KWWSVPXVHMKXHGXDUWLFOH The Development, Current State, and Effects of Community Informatization in Mainland

In recent years, community informatization initiatives have devel-oped throughout mainland China. The meaning of “community in-formatization ” in China is similar to “community informatics ” in the U.S. This paper aims to investigate the current state of community informatization in mainland China—with a focus on best practices, major challenges, patterns of development, developing trends, and effects. Comparing the theory and practice of China’s community in-formatization to community informatics in other countries, especially in the U.S. and Europe, this paper asks: can government-sponsored or independent informatization efforts bridge the digital divide and help China realize digital—or information—equity