Modern Social Science Research

In the context of national modernization and social governance innovation, the political legitimacy of social organizations has emerged as a critical determinant for their sustainable development within China’s unique institutional framework. Despite its theoretical and practical significance, the mechanisms through which Party-building initiatives enhance such legitimacy remain underexplored. Focusing on Shenzhen—a pilot city for comprehensive reform—this study employs case study methodology to analyze representative social organizations via longitudinal observation, in-depth interviews, and policy document analysis. Findings reveal that Shenzhen’s institutional design has systematically strengthened political legitimacy through four synergistic dimensions: (1) institutional safeguards manifested in integrated registration-Party organization establishment mechanisms; (2) ideological alignment via innovative collaborative governance frameworks; (3) strategic synergy linking organizational capacities to national development priorities; and (4) social credibility enhancement through publicly recognized Party-branded initiatives. These practices collectively form a "four-dimensional integration model," demonstrating how institutional embeddedness, value cultivation, strategic coordination, and credibility co-construction dynamically reinforce political legitimacy. This research not only enriches organizational legitimacy theory by introducing context-specific mechanisms rooted in China’s governance paradigm but also provides actionable insights for aligning social organizations with state governance systems under Party leadership. The proposed framework advances scholarly discourse while offering pragmatic pathways for enhancing social organizations’ role in achieving Chinese-style modernization goals.

Social Organizations; Party Building; Political Legitimacy; Social Governance