De‐peripheralization and rural land capitalization: An empirical study of a public–private partnership in Zhaoqing, China

Abstract

Classical urban geography theories determine the distribution of population, production and economic activities on geo‐spatial features. Under this assumption, peripheral regions are rarely prosperous. Depopulation, weak industrial and employment structure, inefficient and fragmented land use form a negative feedback loop. Within the context of economic revitalization of peripheral area, this paper introduces an innovative Chinese practice on de‐peripheralization based on the two‐month empirical research on the “two‐stage land demutualization reform” in Zhaoqing, a city located at the peripheries of Pearl River Delta (PRD). The reform successfully bonds the local stakeholders, stimulates the economy, and resolves the land value capturing issue in urbanization. Local farmers in Zhaoqing founded an investment company with agricultural fields demutualized into stock shares and collaborated with local government in improving local infrastructures and promoting economic investment in the secondary/tertiary sector. In‐depth profile of the public‐private partnership mechanism is collected an semi‐structured interviews were conducted with locals. The results of the policy evaluation show that, the rural land capitalization and inclusive design of the partnership regime removed the institutional barriers to socioeconomic development and brought attraction of the underprivileged area. The proposed joint development and value sharing policy framework contribute to the literature of institutional renovation for economic de‐peripheralization, especially for practices in land readjustment and zoning, resident resettlement, local employment provision, and value capturing.

Status and Development of Agricultural Public-Private Partnership Program Implementation in China

“…PPP refers to the cooperation between the government and social capitalists in the field of public infrastructure construction (Zhang, 2023). Through the method of project bidding, the government selects from among the social enterprises bidding for the project, social investors with outstanding capabilities in the investment, construction, and operation of the project concerned (Wang and Zhang, 2019).…”

A Review of Rural Land Capitalization: Current Status and Further Research

“…Population decline, inappropriate industrial structure and low land use efficiency constitute a negative feedback model. Local farmers in Zhaoqing, China, a city around the Pearl River Delta, set up investment companies, divided their farmland into shares, and cooperated with the local government to eliminate institutional obstacles and successfully promote the economic development of the surrounding underdeveloped areas [10].…”