The Paradox of Rural Preferential Policy in China : The Case of the ‘College-graduate as Village Official' Plan
Authors:   Asia-Europe Perspective Association, Yoo Eun-Ha 
Published: June 2018

In the mid-1990s the institution that recruited young college-graduates publicly and appointed them as village official had been initiated in some local places. This institution was evaluated positively because that it offered jobs to college-graduate in the one hand and that enliven village full of old man with young people having new knowledge in the other hand, so it had spread gradually through other regions until Chinese Communist Party Central Committee(CCPCC) took it as strategic policy of CCPCC at the national level in 2005. Since then CCPCC has offered a variety of support including financial one needed, but now the 'college-graduate as village official' policy is not welcomed by villager any more. The majority of college-graduate as village official had no knowledge or career of agriculture and village work that is the most needed one in village, and they work as village official during 2-3 years at most then leave to look for their own jobs(mostly they apply for government officials which is the most popular job among college students nowadays), so they do not or can not contribute to development of rural economy and even give a negative effect on the rural governance on the contrary. Nevertheless CCPCC is still pushing on with the 'college-graduate as village official' policy nationwide. Then why? With regard to the reason why CCPCC adhere to this rural policy which is opposed by rural people, surprisingly existing research have given little attention to.
To answer the question this study suggests the two important political-social background about this policy choice of CCPCC. First, the increase of unemployment rate of college-graduate since the 2000s : Because the productivity was pretty much low in the period fo planned economy, it is natural in some senses that there have been many workers who were laid off after the reform in China. But the increase of unemployment of highly educated people-college students- since the 2000s is an experience China undergo for the first time. A portion of college graduate in the whole unemployment is not very high yet, they are pointed as one of key classes within unemployment. What is worse it is said that the high level of unemployment of college-graduate is more threatening to a society because college-graduate is intelligent, energetic, sensitive to political issues, accessible to variety of information and able to organize. So, CCPCC and Chinese government are especially concerned about unemployment of college-graduate, in this context the 'college-graduate as village official' institution is used to offer job opportunity to college-graduate although it's only a 2-3 years long job.
Second, the weakening of grass root organization : After the reform and opening up, it is broadly observed that socialist ideology has been weakened throughout the whole society in China and so did CCP grass root organizations with ageing of village cadres because of rush to the city of young villagers from the countryside. Older village cadres are blamed occasionally for rent-seeking and corruption using their position. That is it was pointed as the crucial factor constraining the construction of new rural community and the development of countryside that the low quality of village cadres with ageing and low level of education. For CCP grass root organizations especially in countryside are very important because by them CCP has managed over 700 million peasants and CCP also need to get support from villagers continuously. In this context CCPCC try to input young college-graduate who are well equipped with political ideology into grass root organizations in rural area through the 'college-graduate as village official' institution to strengthen the grass root organization and to maintain the stable governance in countryside.