Organization of Associations in Communities: A Perspective on Building Social Governance for Communities of Grassroots——Experience and Inspiration from the Organization Alliance of L Community in S Province

Social organizations in a community, as the “micro” units of community governance, play a vital role in mobilizing and organizing residents for self-governance. However, traditional social organizations in a community face challenges, such as internal cohesion and mutual isolation. Residents have limited participation in cross-community organizations and public spaces, resulting in a lack of identification and belongingness to the community. Consequently, the construction of community governance communities was impeded. Taking the development of community associations as an opportunity, Community L in Province S encourages neighboring communities whose professional advantages is distinctive to form alliances, aiming to reshape public spaces, coordinate public interests, and expands public interactions. Throughout this process, attention should be paid to issues, such as the equality of participating associations, the ability of association elites to collaborate, cost sharing, and resource allocation. Drawing from the innovative experience of the association alliance in Community L, party committees of grassroots and governments should focus on institutional design, while communities should provide both hardware and software support. Social organizations in a community need to engage in cooperation, and community residents should shift from a passive to an active role, thereby promoting the transition of the community from a residential community of interest to a cohesive spiritual community.