By Liu Lihui, Research Team on “Innovation and Development of Social Governance in China”, Institute of Public Administration and Human Resources, DRC

Research Report No.70, 2018 (Total 5345) 2018-4-20

Abstract: Social governance is one of the two major tasks of China’s social construction. Based on socialist system and the adherence to CPC leadership, the policy category and content system of social governance are unique and distinct, and are exploring ways for further improvement, which is distinctly different from the “decentralization” trend in the theory and practice of Western governance. Since reform and opening up, China’s social governance has gone through different stages including comprehensive management of all facets of public security, social management, social governance and the modernization of social governance. The policy objectives of social governance in China are aimed at maintaining social harmony and stability and fleshing out social creativity. In practice, it has successively fulfilled three targets at various phases such as the improvement of social security, the amelioration of social harmony and the enhancement of people’s sense of benefits. At present, China has formed a social governance system with five main parts: grassroots-level governance, conflict resolution, social order maintenance, public security, and community service. At the same time, more efforts are made to strengthen social organization construction, public space governance, and social network governance.

Key words: social governance, policy system, modernization of governance