Search results

1 – 10 of over 1000
Article
Publication date: 2 May 2022

Kevin Z. Chen, Rui Mao and Yunyi Zhou

Challenges from the urban–rural disparity immensely burden the world's progress fulfilling Sustainable Development Goals and the goals' central promise, particularly for…

1107

Abstract

Purpose

Challenges from the urban–rural disparity immensely burden the world's progress fulfilling Sustainable Development Goals and the goals' central promise, particularly for developing countries experiencing rapid structural change and urbanization. A knowledge gap lies between the epistemology of urban–rural disparity and the practice of integrated urban-rural development. This paper aims to provide a new approach to bridge the knowledge gap based on the recent Chinese experience.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative research reviewed major economic and multidisciplinary studies regarding urban-rural development and the growth-equality tradeoff. Chinese experience is employed to showcase concrete challenges from the urban–rural disparity and how the proposed approach works for urban-rural integration.

Findings

Theoretical and practical approaches with urban bias largely fail to counter the challenges. Building on China's recent practice probing beyond urban bias, IFPRI (2019) proposes the term rurbanomics with a highlight of equalized urban-rural economic partnership, whereafter Zhou and Chen (2021) enrich the term into a conceptual framework. This paper further improves rurbanomics as a new viable approach to integrated urban-rural development under the overarching goal of common prosperity. The approach prioritizes driving forces in the economic, demographic, eco-environmental, social institutional and technological aspects for the policy community to leverage. Long-term mechanisms are decerned to link urban-rural integration to common prosperity.

Practical implications

China has leveraged ingredients of the rurbanomics approach in the political deployment to integrated urban-rural development. However, the application of this approach is yet to be adapted with local heterogeneities and live up to application's potential. Long-term mechanisms recommended by the rurbanomics approach will need to be carried out. Future improvements will need substantial theoretical extension and micro-level empirical studies.

Originality/value

This paper streamlines the epistemological shreds regarding pursuits, challenges, global experiences and theoretical approaches of urban-rural development. The paper also develops rurbanomics to navigate urban-rural integration, Sustainable Development Goals and common prosperity. By decerning long-term mechanisms in the Chinese case accordingly, this paper provides clues for other economies to employ the new approach.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 May 2020

Xiaoli Zhou, Yiwen Cui and Shaopeng Zhang

The purpose of this paper is to examine the direct effects of Internet use on rural residents' income growth and the indirect effects of increasing their income by promoting rural

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the direct effects of Internet use on rural residents' income growth and the indirect effects of increasing their income by promoting rural residents' entrepreneurial and non-agricultural employment.

Design/methodology/approach

Regarding the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, based on the 2016CFPS data, multiple linear regression analysis and mediation effect analysis are used. To decrease the potential endogeneity of the model, we used the instrumental variable in the model.

Findings

The results show that: (1) Internet use has a direct effect on rural residents' income growth; (2) rural residents' entrepreneurial or non-agricultural employment affects the mechanism of Internet use and their income growth, so that can perform an indirect promotion effect; (3) the direct promotion effect of Internet use is stronger than the indirect promotion effect of entrepreneurship and non-agricultural employment.

Originality/value

The effect of using Internet for the income growth of Chinese farmers has been confirmed by some scholars, but the specific mechanism is still relatively vague. The originality is to consider the intermediary transmission effect of entrepreneurship and non-agricultural employment in the study of the impact of Internet use on Chinese farmers' income growth, and use the mediation effect model for empirical analysis. The empirical research results further reveal this mechanism.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 June 2023

Hongkai Qie, Yudie Chao, Hui Chen and Fan Zhang

Intellectual property right constitutes play a forceful role to promote economic growth and create a fortune. However, it is not yet clear to what extent the agricultural…

Abstract

Purpose

Intellectual property right constitutes play a forceful role to promote economic growth and create a fortune. However, it is not yet clear to what extent the agricultural intellectual property rights represented by geographical indications of agricultural products (AGIs) can affect the development of regional economy. The purpose of this paper is to analyze this impact and its mechanism as well as to draw policy implications from this empirical analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

Using county-level panel data from 2006 to 2020, this paper employed the difference-in-differences (DID) model.

