Rural collective property rights system reform and household energy transition in China

The rural energy transition is pivotal to China's comprehensive energy transformation, with important implications for improving farmers' living standards, promoting rural economic growth, and narrowing the urban-rural income gap. This study examines how rural collective property rights system reform facilitates farmers' energy transition by clarifying property rights and providing stable, predictable income. Using household survey data from Shaanxi Province, we empirically analyze the effects of collective property rights reform on energy transition and explore the underlying mechanisms. The results indicate that the reform significantly promotes the adoption of cleaner and high-quality energy sources, and this finding remains robust after rigorous testing. Specifically, by clarifying property rights and establishing stable dividend mechanisms, rural collective property rights reform provides predictable income, eases household budget constraints, and effectively encourages energy upgrading. Heterogeneity analysis reveals stronger effects among younger farmers, highly organized households, and those in plain areas. Policy implications include promoting phased, region-specific reforms, enhancing transparency in dividend distribution, linking collective dividends to clean energy adoption through targeted economic incentives, and providing customized subsidies, technical support, and infrastructure investment to address differences in age, organizational capacity, and geographic conditions.