Local governance transformation in urbanizing China: a case study of Beijing Lugouqiao township

Abstract

China has experienced a rapid process of urbanization, under which urban population has increased from 170 million to approximately 850 million in the past four decades. This study explores why such an unprecedentedly rapid process of urban transformation has strengthened rather than weakened the state power in local governance. It draws from an in-depth case study in Beijing Lugouqiao Township where the state local has reorganized its direct intervention into twenty villages which are becoming urban neighborhoods as a result land acquisitions for urban development. Based on intensive research in these villages, the core of this study adopts a micro-historical approach to analyze how the local state, village cadres, ordinary villagers, migrants and other actors have contested to cope with the challenges and problems arising from urban transition. The findings explain how the local state has been able to regain its control over urbanizing villages through its strategic interventions into four key institutional arenas, including land requisitions, village redevelopment, shareholding reforms and grassroots elections. The findings of this research shed new light on the regional diversity of urban transformation and its impact on local governance restructuring. They also inform better policy making in a number of areas, such as property rights reforms, social welfare provisions and grassroots elections, which are critical to enhancing the well-being of land-losing villagers and building community capacities for urban transformation.