How Do Land Takings Affect Political Trust in Rural China - Literature review Example

 How Do Land Takings Affect Political Trust in Rural China? Aims/objectives To assess the political trust consequences of land taking To find out if land takings are linked to political trust decline Findings Land takings are linked to lesser political trust. Decline in political trust affects local authorities only but not the central government This decline in political trust has implications on policy implementation and governance. Methodology This paper analyses two surveys that were conducted between 2008 and 2009 in several suburban peripheries of Chinese cities. The same hypothesis used when collecting data in the 2008 survey is tested using the data that was collected from the 2009 survey. Introduction Land ownership continues to be an emotive issue in many countries today, both in democratic and authoritarian regimes. Land related issues have led to years of political unrest in many countries which has in turn affected political consequences. Scholars assert that countries with minimal levels of land in-equalities are better placed to transition away from authoritarianism. Land requisition is one of the most contentious issues in China today. It has also contributed largely to the economic transformation of China. The mass incidents that occurred in China in 2010 were primarily due to agitated farmers who have lost land unfairly. According to a veteran observer, the frequent land related protests pre-disposes the leadership to the danger of losing large tracks of land in the countryside. This paper will shed light on the implications of existing land policy through examining the consequences land requisition has on villagers and especially their trust towards the authorities. Literature review A high level of political trust has been associated with cementing the legitimacy of the existing regime in both the democratic and authoritarian contexts. Survey research shows that since the onset of the 1990’s, the dominant Chinese Communist Party has enjoyed unwavering support. The lingering question therefore remains, could the leadership be affected by the declining levels of the villagers trust towards the authorities due to land loss? This answer can be answered by first determining which level of the government one is talking about. The 2008 and 2009 survey research showed that it is only the local authorities’ trust that is affected and not the central government when it involves land requisition. As much as the central government is not affected, the political implications are still significant. Unfair land takings continues to enlarge the gap between the central and local authorities trust as it is likely to eventually complicate governance in rural China. Since the people’s republic of China begun, agricultural land use and distribution has continued to evoke rural passions. Shortly after the civil war, CPP took over land reform throughout China. The dominating party acquired property from the landlords and other well up peasants and distributed it to the poor in the rural areas. Although the land reform was accompanied by brutal bloodshed, the poor peasant farmers were happy to receive their own land. This move led to increased incomes in the villages but as well eroded grass root leaders authority and as such it was difficult to govern these areas. The Chinese government rides on its monopoly to acquire land in the rural areas at reduced rates, land which is used for rapid development. This is unlike other countries in East Asia such as Korea and Japan where land is privately owned and the owners contribute to decisions in land values. As Chinas economy continued to rapidly grow in the onset of the 21st century, requisition of land accelerated and as such intensified conflicts related to land. Local authorities are keen on land requisition in the rural areas due to several reasons. Land is needed to set up new factories, for commercial developments, roads and other infrastructure including residential houses. The rapid growth in urbanization and industrialization has led to high demand in land. The local authorities have also prized land development as a key revenue earner. Local authorities have relied upon the amount of revenue that is generated through requisition of rural land for commercial and industry development. The land Administration law allows local officials to compensate farmers but it is dependent on the agricultural value of the land rather than the current market prices. Under compensating the farmers and selling off their land to industries at a much higher price has generated substantial revenue for the local authorities. This has not been taken kindly by the farmers and has caused instability since 2000. As such, mass incidents stemming from frustrated farmers and due to the loss of their land has increased. The existing system of re-acquiring land by the authorities has angered farmers and therefore has caused serious state-society tension. Scholars posit that people evaluate the performance of the government according to the normative expectations of how it should perform towards its citizens. The villagers who were respondents in the 2008 and 2009 surveys in China displayed varying levels of confidence with the leaders, political institutions and the prevailing regime. The people who believe in their leader’s commitment to lead in their favor are likely to support the government’s decisions and therefore less political apathy and conflicts. This is seconded by the scholars who believe that political trust benefits the incumbent authorities as it enhances compliance and easy policy adoption. Less political trust is linked to a more aggressive form of political participation. The rural residents in china who have low trust towards the authorities are more likely to be inclined towards direct elections for central leaders and therefore eventually overturning the existing regime. Decline in political trust may also affect social issues. Political mistrust will also affect social trust and the benefits associated with it. Conclusion Despite the land issues, Chinese people still hold their government in high regard by expressing confidence in their leaders. Scholars have attributed this to the high levels of economic growth that china has enjoyed over the years. This is also related to the fact that despite the rising levels of tensions, it is the local officials that the rural folks have mistrust with and not the central government. The trust in higher authorities is also as a result of the Confucius tradition that asserts that one should ascribe moral virtue to the emperor and blame the crooked court officials for things that turn out wrong. Read More