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Township-Village Enterprises, Local Governments, and Rural Communities : The Chinese Village as a Firm During Economic Transition

Xiaolin, Pei LU (2024) p.110-135
Abstract

Over the past sixteen years, the total output of the township-village enterprises (TVEs) in China has grown at an average rate of 30 percent per annum. In 1994, TVEs produced 47 percent of the nation’s total industrial product and provided employment to 120 million people (People’s Daily, overseas edition, 2 March 1995); China Township Enterprises Daily, 27 September 1994). The TVE sector has been the major driving force of both the Chinese reform and the high growth of GNP (Weitzman and Xu 1994, p. 123). This has evoked intensive study and debate on China’s TVEs in international publications (e.g., Oi 1992, 1995; Weitzman and Xu 1994; Chang and Wang 1994). In my view, the heart of the debate is the basic paradox raised by Weitzman and... (More)

Over the past sixteen years, the total output of the township-village enterprises (TVEs) in China has grown at an average rate of 30 percent per annum. In 1994, TVEs produced 47 percent of the nation’s total industrial product and provided employment to 120 million people (People’s Daily, overseas edition, 2 March 1995); China Township Enterprises Daily, 27 September 1994). The TVE sector has been the major driving force of both the Chinese reform and the high growth of GNP (Weitzman and Xu 1994, p. 123). This has evoked intensive study and debate on China’s TVEs in international publications (e.g., Oi 1992, 1995; Weitzman and Xu 1994; Chang and Wang 1994). In my view, the heart of the debate is the basic paradox raised by Weitzman and Xu: According to almost any version of mainstream property rights theory, TVEs, as vaguely defined cooperatives, should operate relatively badly. But in practice, TVEs are enormously successful. Why do theory and practice seem so diametrically opposed in this important area? (Weitzman and Xu 1994, p. 136).

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
Cooperative and Collective in China’s Rural Development : Between State and Private Interests - Between State and Private Interests
pages
26 pages
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:85214149319
ISBN
9780765600936
9781040287132
DOI
10.4324/9781003572961-8
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
965c8b3b-0637-409d-8f6e-cf8c7f96a71f
date added to LUP
2025-02-26 10:09:07
date last changed
2025-07-16 22:00:26
@inbook{965c8b3b-0637-409d-8f6e-cf8c7f96a71f,
  abstract     = {{<p>Over the past sixteen years, the total output of the township-village enterprises (TVEs) in China has grown at an average rate of 30 percent per annum. In 1994, TVEs produced 47 percent of the nation’s total industrial product and provided employment to 120 million people (People’s Daily, overseas edition, 2 March 1995); China Township Enterprises Daily, 27 September 1994). The TVE sector has been the major driving force of both the Chinese reform and the high growth of GNP (Weitzman and Xu 1994, p. 123). This has evoked intensive study and debate on China’s TVEs in international publications (e.g., Oi 1992, 1995; Weitzman and Xu 1994; Chang and Wang 1994). In my view, the heart of the debate is the basic paradox raised by Weitzman and Xu: According to almost any version of mainstream property rights theory, TVEs, as vaguely defined cooperatives, should operate relatively badly. But in practice, TVEs are enormously successful. Why do theory and practice seem so diametrically opposed in this important area? (Weitzman and Xu 1994, p. 136).</p>}},
  author       = {{Xiaolin, Pei}},
  booktitle    = {{Cooperative and Collective in China’s Rural Development : Between State and Private Interests}},
  isbn         = {{9780765600936}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{110--135}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  title        = {{Township-Village Enterprises, Local Governments, and Rural Communities : The Chinese Village as a Firm During Economic Transition}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003572961-8}},
  doi          = {{10.4324/9781003572961-8}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}