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Strategizing urbanism in the era of neoliberalization: State power reshuffling, land development and municipal finance in urbanizing China

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Listed:
  • George CS Lin

    (The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)

  • Xun Li

    (Sun Yat-sen University, China)

  • Fiona F Yang

    (The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)

  • Fox ZY Hu

    (Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong)

Abstract

This paper examines the new dynamism of China’s urbanization in which urbanism has been actively pursued by municipal governments as a strategy to negotiate and contest with the new power relations established by the post-reform regime in the era of neoliberalization. The research identifies the salient features of urbanization and urban land development since the 1990s, probes into their social and political origins, and evaluates the effects of Chinese urban revolutions from above on economic growth, regional inequality and social volatility. The data analysed include those gathered from the national level and from the Guangzhou metropolis in southern China. The interwoven processes of state power reshuffling, urban land development and municipal finance in contemporary China are believed to have constituted a significant and controversial case for critical evaluation of the political origins of urban revolutions in the age of global urbanism and their uneven socioeconomic consequences.

Suggested Citation

  • George CS Lin & Xun Li & Fiona F Yang & Fox ZY Hu, 2015. "Strategizing urbanism in the era of neoliberalization: State power reshuffling, land development and municipal finance in urbanizing China," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 52(11), pages 1962-1982, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:52:y:2015:i:11:p:1962-1982
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098013513644
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Li Wang & Heng Chao & Guicai Li, 2019. "Diversification and Local Embeddedness: The Rescaling of National New Area Governance in Post-Reform China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-22, November.
    2. Yong Liu & Wenze Yue & Peilei Fan & Yi Peng & Zhengtao Zhang, 2016. "Financing China's Suburbanization: Capital Accumulation through Suburban Land Development in Hangzhou," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(6), pages 1112-1133, November.

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