Rural Development In China Research Articles

Inter-provincial differences of technical innovation efficiency among farmer professional cooperatives in China

AbstractThe technical innovation efficiency of farmer professional cooperatives has a far-reaching impact on the economic transformation and development in rural China, but it has been rarely studied. Addressing this gap, this article builds an index evaluating system for the technical innovation efficiency of provinces through a three-stage data envelopment analysis model that measures the relative efficiency of the technical innovation of cooperatives in China’s thirty-one provinces. The results show that the Eastern and Central provinces in China are more efficient than the Western provinces in terms of the technical innovation efficiency of farmer professional cooperatives. However, due to the lack of sustainable innovative capability of these cooperatives, investment redundancy is common in technical innovation. Besides, the impact of the external technology environment on the technical innovation of provincial farmer professional cooperatives is significant, and the scale of the rural market greatly incentivizes the cooperative technical innovation. Some policy suggestions are accordingly proposed.

FINTECH, GROWTH AND INEQUALITY: EVIDENCE FROM CHINA’S HOUSEHOLD SURVEY DATA

This paper represents an early attempt to investigate the growth and distributional effects of Fintech development, using household survey data from China. China’s rapid expansion of Fintech in the past decade has significantly improved the accessibility and affordability of financial services, particularly for formerly financially excluded population groups. Linking the index of digital financial inclusion with China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data, we find that Fintech development is positively correlated with household income, and the positive effect is larger for rural households than the urban counterpart, suggesting that Fintech development has helped narrow the urban–rural income gap. Moreover, the poor gain more than the rich from Fintech development in rural China, indicating its benign distributive impacts within rural China.

Parental Migration and Early Childhood Development in Rural China.

Nearly one-quarter of all children under age 2 in China are left behind in the countryside as parents migrate to urban areas for work. We use a four-wave longitudinal survey following young children from 6 to 30 months of age to provide first evidence on the effects of parental migration on development, health, and nutritional outcomes in the critical first stages of life. We find that maternal migration has a negative effect on cognitive development: migration before children reach 12 months of age reduces cognitive development by 0.3 standard deviations at age 2. Possible mechanisms include reduced dietary diversity and engagement in stimulating activities, both known to be causally associated with skill development in early life. We find no effects on other dimensions of physical and social-emotional health.

Informality and rural industry: Rethinking the impacts of E-Commerce on rural development in China

Abstract The adoption and diffusion of e-commerce in developing countries exerts a fundamental influence on economic growth and on people’s daily lives. The impacts of diffuse e-commerce platforms on rural China are exemplified by the sharp increase in the number of ‘Taobao villages’. The Taobao village is regarded as an effective means of revitalising rural areas and narrowing the rural–urban gap by both academia and the government. However, our case study in Zeguo Town, Zhejiang Province demonstrates that such an attitude seems over-optimistic. Supported by document review and semi-structured interviews with local government officials, village cadres and entrepreneurs of leading enterprises and also small and medium-sized workshops, our study reveals that the rapid growth of the local footwear industry in Zeguo Town is an outcome of the lowered capital barriers for entry brought through Taobao. In response to this rapid growth, migrants have flooded into the local industry and started their own businesses. As a result, the cost of production elements such as industrial land and labour rose significantly, threatening the survival of cost-sensitive enterprises. As rational economic subjects, entrepreneurs’ pursuit of low-cost spaces and local farmers’ provision of vacant houses to entrepreneurs contributed to an e-commerce-induced informality. Many small and medium-sized shoemaking workshops and Taobao online shops penetrated surrounding rural villages. E-commerce-induced informality not only challenged rural governance but also undermined the operation of leading enterprises as new small enterprises disrupt the pricing of products, labour costs and even affect the reputation of local industry. The current unregulated development and seemingly rapid growth only store up troubles in the future.

Relationships between Parenting Skills and Early Childhood Development in Rural Households in Western China

This paper empirically investigates the relationships between caregivers’ parenting skills and early cognitive, language, motor, and social-emotional development of children aged 6–24 months. The study is based on data from a survey conducted in 100 villages in a typical poor rural area in western China. A total of 1715 households were enrolled in the study. In the study, Parent and Family Adjustment Scales (PAFAS), Bayley Scales of Infant Development version III (BSID-III), and a socioeconomic questionnaire were used to measure caregiver’s parenting skills, child’s development outcomes, and socioeconomic characteristics in sample households, respectively. Multivariate regression was used to estimate the relationship between a caregiver’s parenting skills and the child’s development outcomes. The results show that, first, parenting skills are positively and significantly associated with children’s cognitive, language, motor, and social-emotional development, and the link between parenting skills and social-emotional development is the strongest; second, the correlation between parenting skills and development outcomes varies across socioeconomic characteristics and parenting skill dimensions. The results provide evidence for the relationship between parenting skills and early childhood development in rural households in western China. Our findings also suggest that interventions aimed at improving caregivers’ parenting skills during the early stages are necessary for human capital development in rural China.

