Rural Revitalization and Land Institution Reform: Achievement, Conflict and Potential Risk

Abstract

Rural depression is a global issue in the process of worldwide urbanization. Compared with rural economic institution reform, rural land institution reform is more thorough in realizing rural revitalization. In this paper, polycentric governance theory is used to introduce marketization reform of collective profit-oriented land (MRCPL). MRCPL aims to allow rural collective profit-oriented construction land to be sold and leased with the same rights and at the same price as state-owned construction land. In the process of MRCPL, we suppose that the key subject is the central government, and the multiple auxiliary subjects include local governments, markets, villagers, and village collectives. Herein, Deqing County was selected as the research area and its achievements, conflicts, and potential risks in the process of MRCPL were studied. This study found that in Deqing County, a unified urban–rural construction land market has been preliminarily established, the rural revenue allocation mechanism has been updated, and the rural land finance mechanism has been developed. However, MRCPL may have conflicts with existing land requisition institutions and land banking institutions, and may also have conflicts within different subjects (farmers, village collective, local government, and central government). These conflicts may lead to potential risks, such as rent-seeking risk, land-financing risk, and real-estate-bubble risk. In general, the MRCPL aims to allow rural collective profit-oriented construction land to be sold and leased with the same rights and at the same prices as state-owned construction land. This reform can protect farmers’ land rights and promote the construction of urban and rural integration.