This project explores the role of Community Health Centre (CHC) managers and health professionals as custodians in renewing the institution of Community health in China. As part of a government-led entrepreneurial initiative, the CHC reform aims to provide quality, community-based healthcare for a broad range of medical needs. In the past, people who could afford to, always sought medical treatment from hospital-based physicians; they avoided CHCs and viewed them as second-rate services. In contrast, the relatively newly minted CHC initiative seeks to transform CHCs into trusted institutions where Chinese citizens can access high-quality care for a wide range of medical needs within their local communities. Through an exploratory study of four CHCs, combining interviews, observations, focus groups, and documentary analysis, this project aims to develop a multi-level process model that explicates how custodians challenge existing norms and contribute to institutional renewal.
Crime Science
Custodianship in institutional renewal: an exploratory study of the Community Health Centre (CHC) in China
Starting Date
Expected Completion Date
Principal Investigator
Professor CHEN Yaru