A comparison of the means and ends of rural construction land consolidation: Case studies of villagers' attitudes and behaviours in Changchun City, Jilin province, China

Abstract

Rural construction land consolidation (RCLC) is an innovative approach to coordinating the outmigration of a rural population and the increase in rural housing land, thereby protecting farmland and ensuring food security, adding to urban construction land quotas, and improving the rural habitat environment in China. Since 2005, several different models or approaches to RCLC have been practiced by local governments. Regardless of public interest in the specific projects of RCLC, its implementation is not successful without the cooperation of relevant villagers whose attitudes and behaviours in response to RCLC have thus far been given only minimal academic attention. Focusing on one of the approaches of RCLC, viz. the homestead exchange apartment approach (HEA), this paper analyses the means and ends of its practices and villagers' attitudes and behaviours in response to them based on a comparison of a failed case (Village A) and a successful case (Village B) in Changchun City, which is located in the northeast of China. The results show that the geographical location and associated socio-economic background of villages endow them with different potentials, strengths, and weaknesses in implementing HEA, the higher adaptability to urban living usually accompany with lower consolidation potential of rural construction land, and vice versa; The different means of HEA result in different ends, both absolute private property-based means and absolute population-based means are dogmatic and impractical; Under constrained socio-economic, biophysical, and institutional situations, the main factors influencing villagers' attitudes and behaviours in response to the various means of HEA include household population size, original housing conditions, livelihood, life course, and Guanxi. Critically, RCLC should follow a trial and error approach and villagers must have real opportunities to take part in the decision-making that will influence their futures.