[Academic Achievement] Professors Gui Hua and He Xuefeng Publish Article in Social Sciences in China

News Network (Correspondent: Wang Zheng) — The sixth issue of Social Sciences in China (2025) has published an article entitled Toward Self-Driven Community Action: A Practice of Grassroots Governance by Professors Gui Hua and He Xuefeng of the School of Sociology, Wuhan University.

The article argues that the vigorous advancement of rural revitalization has created favorable conditions for farmers to achieve a better life through increased pro-agriculture resource allocation. However, under the current approach to resource delivery—which relies heavily on project-based initiatives, technical means, and administrative leadership—farmers remain largely passive recipients of government-provided public services. This has resulted in a grassroots governance paradox where political effectiveness is achieved without corresponding governance efficiency. Leveraging institutional advantages that encourage local innovation, some regions have reformed their methods of resource delivery by integrating public participation and demand expression throughout the implementation process. This has helped overcome limitations of the project-based system and improved resource utilization efficiency. The key to optimizing resource delivery lies in institutionalizing the transformation of state resources into village-owned resources through standardized mechanisms. By using state investment to activate village-level institutional operations, farmers can enhance their sense of initiative and capacity for collective action in the practice of rural revitalization. Finding effective ways to translate the Party’s sound policies into conscious actions of the people, thereby combining “working for farmers” with “relying on farmers,” represents an important manifestation of the mass line in the new era.

It is reported that Social Sciences in China mainly publishes the latest and most cutting-edge research achievements in philosophy and social sciences, and is regarded by the academic community as the highest-level comprehensive journal in the field of humanities and social sciences in China.

(Editor: Zhao Jifan)