Springer China’s Rural–Urban Inequality in the Countryside

This book approaches the issue of rural-urban inequality through fieldwork conducted in a specific township (Zuogang) in Qinggang County, part of Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China. Presenting painstaking fieldwork in a single location, it successfully illuminates fundamental aspects of the reality and the complexity of rural-urban inequality that cannot be found in macro-level studies, most of which are prepared by economists. The book offers a unique combination of rigorous economic analysis with insightful social and anthropological analysis, as well as revealing interviews with local government officials. This approach provides a rich tapestry of rural perceptions of rural-urban inequality. With in-depth analysis and empirical evidence on questions concerning the development and root causes of urban-rural disparities, the book significantly enriches our understanding of the widely discussed issue of rural-urban income inequality, but from the unique perspective of rural China.  From the Back Cover This book approaches the issue of rural-urban inequality through fieldwork conducted in a specific township (Zuogang) in Qinggang County, part of Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China. Presenting painstaking fieldwork in a single location, it successfully illuminates fundamental aspects of the reality and the complexity of rural-urban inequality that cannot be found in macro-level studies, most of which are prepared by economists. The book offers a unique combination of rigorous economic analysis with insightful social and anthropological analysis, as well as revealing interviews with local government officials. This approach provides a rich tapestry of rural perceptions of rural-urban inequality. With in-depth analysis and empirical evidence on questions concerning the development and root causes of urban-rural disparities, the book significantly enriches our understanding of the widely discussed issue of rural-urban income inequality, but from the unique perspective of rural China.  About the Author Dr. Yan Gao joined the Institute of New Rural Development of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2012, after obtained her PhD degree in Land Economy from Cambridge University. Her research fields include rural economy and the integrated rural-urban development in China. Her recent work involves rural institutional reforms on collective property rights, and has conducted fieldwork extensively in suburban Shanghai.  Dr. Shailaja Fennell is Director of Research at Cambridge Central Asia Forum and a University Lecturer in Development Studies, and a Fellow of Jesus College at the University of Cambridge. She was awarded her degrees of MPhil and PhD at the Faculty of Economics and Politics, University of Cambridge. Shailaja has been researching the linkages between rural development, environmental and educational strategies in India, China and Central Asia since 2004. She has specialized in the sub-fields of institutional reform, rural development, gender and household dynamics, kinship and ethnicity, and educational provision.