A new grading system for evaluating China's cultivated land quality

AbstractCultivated land is crucial to food security, social and economic stability, environmental quality, and sustainable urban–rural development in China and around the world. However, most of the current grading systems for evaluating cultivated land quality in China tend to generate homogeneous results and inadequate spatial descriptions mainly due to the use of a composite index method that often fails to recognize the matching relationship between land use needs and the quality of cultivated land. The purpose of this study is to propose a new grading system for evaluating China's cultivated land quality that involves two index systems and a scoring and grading scheme. In the proposed system, cultivated land quality is redefined in terms of production capacity quality and environmental quality, and the minimum limiting factor method and the weighted linear model are coupled for factor scoring and grading. The new system is demonstrated by a case‐study in Yimen Town, a loess plateau region in western China's Shaanxi Province. The results of this study clearly indicate that the new grading system is superior to the current system when compared using two methods: the spatial pattern comparison method and the crop performance validation method. The results are also favorable in terms of matching relationships between the subclasses of cultivated land quality versus soil types and landforms. The new grading system not only helps to better understand the cultivated land quality but also provides a clear direction for science‐based remediation and amelioration of cultivated land.

Parental Migration and Early Childhood Development in Rural China

Parental Migration and Early Childhood Development in Rural China

Putting Children Into Place: Village Context and Educational Inequality in Rural China

To what extent do heterogeneous village contexts lead to diverging educational opportunities for the children living in them? This study investigates the relationship between residential context and educational inequality in rural China, drawing on data from the most recent, near-nationwide longitudinal survey. The study first shows that total inequality in child educational attainment in rural China is driven as much by inequality among villages as by inequality among households in the same village. Villages matter the most at the compulsory level of education: between living in two villages, population-average probabilities of discontinuing school at primary and lower secondary levels can differ by as much as 16 to 17 percentage points. Second, between the two structural dimensions of village contexts, access to off-farm employment opportunities, but not village resource constraints, is significantly associated with child educational attainment. Third, the study finds opposite associations of village out-migration opportunities with girls’ and boys’ educational attainment. These findings not only highlight the interplay between micro- and macro-level processes in shaping educational inequalities but also call attention to the social consequences of spatial inequality in economic development in rural China and beyond.

A Research Review on the Development of Urban-Rural Integration

The integrated development of urban and rural areas can effectively solve the problem of insufficient rural development in China, and finally solve the problem of insufficient and unbalanced development in China, so as to achieve high-quality development and common prosperity. To establish and improve effective systems and mechanisms and promote the healthy development of urban-rural integration, the development of urban-rural integration must be comprehensively grasped. This study attempts to make a comprehensive introduction to the research on urban-rural integrated development by sorting out, analyzing and summarizing the relevant important research results at home and abroad, so as to provide a theoretical basis for the establishment and improvement of the urban-rural integrated development system and mechanism in China.

Agricultural and rural development in China during the past four decades: an introduction

The past four decades have witnessed unprecedented economic growth and rapidly rising food demand in China. This paper provides an introduction to readers with useful information summarising the development of China’s agricultural sector and the transformation of its rural economy over the 40 years of economic reform. It is, however, impossible to cover all aspects of this recent and rich history in a single journal special issue. Nevertheless, we are of the view that these papers address the most fundamentally important and insightful topics including: land reform and rural development; technology progress and productivity growth; changing food consumption patterns; rural education and human capital accumulation; and poverty alleviation.

What Affects Participation in the Farmland Rental Market in Rural China? Evidence from CHARLS

Land fragmentation and the small size of land parcels are still the major bottlenecks for agriculture sustainable development in rural China, and an efficient land rental market could consolidate land plots and realize agricultural management at a moderate scale. However, transaction cost is still the main obstacle of land transfer. It is, therefore, essential to reduce the excessive transaction costs in the process of transfer; the primary task is to identify the roots of transaction costs. In order to accurately identify the sources of transaction costs, a generalized ordered Logit model with thresholds that allowed transaction costs to affect different directions of land transfer was developed using the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey in 2015. The results suggested that the roots of transaction costs presented significant differences regarding the supply and demand of cropland. For the supply of land, the land titling program, land transfer intermediaries, and well-planned roads were the three most important factors that reduced transaction costs. For the demand of land, the three critical measures for reducing the transaction costs were well-planned roads, land consolidation, and the land titling program. The government should continue to push forward the land titling program and land consolidation projects in rural China, especially in hilly and mountainous areas. The infrastructure that greatly restricted agricultural development should be improved at a moderate level and the system of land circulating intermediary services at the township level should be established.

