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The Multilevel Politics of Government–Business Collaboration in China's Rural Poverty Alleviation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2023

Lu Liu Open the ORCID record for Lu Liu [Opens in a new window]  and
Yahua Wang Open the ORCID record for Yahua Wang [Opens in a new window]
Lu Liu
Affiliation:
School of Public Policy and Management, China Institute for Rural Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Yahua Wang*
Affiliation:
School of Public Policy and Management, China Institute for Rural Studies, Institute for Contemporary China Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
*
Corresponding author: Yahua Wang, email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Collaboration between local governments and businesses for poverty reduction has not yet been fully explored in China. Based on an in-depth investigation of two counties during the Targeted Poverty Alleviation campaign, this study proposes a multilayered and relational approach to understanding how different levels of officials collaborate with business to reduce poverty. Elite bureaucrats at the county and township levels prefer a growth-oriented strategy for attracting large-scale enterprises to make investment. Their coalition with businesses has created profits and employment but also hindered authentic participation of small- and medium-sized businesses and villagers in their selected villages. In contrast, in villages that were not prioritized by elite bureaucrats, local officials could utilize their discretion and indigenous resources to exploit development opportunities and support small- and medium-sized businesses to reach poor villagers. This study unpacks China's multilevel system to understand the various forms of government–business collaboration and their implications for rural poverty reduction.

摘要

摘要

中国的地方政府如何通过与企业合作扶贫还没有得到充分研究。通过对精准扶贫时期两个贫困县的深入调查，本文提出了一个多层次的、关联性的方法来理解不同层级的官员如何与企业合作减少贫困。县乡两级的精英官员倾向于采用增长导向型策略来吸引大型企业投资。在被他们选中采用这种策略的村庄，政府与企业的合作虽然带来了利润和就业，但也阻碍了中小企业和村民的有效参与。相比之下，没有被精英官员选中优先发展的村庄，地方干部可以利用其自由裁量权和本土资源来挖掘发展机会，支持中小企业惠及贫困村民。本研究通过剖析中国多层次的行政体系来呈现不同形式的政企合作方式及其对农村减贫的影响。

Keywords

government–business relationspoverty reductionmultilevel governmentrural Chinalocal governmentcounty关键词:政企关系扶贫多层级政府中国农村地方政府县
Type
Research Article
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 259 , September 2024 , pp. 661 - 676
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of SOAS University of London

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