TITLE:
Structural Empowerment and Project-Based Governance of Public Services Provision: A Case Study Based on a Chinese Community
AUTHORS:
Qiurong Huang
KEYWORDS:
Project System, Community Empowerment, Consultative Deliberation System, Grassroots Governance
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Political Science,
Vol.16 No.4,
October
23,
2026
ABSTRACT: The project system is an important approach for the state to deliver public resources to the grassroots. However, the project-based supply of public services at the primary level often faces problems like adaptive policy implementation and resource detachment. In recent years, innovative practices of local government have provided valuable explorations to address these challenges. This paper analyzes how structural empowerment reshapes project-based governance at primary level from dimensions of institutions, resources, and actions, by examining the process of social service project governance in Community B. Research findings show that the construction of participatory decision-making mechanism embeds procedures of public opinion absorption and negotiation into the project initiation process. The establishment of an empowerment resource support system promotes the formation of resource networks, making resource mobilization effective. The affirmation of autonomous implementation provides the community with sufficient opportunities for self-action. These institutional arrangements have changed how power of decision-making, resource control and project implementation function in community public service project. It makes the community the hub of project-based governance, thereby improving the accuracy of public service supply, promoting the endogenous growth of community governance capabilities, and facilitating the development of order in community governance.