Findings

The authors find that AGIs can significantly improve economic development at the county level. The AGIs can stimulate the flow of commercial and industrial capital to the countryside, thus fueling county-level economic development. Unlike AGIs for cereals and cash crops, AGIs for aquatic products and animal products cannot influence or have a negative impact on county-level economic. Compared with Eastern regions, the acquisition of AGIs in Western regions can more significantly boost county-level economic development. Therefore, AGIs can pronouncedly narrow down the gap of cross-county economic growth.

Originality/value

Conclusions of this paper can provide references for building the county-level countryside into a main ground of agricultural economic development and brand construction, continuously promoting the agricultural supply-front structural reform and boosting realization of all-around rural revitalization.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 15 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 July 2023

Xiaoyan Yan, Min Luo and Changbiao Zhong

The purpose of this paper is to establish a more reasonable evaluation system and model for the development level of rural tourism, and provides a method for quantifying the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish a more reasonable evaluation system and model for the development level of rural tourism, and provides a method for quantifying the development level of regional rural tourism.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides a method for evaluating the development level of rural tourism, constructs an evaluation index system according to the connotation of rural tourism, then calculates the index weight by entropy method, and makes a comprehensive evaluation by grey relational analysis. Taking the development of rural tourism in 11 cities in Jiangxi Province as the research object, the ranking results of 11 cities were obtained by using grey relational analysis.

Findings

The overall development level of rural tourism in Jiangxi Province is positive, but the spatial distribution is uneven, showing the characteristics of “low-level aggregation and high-level dispersion”. The barrier model diagnoses that the degree of financial input is the biggest constraint to the development level of rural tourism in Jiangxi Province.

Originality/value

This study puts forward an evaluation model based on entropy weight and grey relational analysis, which is an important supplement to the grey relational analysis method system and has a positive role in promoting the quantitative evaluation of regional rural tourism level.

Details

Grey Systems: Theory and Application, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-9377

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 April 2023

Ruling Hong, Minlu Zhan and Fuxi Wang

This study explores configurations that promote the development of collective economies in China's rural villages and reveals the multiple development pathways that otherwise…

Abstract

Purpose

This study explores configurations that promote the development of collective economies in China's rural villages and reveals the multiple development pathways that otherwise remain relatively unexamined in the literature.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors obtained first-hand representative case data from 20 villages in 12 counties in 5 provinces in East, West and Central China via fieldwork and applied fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to conduct a configurational comparative study of the development of village collective economies.

Findings

This paper identifies five factors in the current literature that affect the development of village collectives, based on an “entrepreneur–situation” analytical framework. Using the fsQCA method, this study further obtains two main configurations of conditions that culminate in the growth of rural collective economies in China. The first solution is the “top-down path”: When entrepreneurial leadership (EL), resource endowment (RE) and government assistance (GA) are present, a village collective economy will experience a high level of development, irrespective of policy support (PS) and villagers' participation (VP). The second solution is the “bottom-up path”: When EL, VP and PS are present and GA is not present, a village collective economy will experience a high level of development, irrespective of RE. In both situations, EL stands out as the core condition for the development of village collective economies, implying the need for the government to vigorously cultivate the entrepreneurial skills and aspirations of village cadres.

Originality/value

Taking a configurational perspective and using an fsQCA approach, this research constructs an “entrepreneur–situation” analytical framework to investigate the key combinations of factors and pathways involved in the high level of development of Chinese village collective economies.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 15 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 March 2021

Yufu Chen, Yue Han and Liankai Guo

Rapid development of China's rural industry since 1980s has a massive ripple effect on rural China. However, recent rural industrial development in China has received little…

Abstract

Purpose

Rapid development of China's rural industry since 1980s has a massive ripple effect on rural China. However, recent rural industrial development in China has received little scholarly attention. The study aims to investigate the development process and spatial differences of China's rural industry as well as its driving forces.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on the panel data constituting 30 provinces of China during 1984–2011. The factor analysis is used to identify the most significant factors affecting the growth of China's rural industry. The multiple regression analysis is applied to distinguish the driving forces affecting spatiotemporal variations in China's rural industry.

Findings

China's rural industry developed rapidly at an average rate of 26% per year during the period 1984–2011. The period 1990–2011 was characterized by remarkable increased spatial disparities in China's rural industrial development. Specifically, such development was markedly better in the east coast areas than in the inland areas in the west. Five driving forces of rural industrial development were recognized representing regional economic fundamentals of market, industry foundation, transportation, communication and degree of opening-up.

