Actors and network in the marketization of rural collectively-owned commercial construction land (RCOCCL) in China: A pilot case of Langfa, Beijing

Abstract

This study investigates the actors in the entry process of rural collectively-owned commercial construction land (RCOCCL) into the market, as well as their communication network features, relying on social network analysis and semi-structured interviews. We quantify varying centrality metrics of actors or stakeholders in the marketization network, analyze their roles and positions by identifying cohesive subgroups via blockmodeling, and then scrutinize the information exchange and the flow of brokers. Results suggest that the township-level government and the land joint management company are at a core position with a high-level control over contact and information, both playing important brokerage roles. The village-level property owners are at a peripheral position where their appeals appear lack of policy attention. This relates to the subgroup structure in the marketization network, in which core actors at the district/township level are less connected with village-level stakeholders, resulting in an uninformative delivery of villagers’ opinions. This study helps researchers and practitioners clarify the actors’ roles intertwined in the communicative process of RCOCCL marketization in China.