An empirical study of land reallocation management and peasant loss of lifetime employment: societal unrest in China through the lens of organisational justice research. (22nd December 2009)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wu, Jinpei; Fox, Jeremy B.; Donohue, Joan M.; Dai, Qian
• Is Part Of: International journal of sustainable society. Volume 2:Number 1(2010)
• Page Start: 50
• Page End: 69
• Publication Date: 2009-12-22
• Subjects: China -- land reallocation -- organisational justice -- procedural justice -- land management -- peasant farmers -- lifetime employment -- social unrest -- social strife -- land policy -- government policy -- displaced farmers; Sustainable development -- Periodicals; Sustainability -- Periodicals; Human ecology -- Periodicals; Environmental responsibility -- Periodicals; Sustainable agriculture -- Periodicals; 304.2805
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1756-2538

Abstract

We examine the current and ongoing social strife in China, which is rooted in the unrest of Chinese farmers, by using the lens of organisational justice literature. Of the thousands of incidents of social unrest occurring each year in China, a substantial proportion of that unrest is farmer response to perceived injustices in the land-use reallocation process. Clearly, sustainability of the status quote is eroding due to perceived 'unfairness'. Using a sample of 214 Chinese farmers who have lost the use of their land, we examine their responses to actions taken in accordance with governmental land policy. Implications from this research are discussed along with a discussion of the study's limitations. Our research findings indicate that displaced Chinese farmers would be more satisfied with the land reallocation process if the basic components of organisational justice were implemented.