Activating elite motivation in community governance

Retrofitting elevators in old residential buildings is a typical project in urban community renewal, yet it often falls into a collective-action dilemma due to conflicting interests. Using the elevator-addition project in Caihong Subdistrict, Guangzhou, as a case, this study explores how to activate community elites motivation to break this impasse. Through qualitative analysis, it proposes a threefold activation mechanism: (1) at the actorstructure level, build a polycentric governance network that integrates administrative, market, social, and elite forces to form a stratified action architecture; (2) at the institutionaction level, design incentive-compatible rule instruments to lower coordination costs; and (3) at the valueinterest level, combine quantified benefit assessments with moral incentives to generate a dual drive of instrumental (material) and value rationalities. The findings indicate that, under Party-building leadership, community elites sense of mission as Party members and neighborly sentiment are the core drivers. By flexibly deploying both formal and informal strategies, these elites effectively foster consensus. The study offers theoretical insights and practical approaches for grassroots governance and recommends promoting the Chinese path to address collective-action challenges in urban renewal worldwide.