Originality/value

This paper explores the trajectory of the development of China's rural industry and the related regional economic factors. It suggests that the development of rural enterprises across the regions should be valued by Chinese government as a driving force for reducing regional disparities and future rural revitalization.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 48 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Poverty and Prosperity
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80117-987-4

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 July 2020

Yongmu Jiang, Lu Yang and Zhang Xiaolei

With the development of social productive forces and the advancement of agricultural practices since the founding of New China, the connotation of agricultural modernization with…

1388

Abstract

Purpose

With the development of social productive forces and the advancement of agricultural practices since the founding of New China, the connotation of agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics has undergone a process from formation to continuous expansion and deepening.

Design/methodology/approach

Its evolution can be roughly divided into four stages: the exploration stage, the formation stage, the establishment stage and the deepening stage. The historical evolution of the connotation of agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics demonstrates four typical characteristics, namely increasingly scientific logical premise, continuously diversified orientations, increasingly improved core contents and progressively maturing strategies of development.

Findings

The achievements of agricultural modernization have laid a solid foundation for China's industrial modernization and the rapid development of the national economy. Meanwhile, the authors have identified through practical exploration a path of agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics. In recent years, academic research on the connotation of agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics has gradually heated up, and relevant achievements have emerged constantly.

Originality/value

The Communist Party of China (hereinafter “CPC”) has placed considerable emphasis on agricultural issues and has been committed to promoting agricultural modernization since the founding of New China. Through long-term persistence and unremitting efforts, China has made remarkable achievements in agricultural development: significantly improved agricultural production conditions and agricultural output capacity, constantly optimized agricultural structure and steadily increased the income of farmers.

Article
Publication date: 5 July 2023

Yang Liu and Mi Zhou

The digital economy is expected to revive the countryside and reduce the current level of urban–rural inequality. Nevertheless, whether rural e-commerce can narrow the urban–rural

1274

Abstract

Purpose

The digital economy is expected to revive the countryside and reduce the current level of urban–rural inequality. Nevertheless, whether rural e-commerce can narrow the urban–rural income gap still requires further analysis. The purpose of this paper is to clarify whether this goal is, in fact, being achieved.

Design/methodology/approach

Taobao villages have become the epitome of rural e-commerce development in China. Therefore, this paper matches the data of Taobao villages and the data of prefecture-level cities from 2014 to 2019, and employs a two-way fixed effect model, nonlinear model, instrumental variable model and interactive fixed effects model to explore the impact of rural e-commerce on the urban–rural income gap.

Findings

Firstly, the ability of urban residents to share rural e-commerce development is higher than that of rural residents, which actually widens the urban–rural income gap. Secondly, the migration to cities of rural families that have profited from e-commerce, and the return of working-class people to the countryside, are two factors that are contributing to the widening of the urban–rural income gap. Thirdly, the farther the distance from the urban area and the higher the spatial agglomeration of the rural e-commerce cluster is, the weaker the impact on widening the urban–rural income gap will be. Finally, while industrial-led rural e-commerce is responsible for widening the urban–rural income gap, agricultural-led rural e-commerce has no significant impact on the urban–rural income gap.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first to analyze the impact of rural e-commerce on the urban–rural income gap from the perspective of the coverage of Taobao villages. This empirical study will enrich existing theoretical perspectives on urban–rural integration under the backdrop of the digital economy.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 15 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 May 2018

Zhenghe Zhang and Yawen Lu

In the 69 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, especially the 40 years since the reform and opening-up, the relationship between urban and rural areas has…

1097

Abstract

Purpose

In the 69 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, especially the 40 years since the reform and opening-up, the relationship between urban and rural areas has undergone profound change. When the deepening reform of the urban-rural relationship is entering a critical period, it is necessary to reassess the evolution of the urban-rural relationship in China and draw a picture for that relationship in the future. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper combs the policies on the urban and rural development since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and analyzes macro data on the industries, population, personal income, and other aspects.

Findings

The study found that this urbanism affects individuals’ lives and the choices of society through the will of the state, and then provides feedback at the whole level of social values.

Originality/value

This paper divides the evolution of China’s urban-rural relationship into two major stages – nurturing cities with rural areas and leading rural areas with cities, which are then subdivided into five periods. The features of the relationship between the urban and rural areas in different periods are analyzed, and the future development of urban-rural relations is also considered.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 1000