Retreat from Equality or Advance towards Efficiency? Land Markets and Inequality in Rural Zhejiang

Based on a 2001 survey, this study finds increased disparities in land distribution in rural Zhejiang. Regression analyses yield three main findings. First, increased disparities in land distribution are associated with growth of land markets. Second, rural households who acquired land through marke...

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Main Author: ZHANG, Qian Forrest
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Language:English
Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2008
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Online Access:https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/384
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spelling sg-smu-ink.soss_research-13832021-03-09T02:52:36Z Retreat from Equality or Advance towards Efficiency? Land Markets and Inequality in Rural Zhejiang ZHANG, Qian Forrest Based on a 2001 survey, this study finds increased disparities in land distribution in rural Zhejiang. Regression analyses yield three main findings. First, increased disparities in land distribution are associated with growth of land markets. Second, rural households who acquired land through markets significantly increased their farm income. Land markets thus gave rise to a new venue of income generation and increased inequality in farm income. Widening disparities in land rights and farm income, however, did not constitute a further retreat from equality, but instead had compensatory effects on overall inequality, as land markets brought up families who would have fallen at the lower end of income distribution in the absence of such markets. Third, land markets increased efficiency in farming, as households who acquired land were using it more productively. In rural Zhejiang, growth of land markets broadened access to market opportunities and enhanced both efficiency and equity. 2008-09-01T07:00:00Z text https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/384 info:doi/10.1017/s0305741008000763 Research Collection School of Social Sciences eng Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University Agricultural and Resource Economics Asian Studies
institution Singapore Management University
building SMU Libraries
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider SMU Libraries
collection InK@SMU
language English
topic Agricultural and Resource Economics
Asian Studies
spellingShingle Agricultural and Resource Economics
Asian Studies
ZHANG, Qian Forrest
Retreat from Equality or Advance towards Efficiency? Land Markets and Inequality in Rural Zhejiang
description Based on a 2001 survey, this study finds increased disparities in land distribution in rural Zhejiang. Regression analyses yield three main findings. First, increased disparities in land distribution are associated with growth of land markets. Second, rural households who acquired land through markets significantly increased their farm income. Land markets thus gave rise to a new venue of income generation and increased inequality in farm income. Widening disparities in land rights and farm income, however, did not constitute a further retreat from equality, but instead had compensatory effects on overall inequality, as land markets brought up families who would have fallen at the lower end of income distribution in the absence of such markets. Third, land markets increased efficiency in farming, as households who acquired land were using it more productively. In rural Zhejiang, growth of land markets broadened access to market opportunities and enhanced both efficiency and equity.
format text
author ZHANG, Qian Forrest
author_facet ZHANG, Qian Forrest
author_sort ZHANG, Qian Forrest
title Retreat from Equality or Advance towards Efficiency? Land Markets and Inequality in Rural Zhejiang
title_short Retreat from Equality or Advance towards Efficiency? Land Markets and Inequality in Rural Zhejiang
title_full Retreat from Equality or Advance towards Efficiency? Land Markets and Inequality in Rural Zhejiang
title_fullStr Retreat from Equality or Advance towards Efficiency? Land Markets and Inequality in Rural Zhejiang
title_full_unstemmed Retreat from Equality or Advance towards Efficiency? Land Markets and Inequality in Rural Zhejiang
title_sort retreat from equality or advance towards efficiency? land markets and inequality in rural zhejiang
publisher Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University
publishDate 2008
url https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/384
_version_ 1770568056752308224