Since China's marketization‐featured housing reform, homeowner associations have played a greater role in neighbourhood governance. Using the theory of social movements and organizations, this article investigates how homeowner associations strategically reorganize themselves to achieve their goals. Our survey in Beijing suggests that about half of the homeowner associations have adopted bottom‐up governance structures, which are not specified in governmental regulations. We find that such innovations are more likely to occur when a neighbourhood needs grassroots participation to deal with external grievances, especially developer‐related issues, or to overcome its powerlessness due to little access to the polity. We also find that homeowner associations are more likely to adopt bottom‐up structures when their leaders believe strongly in resident participation or actively engage in extra‐organizational professional activities as a means to overcome infrastructure deficit.

This paper provides a historical review and critical evaluation of government performance measurement in China in the past 20 years from the perspective of public participation. The first section focuses on theoretical discussion in an attempt to construct a proper conceptual and analytical framework for the review and assessment. The second section gives account to the practice until the end of the last century under the title of “government domination and no citizen participation.” The third section describes the progresses made in recent years and its driving forces. And the last section starts with a critical assessment of the current situation, followed by some prospects on the practice in the foreseeable future. The conclusion is that enhancing public participation in government performance measurement in China is far beyond the reach of instrumental rationality, it requires systematic and fundamental reforms of the political systems.

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This paper provides a historical review and critical evaluation of government performance measurement in China in the past 20 years from the perspective of public participation. The first section focuses on theoretical discussion in an attempt to construct a proper conceptual and analytical framework for the review and assessment. The second section gives account to the practice until the end of the last century under the title of "government domination and no citizen participation." The third section describes the progresses made in recent years and its driving forces. And the last section starts with a critical assessment of the current situation, followed by some prospects on the practice in the foreseeable future. The conclusion is that enhancing public participation in government performance measurement in China is far beyond the reach of instrumental rationality, it requires systematic and fundamental reforms of the political systems.