The Transformation of Governance in Rural China
Market, Finance, and Political Authority

The outbreak of organised, violent peasant protests across the Chinese countryside from the late 1990s to the early 2000s has attracted much scholarly interest. In this study, An Chen endeavours to understand from these protests the question of the Chinese government's control in the countryside and the impact of this violent resistance on China's rural governance in the context of market liberalisation. Utilising extensive field research and data collected from surveys across rural China, the book provides an in-depth exploration of how rural governance in China has been transformed following two major tax reforms: the tax-for-fee reform of 2002–4, and the abolition of agricultural taxes (AAT) in 2005–6. In a multidimensional analysis which combines approaches from political science, economics, finance and sociology, Chen argues that private economic power has merged with political power in a way that has reshaped village governance in China, threatening to fundamentally change its political structure.

Reviews & endorsements

'This is a thorough and comprehensive analysis of China's rural politics during the reform era. The author traces the effect of the dramatic changes - decollectivization, marketization, privatization, tax reforms - on the power and status of grassroots cadres. He argues that in major parts of rural China village cadres have lost both administrative as well as the redistributive power to allocate public good. The result has been a crisis of rural governance. The exception is a large group of new leaders who combine both entrepreneurial and political roles, but who also pose an implicit challenge to Party control. The book is the result of twelve years of research, using all applicable methods. The author deals skillfully with the increasing complexity of the rural political, economic, and social landscape. The rich detail of this excellent book will challenge readers but those who persist will be amply rewarded.' Thomas P. Bernstein, Columbia University, New York

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Product details

• Date Published: December 2014
• format: Hardback
• isbn: 9781107081758
• length: 406 pages

• dimensions: 235 x 160 x 26 mm
• weight: 0.72kg
• contains: 12 b/w illus. 30 tables
• availability: Available