How to Solve the Governance Challenges of Resettlement Communities for Returning Farmers

In recent years, along with the acceleration of urban-rural integration, villages located in the urban-rural fringe have been successively demolished, and resettlement communities for returning farmers have been built in many areas. The Jingwang Jiayuan Community in Cuigezhuang Township, as a pilot resettlement community for returning farmers in Beijing's urban-rural integration initiative, can be described as a veritable government-led resettlement community. Throughout the entire process of resettling returning farmers, the township Party committee and government, proceeding from actual conditions, actively explored and innovated community governance models, and on the basis of continuous practice and improvement, gradually formed a multi-stakeholder governance mechanism featuring "Party committee leadership, government responsibility, social coordination, and public participation." On this basis, by integrating multiple methods to strengthen the governance and service work of the resettlement community, the harmonious and stable development of the community has been promoted.

Party organizations should play a leading and coordinating role in community governance

First, township-level Party organizations play a leading core role in the governance of resettlement communities, with the focus on establishing organizations and strengthening leadership. On the basis of already established organizational structures such as the First Community Party Committee of Jingwang Jiayuan, the First Community Residents' Committee, the Second Community Party Committee of Jingwang Jiayuan, and the Second Community Residents' Committee, in response to problems facing the community such as the slow alignment between land reserve villages and the community, poor communication between the First and Second Communities and departments and units such as property management companies and ground-floor commercial management companies, scattered community resources, and the inability to promptly resolve issues raised by residents such as property repairs and community development, the township Party committee gave full play to its leading and coordinating role and authorized the establishment of the Jingwang Jiayuan Joint Party Committee. During the transitional phase of alignment between demolished and vacated villages and the community, the Joint Party Committee coordinated various social resources within the community, providing strong organizational guarantees for the rapid and sustainable coordinated development of the community. At the same time, it further mobilized the enthusiasm and creativity of Party organizations in all units within its jurisdiction to participate in community Party building and community development work, creating conditions for fully leveraging the organizational advantages, functional advantages, and talent advantages of all units in the area.

⟦NL> Second, community Party organizations play a leading core role in community governance, with the focus on strengthening services. Community Party building work gives full play to the vanguard and fortress role of grassroots Party organizations and Party members in the governance of resettlement communities, effectively integrates resources within the jurisdiction, and actively promotes Party organizations and Party members in playing their core role of serving the people and serving society. Community Party organizations lead all community cadres, Party members, resident representatives, and Party group leaders in joining various service teams; on the basis of breaking down the original village boundaries, multiple service organizations such as paired assistance, livelihood security, public welfare homes, and the Juyuan Workstation have been established respectively, achieving the accelerated transformation of organizational advantages into service advantages.

Strengthen the public service functions of grassroots government

In the process of community governance, it is not only necessary to transform the living environment from rural to community-based, but also to transform farmers from villagers into urban residents. The Cuigezhuang Township Government continuously strengthens its own public service functions and actively builds a service-oriented government. On the one hand, it actively provides high-quality public services. In addition to guiding and organizing community-level activities such as expert lectures in the community, vegetable direct-sale trucks in the community, medical services in the community, and cultural performances in the community, it also actively builds a "15-minute convenient service circle" and the like, so as to gradually meet community residents' needs in medical care, sports, shopping, culture, and other aspects. On the other hand, it strives to innovate service forms and solve problems such as gaps in community services through government procurement of public services. The government, by purchasing services provided by professional institutions, conducts long-term civic quality training for returning residents in a concentrated manner, and through the professional methods of professional institutions, provides scientific guidance and efficient services to special groups in the community such as the elderly and people with disabilities. By exploring the models and methods of government procurement of public services, it not only effectively meets the growing real demand of society and residents for public services, but also advances the acceleration of the government's own reform and the accelerated transformation of government functions.

Integrate social resources and optimize the community governance structure

In the process of governing resettlement communities, guided by the principle of "co-building, co-prosperity, and sharing," various social organizations and enterprises and institutions are vigorously developed for collaborative management, and they are guided to actively participate in community development and community governance. At present, in the governance system of the Jingwang Jiayuan Community, first, the grassroots self-governance organizations of the original demolished villages use their previous influence and role to participate in and support the governance of the resettlement community, and provide auxiliary governance within the scope of their authority during the early and transitional stages of residents' resettlement; second, social organizations such as the "Neighbor Society," "Community Youth Hub," and "Community Charity Supermarket" are mobilized to cooperate with the service work of the community "Committee-Residents' Committee-Service Station," broadening the channels of social services; third, social units such as the Film Museum and Guomen Nursing Home coordinate and cooperate with community governance, innovating the forms of community social services. The experience of the Jingwang Jiayuan Community shows that various social organizations and enterprises and institutions jointly provide services to individuals, families, groups, and organizations in need in the community, becoming an important force in the governance of resettlement communities.

Guide returning residents to rationally participate in various governance activities

The Cuigezhuang Township Party Committee and government actively mobilize returning residents to participate in community governance, focusing on enhancing community residents' enthusiasm for self-governance and self-governance capacity from the following aspects. First, regularly carry out various service activities. Different service activities are provided to residents at different levels of the community, and through the conduct of various activities, interaction and understanding with residents are deepened, guiding the broad masses of residents to participate in community development. Community backbone members are also discovered and cultivated through activities, promoting community self-organization and self-management. Second, improve the self-governance mechanism, encourage returning residents to participate in community development, and implement "collective deliberation." The community residents' committee further improves the community's democratic governance and democratic supervision systems, and holds residents' meetings of corresponding scope on a regular and irregular basis to jointly discuss and decide on all major community matters, guiding and encouraging community residents to jointly participate in community management and the provision of public services, so that residents' right to be informed, right to deliberate, and right to decide on their own affairs can be fully realized. Third, fully mobilize the power of prestigious individuals and groups in the community. At present, the clan consciousness and geographical consciousness of residents in resettlement communities still exist, and they are absorbed into broad participation in community governance; through the driving force of these backbone groups, more community residents are united under the community governance system. Fourth, tap into and cultivate community volunteer teams. On the basis of thorough research, enthusiastic residents with common interests and special skills are convened to form various volunteer teams. For example, through guidance and active cultivation, the Jingwang Jiayuan Community has already formed 9 community service volunteer teams of about 800 people, including artistic performance, voluntary patrol, elderly care and disability assistance, environmental protection and greening, and legal think tank teams, becoming a beneficial supplement for helping vulnerable groups and an important force for carrying out social welfare activities.

In short, the governance work of resettlement communities for returning farmers is an ongoing process that requires coordinated efforts from all parties. In its current practice and exploration, the Jingwang Jiayuan Community has achieved certain results, but as community governance continues to deepen, issues such as the transformation of the government's role and functions, the effective development and utilization of social organizations, and the realization of genuine resident self-governance still need to be further explored and resolved. In the future, under an effective governance system and mechanism, only by further coordinating and cooperating, giving full play to their respective effectiveness, and continuously adapting to the diverse needs of community governance, can all governance subjects properly resolve the various governance problems of resettlement communities and promote the sustained and healthy development of resettlement communities.