10 Oct 2008
China May Allow Sale of Rural Land Rights

I can't tell from the article exactly what they're cooking up - it sounds like it could be a huge boon to smallholders if done correctly. But given the political climate of the country, and the reportedly rampart corruption in local officialdom, it may behoove the members of the Chinese Communist Party to actually read Marx, especially the section in Das Kapital on enclosure. And beware of unforeseen consequences of changing the rules of the game for farmers in a drastic fashion over a short period of time.

The shift could draw hundreds of millions of farmers more firmly into China’s city-centered market economy.

(link) [New York Times]

20:43 /Politics | 1 comment | permanent link