have gone through the marketoriented reform in the real estate sector have frequently experienced threats to their home ownership will try every means to protect their rights and interests. Participating in the residents’ committee election is one such means, especially when the local government and the residents’ committee try to interfere with their efforts to protect their property rights. The paper first briefly describes the overall situation and the general trend in the 19 residential communities reached by the author with the snowball method. Then, three cases are selected to illustrate the homeowners’ institutional participation as a means to protect their rights and to dispose its inherent mechanism. The author thinks that such participation is good to protect the homeowners’ rights. Furthermore, it helps make the election of the residents’ committee meaningful. This may pressure the local government to adhere to the regulations in their actions.

Key words:  homeowner , rights protection ,   grassroots democracy , residents’ committee ,   homeowners’ committee