China's disappearing countryside : towards sustainable land governance for the poor / by Yongjun Zhao.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction : the mystic role of land tenure reform in sustainable rural development -- International context of land tenure reform : theoretical reconstruction -- A brief account of 600 years of China's land struggles before the market reform era -- China's land tenure reform since 1970s : crossing the river by touching the stones? -- Withering household responsibility system and sustainable natural resource management in north China -- Land transfers for scaled development : an economic fix or marginalization of the poor? -- Innovative pro-poor collective land tenure : case study of a village commune in southern China -- Conditions and dynamics of pro-poor land tenure.

"While China's hybrid rural land tenure system has contributed to agricultural development, it is interwoven with rising farmland loss and social conflicts. This book examines the linkages between land tenure, development and governance in the context of China's development transformation. Drawing on empirical studies, it advocates the exploration of innovative land tenure systems that address the wider determinants: institutions, power, politics and social development. It argues that a land tenure system can only be sustainable when it is compatible with the overall biophysical, social, political and economic conditions. This new institutional lens into the conditions and dynamics of land tenure systems marks a paradigm shift away from those focusing on the narrow meaning of land rights and tenure security strengthening, as these approaches can paradoxically contribute to weaker land and resource governance. Contributing to an enhanced understanding of the challenges China faces in agricultural development and natural resource governance and to the international debates on land tenure reform, this book will be of interest to researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and students in development studies, anthropology, sociology, political sciences, law, geography, economics, public administration and other relevant disciplines. The lessons learnt from China also shed light on its global engagement on sustainable development and governance issues."--Publisher's website.

Print version record.

English.

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