rural land reform : open call for help
So I’ve been somewhat lost as to where exactly to focus the body of my Fulbright research. The original thrust had to do with examining some form of |egal protection of migrant workers – rather I was interested in what it took for market mechanisms to operate in non-market environments. There does seem to be some interesting threshold, but it could also come down to semantics.
Then Hu Jintao comes out late last week and says he and his crew plan to address rural / urban integration – through land reform (农村现代化 or 农村改革). This could be huge. Massive. This is the effective removal of the household registration system (insofar as it still impacts population movements). Having followed it since the news broke, I’ve gleefully noted that 1) I have a land reform researcher as a digital co-habitant, 2) will be located in Wuhan, 2 hours train from Anhui, where many of the policies are going to be first implemented. This and general disregard for personal dignity puts me in an excellent position to collect some information on how these types of reforms will impact current migration patterns in China.
I should begin formalizing the project within the next few weeks (arriving in Wuhan later this month). As such, I’m making an open call for background material on land reform / rights propertization. I’ve read the canon (De Soto, Easterly) – what are the critiques? Recent contributions? I need names. Help.
