Miguel Elosua | EHESS-Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales (original) (raw)
Papers by Miguel Elosua
China's Urban Century, 2015
After the implementation of economic reforms and opening-up policies in China, foreign direct inv... more After the implementation of economic reforms and opening-up policies in China, foreign direct investment flowed into the country, resulting in increasing demand for labour. Although the Chinese government eased migration controls, the hukou system was not abolished. The free movement of workers within the country was gradually made possible thanks to the removal of a number of obstacles that had completely prevented intercity mobility until then. Industrialization sparked off massive migration to the cities and gave birth to a new social class, the migrant worker, without whom this industrialization could have never occurred.
However, even though China’s urbanization rate increased from 29 per cent in 1995 to 52.57 per cent in 2012, only 35 per cent of the urban population is registered under an urban permanent residence permit or hukou. Rural workers are usually referred to as ‘migrant workers’ (nongmin gong). Urbanization in China has for this reason been termed a ‘peri-urbanization’ situation.
UrbaChina working paper no.4, 2014
As one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, China is experiencing the largest scale of ... more As one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, China is experiencing the largest scale of urbanisation in
human history. More and more land is required to support this massive urbanisation. However, rural land acquisition
and compensation to the changes in farmers’ household registration (hukou) are complex issues in the process of
urbanisation under the dual land tenure between city and rural areas in China. Furthermore, local government has
been under increasing financial pressure after the tax sharing system was implemented in 1994. To raise funds and
develop urban construction, various cities have undertaken different strategies of land development during their ongoing
urbanisation, which is also discussed in this study. Urbanisation is a process of expanding urban space with a
view to develop the land efficiently. Therefore, the objective of this study is to introduce the dual land system in
China, the evolution of farmers' collective land ownership, and the process of governmental land acquisition.
Subsequently, we will examine the case of the case of Shanghai Pudong New Area, which develops land with an
insufficient financial support and its corresponding solutions. Finally, the authors highlight problems in the process
of land acquisition and land development.
This working paper examines the evolution of Chinese cities and the challenges they are currently... more This working paper examines the evolution of Chinese cities and the challenges they are currently facing. It aims to identify possible patterns of urbanisation in the next forty years. The first part analyses the transformation of Chinese cities as a consequence of the economic policies ipleeted ithi the out. The authos ague that the eooi efo has aeleated Chias urbanisation. Other factors of this massive urbanisation include the improvement of transport infrastructures and the transfoatio of Chias idusties. The reform of the tax system between central and local authorities in 1994 is also examined, and its consequences on urbanisation, and its limitations. Based on this analysis, the second part introduces the possible strategies China may adopt for the development of its cities. The objective of these policies will be mainly to control the path of urbanisation to prevent the emergence of super large city and encourage the creation of city networks. Future urban policies will also need to tackle such issues as rural flight and environment protection.
China’s Urban Century, 2015
The 11th five-year plan (2006–10) marked a turning point in the development of social housing in ... more The 11th five-year plan (2006–10) marked a turning point in the development of social housing in China. The State Council demanded that local governments tackle the problem of lack of affordable housing by setting certain rules on delivering social housing to low-income households. The central government had learned the lesson of giving too much leeway to local governments for the development of social housing. As a consequence, economic and comfortable Housing (ECH), which had often resulted in sales to medium- to upper-income families and government officials, was to be gradually abandoned. Institutional arrangements were improved with the creation of the Department of Housing Security, within the Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development, whose role would be to supervise the implementation of policies (Cao and Keivani, 2014). Likewise, in order to enhance local government’s implementation of low-rental housing (LRH) projects, the State Council decreed that 10 per cent of land sales should be used for the building of LRH (State Council, 2007).
China’s dual system of land property rights adopted at the outset of the economic opening in 1978... more China’s dual system of land property rights adopted at the outset of the economic opening in 1978 has transformed the country from one of the most egalitarian countries in the world to one of the least. The disparity in economic development between rural and urban areas accelerated in the 1990s when the Government introduced favourable policies of development for major cities, and has not ceased to increase since then.
In order to rectify the imbalance that the double system of property rights has produced, in October 2008, thirty years after the previous groundbreaking land reform launched by Deng Xiaoping, the Third Plenary Session of the 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (herein after referred to as “CCP”) passed another remarkable resolution for rural reform and development (herein after referred to as the “Resolution”) . The aim of the Resolution is to alleviate the urban-rural gap by introducing a land reform that represents an historical turning point in Chinese rural policy. The idea is to promote the circulation of land-use rights allowing farmers to detach themselves from their land for the first time . In doing this, the Government ceases to deem rural land as a sort of social security for farmers and starts considering it as a marketable asset that may be segregated from its original beneficiary. Ideally, this will further impulse the urbanization process, as subcontracting will be commonplace paving the way for land consolidation and large scale mechanized farming. Farmers will gradually move to nearby cities joining the urban workforce or retiring to newly built urban houses.
However, recent official data reveals that the circulation of land-use rights is not expanding as much as expected by the Government and scholars. From 2009 to 2011, the area of arable land for which land-use rights have been transferred has just increased by 5% (from 11% to 16%) . This paper tries to identify the reasons why such an important resolution has still not deployed its full effects and, more specifically, what obstacles are deterring farmers and investors from stimulating the development of the rural land market. The paper will single out, among other causes , an ongoing clash between socialist and capitalist institutions that calls into question the viability of the double property system as it was conceived at the outset of the opening reform.
