Rural participation for equal allocation and economic efficiency : case study of a Chinese village in Guangdong, 1978-2011

Abstract

My work attempts to explore why collective egalitarianism continues in post-Mao era. Irrespective of economic efficiency, peasants always insist equal allocation of collective land benefits, no matter in Maoist or post-Mao reform period. Such collective egalitarianim binding to insufficient non-agricultural employment and equal entitlements in collective land system already gets studied. Based on the shareholding cooperative in Yi village, the embeddedness of collective egalitarianism is discussed. Led by the approach of social relations, social interactions between village cadres and peasants also frame the egalitarianism regardelss of rural livelihood and land property rights. Yi village gives rise to valid and ample evidences about the continuity of collective egalitarianism. Though peasants’ dependence on land use has declined, collective programs like public security are still significant to them. Simultaneously, land use has been enclosed in the rich while land disposal is concentrated into village cadres. To secure equal allocation, peasants need to restrain the privatization of public assets by village cadres, which is indicated via rural mass participation. In village organs including collective corproate, village cadres control political power, and even delibratively preclude the public participation of peasants. In contrast, peasants of Yi village prosperously participate into public affairs via lineage organs. Equitable lineage membership helps the mass particpation . Ultimately, this studies emphasizes the cultural dynamics underlying the consistence of collective egalitarianism. Meanwhile, the strengths of peasants in relation to the state also gets more demonstrated.