E-Commerce, Taobao Villages and Regional Development in China*

ABSTRACT China’s phenomenal growth and unprecedented urbanization are accompanied by social and environment problems such as rising inequality and rural stagnation. However, a new form of development based on Alibaba Group’s Taobao e-commerce platform, known as Taobao villages, has emerged in rural China to capitalize from e- commerce and sustain rural development. We investigate development trajectories and organizational structure of Taobao villages to better understand e-commerce and regional development in rural China, including the role of entrepreneurs, firms, and local states. We find that Taobao villages are being produced through economic restructuring and institutional change in response to shifting economic contexts. We have identified five development models of Taobao villages: production-oriented Xishan, Qiaoyun and Bainiu models, and market-oriented Beishan and Qingyanliu models. We also find that local states and ICT (information and communication technology) firms have played an important role in facilitating the development of Taobao villages. Taobao villages have to work closely with their local and external networks to upgrade technology, enhance innovation, and increase added value. Local contexts and spatial networking are essential to the development of Taobao villages. As a new form of regional development, Taobao villages may provide a pathway to economic development for rural areas in other developing countries.

The impact of migration on the food consumption and nutrition of left-behind family members: Evidence from a minority mountainous region of southwestern China

While migration is widely recognized as a valid option for improving farmers' income, the welfare effects of migration on left-behind family members are ambiguous. This study examines the impacts of migration on left-behind family members' food consumption and nutrient intake, particularly in remote rural areas in China. Based on household survey data collected from 611 smallholder rubber farmers in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture of southwestern China, the empirical results suggest that the migration of family members contributes to improving household net income, whereas it negatively affects left-behind family members' consumption of grain and pork. Migration also leads to a decrease in left-behind family members' nutrient intake. Surprisingly, the economic returns of farmers' migration not only do not foster the transformation of household food consumption from a staple food-dominated dietary structure to one including more meat and dairy products but also reduce left-behind family members' nutrient intake. This study adds to the literature on the impact of farmers' migration. The findings have important implications for better understanding the impacts of migration on farmers' livelihood and human capital development in rural China.

Motivations of tourism‐induced mobility: Tourism development and the pursuit of the Chinese dream

AbstractLess developed areas face the challenge of attracting and sustaining various forms of capital for tourism development. This study examines the motivations and experiences of migrant employees and entrepreneurs in the context of tourism development in rural China. In‐depth interviews with migrant employees and entrepreneurs revealed that they were motivated by economic, sociocultural, and intrinsic factors to enter the tourism industry and strive towards personal achievement. Tourism development offers opportunities for individuals in pursuit of the Chinese dream, suggestions are made on the strategic planning of tourism and providing more administrative support to improve tourism supply‐induced mobility.

A Study on Microfinance Company and Rural Development in China

In China, the finance institution is more concerned about the city than the rural for a long time. Even the rural banks, such as China Agriculture...

Developing community capability for e‐commerce development in rural China: A resource orchestration perspective

AbstractCommunity capability enables a large number of rural citizens to cooperatively engage in e‐commerce as an e‐commerce cluster, and it thus plays a critical role in e‐commerce development in the rural regions of developing countries. Taking the resource orchestration perspective as the theoretical lens, this study investigates the process for developing community capability. Two cases of community capability development in rural Chinese villages are studied. The findings reveal two settings for community capability development—government supported and self‐orchestrated—and show that community capability is developed through the individual capabilities of lead users and the resource orchestration interactions of stakeholders. This study has theoretical implications because it reveals the importance of developing community capability by orchestrating resources beyond merely providing training and education to rural community members and because it identifies the processes for developing community capability in the two respective settings. It also extends the resource orchestration perspective from a single‐firm context to a community context by revealing the resource orchestration interactions.

