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Land policy making in a complex system: The innovation and diffusion logic of China's retained land policy reform

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  • Zhang, Kaiwen
  • Tan, Rong

Abstract

Land policy making is a complex systemic process in which new policies emerge and are nonlinearly transferred. However, challenges remain, as the recent policy diffusion literature cannot match policy making to complex adaptive systems. This study elucidates the conjunctural causal mechanisms of local policy innovation and diffusion in China. To analyze the differences in China’s land reform, a theoretical framework is established that includes four key conditions—incentive rules, local context, vertical governmental coercion and interregional diffusion—as well as three analytical principles, namely, nonlinearity, conjunction and intersection. Then, an archetype analysis based on the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis method is conducted on 119 city governments that implemented land retention policies during the period of 2000–2019. The results systematically associate local policy action with five theory-based archetypes, each with its own narrative expression ("risk aversion", "reform pilot", "political learning", "induced competition", and "social evolution"). This article reveals that 1) China's administrative institutional structure shapes the reform motivation of local governments and their interaction with the central government, and the performance evaluation system for officials plays a key role in this dynamic; 2) local contexts can limit or amplify coercive and learning mechanisms, and policy knowledge can impede diffusion under certain conditions; and 3) the combination of archetypes occurs at three levels: theoretical mechanisms, conditional elements, and factor combinations. Overall, the study shows how multilevel factor interactions influence the decision-making process for China's land reform. These findings can serve as useful references for conjunctural causation research on policy innovation and diffusion in China and assist local decision makers in other countries in transition in developing sustainable land policies.

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  • Zhang, Kaiwen & Tan, Rong, 2024. "Land policy making in a complex system: The innovation and diffusion logic of China's retained land policy reform," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:144:y:2024:i:c:s0264837724002163
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2024.107263
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