Health shocks, village elections, and household income: Evidence from rural China

While social scientists have examined in some detail the income earning activities of Chinese peasants in communes, the primary focus of these studies has been to describe the general pattern of peasant behaviour – the orthodox, legitimate, legally sanctioned methods for increasing collective (and household) income. What these studies ignore, however, is the existence of a “second economy” in rural China, characterized by a wide range of informal, extra– or illegal strategies also designed to enhance collective income. In Guangdong from 1962 to 1974 these included: altering the size of production units; speculation; fraudulent loan applications; corruption; theft; withholding goods or services; false reporting; and violence or demonstrations. While acknowledging that these activities did not represent the norm, nonetheless, a systematic discussion of informal and perhaps deviant behaviour, highlighting time and participant variations, is necessary to form a more accurate picture of Chinese peasant behaviour.

Download Full-text

The Role of International ngos in the Development of Democracy in Rural China

The China Nonprofit Review ◽

10.1163/18765149-12341312 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 163-187

Author(s):

Dongshui Yin ◽

Xiaoguang Guo

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Rural China ◽

Village Elections ◽

Governmental Organizations ◽

Non Governmental Organizations ◽

International Ngos ◽

Fast Movement ◽

The Government

The involvement of international non-governmental organizations (ingos) in the efforts to develop democracy is a global phenomenon in the context of globalization. ingos have played a part in the development of democracy in rural China. Given domestic reformers’ technical need for village elections, the important role of village elections, and the vision of ingos for boosting democracy, ingos have sought cooperation with the government and reached where village elections are held with their resources to provide financial, technical, intellectual and other support for pushing forward elections and the reform. To some extent, these ingos have contributed to the development of democracy in rural China. However, the large-scale fast movement of people in China has resulted in a large number of “vacant” villages. Against such a backdrop, ingos have shown less interest in village elections and shifted some of their attention to other areas. In the process of developing democracy, China should adopt an open and rational attitude towards the ingos, take advantage of their strengths, and avoid considering them either angels or demons.

Download Full-text