The grid management system in contemporary China: Grass-roots governance in social surveillance and service provision

Mittelstaedt, Jean Christopher

Abstract

How should we understand the formation of the grid management system (网格化管理) of grass-roots governance in China? In this article, I argue that the grid system is an extension of existing governance structures. Facing conflicting central messaging, local grid development encountered isomorphic pressures, leading grids to resemble higherlevel administration and to inherit a top–down and stability-focused mode of operation. To support this argument, I analyse five aspects: shifts in elite-level discourse, the proliferation of the grid system, recruitment standards for grid members, grid members’ tasks, and their assessment. Showcasing wide local variety, the grid system retains a managerial approach while collapsing service provision into security.

Citation

Mittelstaedt, J. C. (2021). The grid management system in contemporary China: Grass-roots governance in social surveillance and service provision. China Information: A Journal on Contemporary China Studies, 36(1), 3-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0920203X211011565

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 14, 2021
• Online Publication Date: May 2, 2021
• Publication Date: May 2, 2021
• Deposit Date: Feb 14, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 14, 2025
• Print ISSN: 0920-203X
• Electronic ISSN: 1741-590X
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 36
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 3-22
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0920203X211011565
• Keywords: grass-roots governance, grid management system, surveillance, service provision, institutional isomorphism
• Publisher URL: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0920203X211011565