1st Edition

Behavioural Economic Analysis of Institutional Changes Lessons Learned from China's Land System Reforms

By Helen Bao, Lei Feng Copyright 2026
246 Pages 24 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

246 Pages 24 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This book examines the evolution of China’s rural land system through an integrated lens of institutional and behavioural economics. It traces seventy years of reform, from collective farming to market-oriented land transfers, to explain how central policy, local implementation and farmers’ responses interact to shape institutional change. Moving beyond standard accounts focused on property... Read more

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: New Institutional Economics and Behavioural Economics

Chapter 3: A Theoretical Framework for China’s Rural Land Institutional Reform

Chapter 4: Seventy Years of China's Rural Land Institutional Reforms

Chapter 5: Government Behaviour in Land Use Right Reform I - Household Responsibility System Reform

Chapter 6: Government Behaviour in Land Use Right Reform II - No Land Reallocation Reform

Chapter 7: Farmers’ Attitudes and Expectations: No Land Reallocation Reforms

Chapter 8: Farmers’ Behaviour in Land Use Right Reform: Decision Biases in Land Transfer Pricing

Chapter 9: Farmers and Governments in Land Use Right Reform: The Role of Social Capital

Chapter 10: Land Transfer Right Reform I: Balancing Efficiency and Equity

Chapter 11: Land Transfer Right Reform II: The Three Pilots Reform

Chapter 12: Conclusions

Biography

Helen Bao is a Professor in the Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge, UK.

Lei Feng is a Professor in the Department of Land and Real Estate Management, School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China.