Local developmental state and order in China's urban development during transition

Jieming Zhu ()

International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 2004, vol. 28, issue 2, 424-447

Abstract: Rules and order in urban construction, and thus the relationship between the market and the state, are a fundamental issue for urban development. In China, a transition economy, marketization has been actively promoted under the economic reforms to replace central‐planning and has contributed significantly to the subsequent dynamic urban growth. However, the role of the state in defining an institutional framework for the market is lagging behind. Fiscal deficiency in conjunction with a pro‐growth position undermines the capacity of the local developmental state to exercise effective developmental controls. Without effective state enforcement of rules, market order does not emerge when uncertainty pervades the marketplace. The phenomenon of urban villages and the case of Luohu's redevelopment clearly show that the absence of the state both in constructing the market and as a third‐party gives rise to the logic of the commons or quasi‐commons in the land development market. Inferior and suboptimal developments ensue. En construction urbaine, les règles et la discipline, donc le rapport entre marché et État, constituent un aspect fondamental de l'aménagement des villes. Dans l'économie de transition chinoise, la commercialisation – activement stimulée par des réformes économiques visant à remplacer la planification centrale – a énormément contribuéà la dynamique de la croissance urbaine. Toutefois, le rôle de l'État dans la définition du cadre institutionnel du marché ne suit pas le rythme. Carences fiscales associées à une position favorable à la croissance empêchent l'État local moteur de développement de contrôler efficacement la croissance. Sans une application étatique effective des règles, il ne naït pas de discipline de marché, l'incertitude régnant. Le phénomène des villages urbains et le cas du réaménagement de Luohu montrent clairement que l'absence de l'État, tant dans l'élaboration du marché qu'en tant que tiers, introduit la logique des terrains communaux ou quasi‐communaux sur le marché de l'aménagement foncier. Il en résulte des équipements de second ordre, inférieurs à la qualité optimale.

Date: 2004
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