Optimizing Governance Networks in Multi-Actor Collaboration: A Case Study of Community Service in China

Grassroots community governance has gained increasing attention for its vital role in resource integration and multi-actor collaboration. As an innovative governance model, the “Five-Sector Linkage” (FSL) mechanism enhances service efficiency by aligning the efforts of communities, social organizations, social workers, volunteers, and philanthropic actors. However, quantitative research on interaction dynamics within such mechanisms remains insufficient, particularly regarding the optimization of collaborative networks for improved governance outcomes. This study applies Social Network Analysis (SNA) to the “After-School Program” project in Community B, Chengdu, to examine the structural features and interrelations of multi-actor cooperation under the FSL framework. The collaboration network consists of 39 nodes and 1482 links, with a density of 0.370 and an average path length of 1.632, indicating efficient communication and moderate cohesion. Degree and betweenness centrality analyses identify social workers (C1–C3) as key hubs, with C2 holding the highest bridging role (B_C = 81.401). The overall network shows low centralization (4.19%) and limited heterogeneity (2.74%), reflecting a polycentric and resilient structure. Inter-sectoral analysis showed that all nodes interacted with at least one social worker, while community actors (A1, A2) engaged broadly across 18 nodes. Volunteers maintained extensive grassroots connections, while philanthropic resources formed selective but strategic links with 13 nodes. These findings provide empirical insights into the coordination logic of the FSL mechanism and offer guidance for building adaptive, decentralized community governance networks. Future research should explore longitudinal dynamics and cross-community comparisons to further enhance the applicability of the model.