The Institutionalization Of The Social Governance Innovation In The Grass Roots:A Multi-case Study

As a theoretical hot spot, social governance innovations in the grass roots also met their dilemma, such as involution and administerization. This means that social governance innovations in the grass roots themselves also need governance, and institutionalization is an important dimension. The produce, growth and development of social governance innovations in the grass roots and the way to dock with the external system environment, and the factors that work in this process will be my research question of this article.Studies on the growth and development of social governance innovations in the grass roots from the perspective of institutionalization is still a blank. Social governance innovations in the grass roots differs from general innovation because of its sociality, sense of organization and political nature. In order to answer my question, this article construct a theoretical model of Multi-stage institutionalization by institutionalization theory of organization sociology, legalization of social governance innovation and institutionalization factors of Innovation of Social Governance.This article use five social governance mechanism innovation as case. My research is Case analysis and comparative research. I use the Multi-stage institutionalization model to give analysis and also made detailed comparative analysis of five cases.The behavior theory of organizational innovation institutionalization has some practicability to the institutionalization of social governance innovations in the grass roots. But the interactive relationship between external system environment and social governance innovation itself should be taken into consideration. Organization-functional factors and legitimacy factors both worked across this institutionalization process. But their work during the process is inhomogeneous:firstly, this two sorts of factors actually represent the state control and grassroots autonomy, and their work has competition and cooperation. In early days of the institutionalization of Social governance mechanism innovation, two sorts of factors has cooperation thanks to the Interests between countries and grass-roots social management innovation. However, they has competition as time goes on——the external effects by state had been strengthened. Secondly, the two sorts of factors worked diversely at in a different stage. Organization-functional factors play a positive role in the whole process while legitimacy factors become an interval variables——it play a positive role in early days of the institutionalization of Social governance mechanism innovation, but a negative role latterly. Different intensity by two kinds of factors in the institutionalization of Social governance mechanism innovation give rise to dilemma of social governance mechanisms. The excessive and inappropriate role of legitimacy factors lead to the trouble of their dilemma. So there could be two ways to give the legitimacy of social governance mechanism innovation——The legalization of path I may lead to dilemma, but the legalization of path II will promote the state to give legitimacy space to the social governance mechanism innovation for their growth and development.Findings also reveal that open factors can ease the plight of hierarchical governance. The openness of the governance system including the openness between the system and the system of the social governance system, and the openness of the system itself which requires to keep the communication and information exchange between social governance innovation and the changing social environment at the local level. In addition, the growth and development of social governance innovations in the grass roots should follow the macro and micro " methodicalness".The significance of this research lies in the following respects:Emphasized that social governance innovations in the grass roots are also require governance; made up for the theory blank of institutionalization of the social governance innovations in the grass roots, constructed the theoretical model of Multi-stage institutionalization; Points out two paths to give legitimacy to social governance innovations; Points out the operating steps for growth and development of social governance innovations and the principle to keep the openness of the governance system.