An Analysis on Barriers to Biomass and Bioenergy Development in Rural China Using Intuitionistic Fuzzy Cognitive Map

Biomass is viewed as one of the critical renewable energies and it widely exists in nature. Developing bioenergy has been promoted as a viable mean of dealing with environment issues that are related to the utilization of fossil fuel. However, due to many obstacles, the biomass and bioenergy technology has not won widespread support in developing countries, like China, with vast land area, particularly in rural area. Furthermore, most existing researches just focused on the description of the influence factors, along with the solution to the technical problems, while many social factors are overlooked. In fact, the process of developing biomass is indeed complicated due to the need for consensus and active participation of the various stakeholders, such as the government, the industry, and the local residents. Therefore, while integrating the intuitionistic fuzzy logic and fuzzy cognitive map, this study constructs an intuitionistic fuzzy cognitive map (IFCM) that is in line with experts’ suggestions and the current literature to investigate how to promote the development of biomass through enhancing public acceptance. We conduct several simulations from the perspective of different stakeholders, according to the IFCM. The analysis results reveal the influence mechanism in the system and illustrate the effect of various factors that are stressed by every stakeholder. The research design also provides a reference for future studies.

Research on China's Rural Development Strategy Based on SWOT-AHP Analysis

The rapid urbanization development has helped China's economy to rise sharply, and it has also plunged the countryside into a development dilemma. Based on a questionnaire survey of 25 industry experts, this paper uses SWOT-AHP analysis to study the advantages, disadvantages, opportunities and threats of rural development, and finally determines the development strategy of rural China. Put forward three suggestions on rural development in China, that is, grasp the national strategic opportunity to develop modern agriculture, upgrade the level of rural human capital and cultivate the concept of ecological civilization.

Political Economy of Tourism Development in Rural China: Case of Luting Township, Zhejiang

ABSTRACTIn current China’s rural development, sustainable discourses are used by decision-makers at all levels in order to create a viable ecological system and sustainable growth in rural areas, under the pressure of urbanization. Through a case study of a rural sustainable tourism planning project in China, this study examines the interweaving political and economic initiatives behind the tourism planning decision-making, in particular, through the discussion of political cadres’ discourses and social actions with the application of Jessop’s Strategic-Relational Approach (SRA). The result indicates the dual-relationship between structural constraints from the state and strategic responses from local level political cadres result in the decision-making in rural tourism development. The study of these political cadres at different levels also help to overview the rural tourism governance and power relationship in tourism planning.

The effect of a community-based, integrated and nurturing care intervention on early childhood development in rural China.

This study investigated whether an integrated, community-based and nurturing care intervention led to a reduction in the prevalence of suspected neurodevelopmental delay in children. The study also considered how the programme could be sustained to promote early development in children aged under 3 years in the poorest areas of rural China. A quasi-experimental design was applied, with data collection before and after a 2-year programme implementation, in both intervention and comparison (control) areas. From July 2014, the Integrated Early Childhood Development (IECD) programme was implemented in poverty-stricken areas in four counties of China. Nurturing care intervention focusing on five components (child health, nutrition, responsive care, protection and early learning support) was delivered mainly by the village early childhood development centre and township/village clinic. Another two counties of similar per capita gross domestic product, geographical characteristics, under-five mortality rate, under-five underweight prevalence and ethnicity to the four programme counties were selected as the comparison and received no IECD programme intervention. The Ages & Stages Questionnaire was used to evaluate the neurodevelopmental outcome of children; the overall suspected developmental delay (SDD) referred to any developmental delay in the communication, gross-motor, fine-motor or problem-solving or personal-social domains of the questionnaire. Children underwent anthropometric measurements and haemoglobin concentration testing through peripheral blood. Face-to-face interviews of caregivers were conducted to collect intervention use, cognitive stimulation and child-protection behaviours. A difference-in-differences regression approach, adjusting for confounding factors, was applied to estimate intervention impact on the neurodevelopmental outcomes in the children. Path analysis was employed to examine the mediating effects of growth, nutrition status, cognitive stimulation and child-protection behaviours through which the IECD intervention predicted children's developmental health. In total, 2953 children aged under 3 years and their caregivers were enrolled at baseline, and 2745 child-caregiver pairs completed the postintervention assessment. Prevalence of overall SDD was reduced by 18% (from 37% at baseline to 19% at postintervention) in intervention counties, which is a significant difference compared with the 10% reduction in control counties (from 30% to 20%), with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.69 (95% confidence interval: 0.54-0.89). Consistent findings were found across domains. Path analysis indicated that the effect of the intervention on promoting developmental health was mediated by multiple nurturing care-associated factors, including cognitive stimulation frequency, positive discipline, length-for-age growth and haemoglobin concentration. The community-based integrated intervention could significantly prevent developmental delay in children aged under 3 years in rural China.