Speaker: Tingting Lu, ​Shanghai Jiao Tong University

​The COVID-19 pandemic is a governance challenge for nations and cities across the world. While early observations have primarily focused on nation-scale government actions, our research shows that neighborhood social capital also plays a key role in Chinese neighborhoods. Drawing from collaborative governance theory, we examine the horizontal and hierarchical dynamics of neighborhood governance collaboration during crisis responses in urban China. Using a large-scale questionnaire survey of frontline community workers conducted in six Chinese cities in February 2020, we find that from the perspective of residents’ committees, the effectiveness of collaborative governance in pandemic control is predicted by both neighborhood social capital (i.e. civic engagement and citizen participation) and hierarchical steering by the government through setting policy priorities and providing support. We also surveyed residents for their opinions on neighborhood collaborative governance post pandemic. Social capital presents opposite correlations to one’s collaboration with a residents’ committee and collaboration with a private management company. 

Tingting Lu is an Associate Professor at School of International and Public Affairs, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Her research focuses on neighborhood governance and housing development in urban China. Recently she has also worked on gated communities, social segregation, and neighborhood attachment, and has published in leading journals in urban studies and geography, including Urban Studies, Urban Geography, and Geoforum. 

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