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Emerging spaces of neoliberal urbanism in China: Land commodification, municipal finance and local economic growth in prefecture-level cities

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  • George CS Lin

    (The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)

  • Amy Y Zhang

    (Clark University, USA)

Abstract

This study examines the popular practices of Chinese urbanism in which commodification of urban land has been actively pursued by municipal governments as a means of revenue generation in the era of neoliberalisation. The research identifies a complex, diverse and self-conflicting internal dynamics that characterised the Chinese state, reveals the political and financial motives of local governments to engage in urbanism and maps out the emerging geography of neoliberal urbanism. Land commodification has become a main source of municipal finance accounting for over 30% of total municipal budgetary revenue and nearly 40% of the fund for urban maintenance and construction. An inverse U-shaped relationship is found between the importance of land commodification to municipal finance and the level of urban economic growth. A similar relationship is identified for land-based municipal finance and degree of openness.

Suggested Citation

  • George CS Lin & Amy Y Zhang, 2015. "Emerging spaces of neoliberal urbanism in China: Land commodification, municipal finance and local economic growth in prefecture-level cities," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 52(15), pages 2774-2798, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:52:y:2015:i:15:p:2774-2798
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098014528549
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. George Lin, 2009. "Scaling-up Regional Development in Globalizing China: Local Capital Accumulation, Land-centred Politics, and Reproduction of Space," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(3), pages 429-447.
    2. Huang,Yasheng, 2008. "Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521898102, September.
    3. Fox Z Y Hu, 2005. "Deconstructing State-Owned Enterprises in Socialist China under Reform: A Scalar Examination," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 37(4), pages 703-722, April.
    4. Jamie Peck & Jun Zhang, 2013. "A variety of capitalism … with Chinese characteristics?," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 13(3), pages 357-396, May.
    5. Hsing, You-tien, 2010. "The Great Urban Transformation: Politics of Land and Property in China," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199568048.
    6. World Bank, 2002. "China - National Development and Sub-National Finance : A Review of Provincial Expenditures," World Bank Publications - Reports 15423, The World Bank Group.
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    Cited by:

    1. Maximilian Stallkamp & Brian C Pinkham & Andreas P J Schotter & Olha Buchel, 2018. "Core or periphery? The effects of country-of-origin agglomerations on the within-country expansion of MNEs," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(8), pages 942-966, October.
    2. Guy M. Robinson & Bingjie Song, 2018. "Transforming the Peri-Urban Fringe in China: The Example of Xi’an-Xianyang," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-17, October.
    3. Martin de Jong, 2019. "From Eco-Civilization to City Branding: A Neo-Marxist Perspective of Sustainable Urbanization in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-14, October.

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