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ID: 145741

Land requisitions and state–village power restructuring in Southern China / Wong, Siu Wai

Wong, Siu Wai	Journal Article
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Summary/Abstract

Land requisitions for urban development have led to a rapid growth of wealthy, autonomous villages in southern China. However, the underlying causes of this emerging phenomenon and its impact on local governance have been largely unexplored by the existing literature. Through an in-depth analysis of the contestations and negotiations between the local state and villagers when dealing with the various problems arising from land compensation, this study explains how and why land requisitions strengthened the collective power of villagers in defending their rightful interests. This bolstered power has in turn forced the local state constantly to adjust its tactics when addressing the needs of villagers in order to avoid widespread conflicts and potential social unrest. The findings provide new insights into the complexities of land conflicts and their actual impact on state–village power restructuring in southern China.

Key Words

Conflicts ; China ; Urbanization ; Resistance ; Self-Governance ; Local State ;
Land Requisition

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ID: 173456

Village Elections, Grassroots Governance and the Restructuring of State Power: an Empirical Study in Southern Peri-urban China / Wong, Siu Wai ; Liu, Jinlong ; Tang, Bo-sin

Wong, Siu Wai	Journal Article
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China's urbanization has revitalized grassroots governance under which millions of villagers have become increasingly keen to participate in grassroots elections and influence decision making in their village affairs. To maintain its political legitimacy over a rapidly transforming society, the authoritarian party-state has progressively promoted open, competitive grassroots elections in response to the increasing demand by villagers for more public participation. Based on in-depth field research in urbanizing villages in southern China, this article provides an empirical analysis of how the local state has adopted different interventionist strategies in elections to support villagers’ active participation while sustaining its direct leadership over daily village governance. Our findings explain why the recent development of open and transparent grassroots elections is reinforcing the ruling capacity of the socialist state rather than enhancing self-governance and grassroots democracy, although villagers now have more opportunities to defend their economic and social rights through elections.

Key Words

State intervention ; Election ; China ; Governance ; Urbanization ; Public Participation

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