ecological approach to development in five Chinese villages
Subtitle: 1916--1980 (approx.).
Published: 2005
Language: eng
Number of pages: 396
Description: This study asserts as its primary premise that development is about more than economics, it is also about history, social organization and most importantly, it is about the Chinese people.The Conceptual Framework encompassed both the Ecological Model and the assumptions of its adherents, and the theories of some Rational Choice New Institutionalists. The Ecological Model was organized according to several rubrics and attempted to show how peasants and the elite coped in their natural and in their social environments.Much has been written about the Chinese peasant, some of which is contradictory. The approach used in this study will hopefully contribute to these ongoing scholarly discussions by attempting to show the Chinese peasant's historical position in Chinese development.One objective was to look at patterns of successful and unsuccessful development in rural China and try to determine what specific factors made a positive contribution. Both the functions of the peasant and the elite were examined throughout a time period of approximately sixty-five years.It was also necessary to show the historical background of this time period, for according to Douglass C. North the value of a historical perspective is revealed by analyzing how path dependence and increasing returns affect the social and political organizations which confine both peasant and elite. Mancur Olson and Peter Murrell also show the impact particular organizations can have on development. The use of history can, perhaps, also highlight the impact clientelism can have on development, which Judith Chubb sees as a negative model for development in the Third World.
Notes: Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Toronto, 2005.

Electronic version licensed for access by U. of T. users.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-06, Section: A, page: 2375.