Sugarcoating the bitter pill: compensation, land governance, and opposition to land expropriation in China. Issue 6 (18th September 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cai, Meina; Murtazashivili, Jennifer Brick; Murtazashvili, Ilia; Wang, Hui
• Is Part Of: Journal of peasant studies. Volume 47:Issue 6(2020)
• Page Start: 1371
• Page End: 1392
• Publication Date: 2020-09-18
• Subjects: Property rights -- land-taking compensation -- land governance -- perceptions of land expropriation -- China; Peasantry -- Periodicals; Sociology, Rural -- Periodicals; Rural development -- Periodicals; 305.563305
• DOI: 10.1080/03066150.2020.1824180
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-6150

Abstract

ABSTRACT: China's rapid urbanization has been fueled by dispossession and subsequent commodification of villagers' land. We use interviews and an original survey of land-losing villagers to examine factors that influence their opposition to land expropriation. We find that villagers are less opposed to land expropriation when local authorities reduce the gap between land-taking compensation paid to them and the land's market value, distribute compensation expeditiously, publicize processes and procedures, and encourage public participation in the process of land expropriation. Our study, while acknowledging massive dispossession and displeasure with it, shows that autocratic governments can sugarcoat the bitter pill of land expropriation.