Citizen Participation at the Local Level in China and Canada

ISBN-13: 9781482228977 / Angielski / Twarda / 2014 / 322 str.

Andrew Sancton; Chen Zhenming

Opis

What, if anything, is similar about citizen participation at the local level in Canada and China? The answer, of course, is politically sensitive. There are many in Canada who would claim that the question is absurd. How can there be meaningful citizen participation in a country where there are significant restrictions on political activity, including on the right to form organizations with political purposes? Presenting the work of leading scholars, Citizen Participation at the Local Level in China and Canada examines how citizens in each country participate at the local level.

The book examines the development of citizen participation in local governance in Canada and China respectively. It then covers the characteristics of political culture and climate on local participation, highlighting factors especially unique to urban poor, class migration, and aboriginal and immigrant populations. The chapters also explore means of protest, demonstration, and articulation of preference by populations and issues where citizen participation has effected change such as land use, housing, urban development, and resource sustainability.

The book includes case studies that compare Canadian and Chinese communities and extrapolate interesting policy-level changes at the local level based on citizen behavior and involvement. It underscores the similarities and differences in political participation in both countries and sets the stage for the steps in the citizen participation in both countries.

Recenzje

"... the contributors to this book, including scholars from both countries, draw interesting conclusions from this unique comparison. Although there are significant restrictions on political participation in China, examining the similarities and differences between these two countries enables a unique discussion on topics as diverse as class migration and demonstration. The authors take a specific look at cases studies involving examples of citizen driven change of land use, housing, urban development, and resource sustainability."
—Ringgold, Inc. Book News, February 2015

Spis treści

Introduction. Citizen Engagement and Local Government. Public Participation at the Local Level in China. Citizen Participation in Vancouver: Urban Poor, New Immigrants, and Urban Aboriginals. The Governance of Urban Poverty: A Case Study of ZH Sub-district, Xiamen. Institutional and Non-institutional Modes of Public Participation for Newcomers to Ottawa. Capital and Local Autonomous Participation of Villagers in Rural China. Participation and Land-use Change in the Urban Fringe. Weapons of the Weak: The Articulation of Local Residents’ Interests during the Process of Urbanization. Citizen Action for Sustainable Development: Case Studies in London, Ontario. The Role of Middle-class Mobilization for Environmental Protection in China. Housing for Low-income Citizens in Cape Breton.