China's Urban Century, 2015
After the implementation of economic reforms and opening-up policies in China, foreign direct inv... more After the implementation of economic reforms and opening-up policies in China, foreign direct investment flowed into the country, resulting in increasing demand for labour. Although the Chinese government eased migration controls, the hukou system was not abolished. The free movement of workers within the country was gradually made possible thanks to the removal of a number of obstacles that had completely prevented intercity mobility until then. Industrialization sparked off massive migration to the cities and gave birth to a new social class, the migrant worker, without whom this industrialization could have never occurred.
However, even though China’s urbanization rate increased from 29 per cent in 1995 to 52.57 per cent in 2012, only 35 per cent of the urban population is registered under an urban permanent residence permit or hukou. Rural workers are usually referred to as ‘migrant workers’ (nongmin gong). Urbanization in China has for this reason been termed a ‘peri-urbanization’ situation.
UrbaChina working paper no.4, 2014
As one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, China is experiencing the largest scale of ... more As one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, China is experiencing the largest scale of urbanisation in
human history. More and more land is required to support this massive urbanisation. However, rural land acquisition
and compensation to the changes in farmers’ household registration (hukou) are complex issues in the process of
urbanisation under the dual land tenure between city and rural areas in China. Furthermore, local government has
been under increasing financial pressure after the tax sharing system was implemented in 1994. To raise funds and
develop urban construction, various cities have undertaken different strategies of land development during their ongoing
urbanisation, which is also discussed in this study. Urbanisation is a process of expanding urban space with a
view to develop the land efficiently. Therefore, the objective of this study is to introduce the dual land system in
China, the evolution of farmers' collective land ownership, and the process of governmental land acquisition.
Subsequently, we will examine the case of the case of Shanghai Pudong New Area, which develops land with an
insufficient financial support and its corresponding solutions. Finally, the authors highlight problems in the process
of land acquisition and land development.
This working paper examines the evolution of Chinese cities and the challenges they are currently... more This working paper examines the evolution of Chinese cities and the challenges they are currently facing. It aims to identify possible patterns of urbanisation in the next forty years. The first part analyses the transformation of Chinese cities as a consequence of the economic policies ipleeted ithi the out. The authos ague that the eooi efo has aeleated Chias urbanisation. Other factors of this massive urbanisation include the improvement of transport infrastructures and the transfoatio of Chias idusties. The reform of the tax system between central and local authorities in 1994 is also examined, and its consequences on urbanisation, and its limitations. Based on this analysis, the second part introduces the possible strategies China may adopt for the development of its cities. The objective of these policies will be mainly to control the path of urbanisation to prevent the emergence of super large city and encourage the creation of city networks. Future urban policies will also need to tackle such issues as rural flight and environment protection.
China’s Urban Century, 2015
The 11th five-year plan (2006–10) marked a turning point in the development of social housing in ... more The 11th five-year plan (2006–10) marked a turning point in the development of social housing in China. The State Council demanded that local governments tackle the problem of lack of affordable housing by setting certain rules on delivering social housing to low-income households. The central government had learned the lesson of giving too much leeway to local governments for the development of social housing. As a consequence, economic and comfortable Housing (ECH), which had often resulted in sales to medium- to upper-income families and government officials, was to be gradually abandoned. Institutional arrangements were improved with the creation of the Department of Housing Security, within the Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development, whose role would be to supervise the implementation of policies (Cao and Keivani, 2014). Likewise, in order to enhance local government’s implementation of low-rental housing (LRH) projects, the State Council decreed that 10 per cent of land sales should be used for the building of LRH (State Council, 2007).
China’s dual system of land property rights adopted at the outset of the economic opening in 1978... more China’s dual system of land property rights adopted at the outset of the economic opening in 1978 has transformed the country from one of the most egalitarian countries in the world to one of the least. The disparity in economic development between rural and urban areas accelerated in the 1990s when the Government introduced favourable policies of development for major cities, and has not ceased to increase since then.
In order to rectify the imbalance that the double system of property rights has produced, in October 2008, thirty years after the previous groundbreaking land reform launched by Deng Xiaoping, the Third Plenary Session of the 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (herein after referred to as “CCP”) passed another remarkable resolution for rural reform and development (herein after referred to as the “Resolution”) . The aim of the Resolution is to alleviate the urban-rural gap by introducing a land reform that represents an historical turning point in Chinese rural policy. The idea is to promote the circulation of land-use rights allowing farmers to detach themselves from their land for the first time . In doing this, the Government ceases to deem rural land as a sort of social security for farmers and starts considering it as a marketable asset that may be segregated from its original beneficiary. Ideally, this will further impulse the urbanization process, as subcontracting will be commonplace paving the way for land consolidation and large scale mechanized farming. Farmers will gradually move to nearby cities joining the urban workforce or retiring to newly built urban houses.
However, recent official data reveals that the circulation of land-use rights is not expanding as much as expected by the Government and scholars. From 2009 to 2011, the area of arable land for which land-use rights have been transferred has just increased by 5% (from 11% to 16%) . This paper tries to identify the reasons why such an important resolution has still not deployed its full effects and, more specifically, what obstacles are deterring farmers and investors from stimulating the development of the rural land market. The paper will single out, among other causes , an ongoing clash between socialist and capitalist institutions that calls into question the viability of the double property system as it was conceived at the outset of the opening reform.