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Access to employment through the Internet matters a great deal to stabilise the livelihood of migrant peasant workers in Chinese cities. This study examines how Internet usage affects the off-farm income of migrant peasant workers by constructing a random effects model for the period 2010–2016. Research findings corroborate that Internet usage has significantly increased the off-farm income of migrant peasant workers and the positive impact of Internet usage on income is stronger for migrant peasant workers than for their urban flexible-employed counterparts. The positive impacts of Internet usage on migrant peasant workers' income vary regarding region, gender, and educational level. It is concluded that Internet usage has helped improve the livelihood resilience of migrant peasant workers in China. • Internet usage significantly increased the off-farm income of migrant peasant workers. • The impact is stronger for the migrant workers compared with their urban counterparts. • The positive impacts of internet usage on migrant workers' income vary in regions. • The positive impact is stronger on female income compared with male counterparts. • The positive income impacts of internet usage increase in education level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper, through a case study of the Gengche Township in north Jiangsu (Subei), unveils how a less-favored region breaks out of the old industry path of waste recycling and processing and embarks on a green new one specializing in E-commerce. Drawing on key concepts in evolutionary economic geography, we propose a conceptual framework that addresses how entrepreneurial agents enact the processes of asset modification at multiple scales for new green path development in a rural context. Based on on-site interviews and survey, our analysis reveals that rural lead entrepreneurs and state elites pioneered and opened windows of opportunities for change, then legitimized by the state with wider support towards old path breaking. These state interventions enforce the bottom-up process of new green path development. In this process, extra-regional knowledge linkages and assets help facilitate the E-commerce development. It is concluded that rural new path development processes are not only contingent on local pre-conditions but are tempo-spatially dependent on collective actions of entrepreneurial multi-actors in identifying, transplanting and modifying local and non-local assets. The Gengche case demonstrates that rural new green path development in China requires the formation of strong system-level rural agency engaging in multi-scalar asset modification. • The transformation trajectory of Gengche, a previous poverty township, was investigated. • Rural lead entrepreneurs and state elites pioneered and opened windows of opportunities for change. • State interventions enforce the bottom-up process of new green path development. • Extra-regional knowledge linkages and assets help facilitate the E-commerce development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smallholders are prevalent worldwide. Agricultural cooperatives are often considered an effective instrument for bridging the gap between smallholders and modern agriculture because they enable large-scale production and ensure the quality of agricultural products. This study aims to provide quantitative evidence on the role of cooperatives in boosting macro-level agricultural economic growth using unbalanced panel data of 1866 Chinese counties between 2007 and 2019. The results show that the number of cooperatives at the county level exerts an 'inverted U-shaped' effect on agricultural economic growth, while the average membership size of cooperatives has a 'U-shaped' effect on agricultural economic growth. Cooperatives with no farmer members or capital contribution can be considered 'fake' cooperatives. However, these 'fake' cooperatives do not hamper the agricultural economy. Furthermore, capital accumulation is a critical mechanism through which agricultural cooperatives bridge the gap between smallholders and modern agriculture. On the contrary, government subsidies to agricultural cooperatives do not contribute to agricultural development. Based on the findings, this study recommends to drive out 'fake' cooperatives without farmer members or accumulated capital to promote the development of 'genuine' cooperatives. Moreover, establishing an appropriate membership size and promoting capital accumulation are also important to enhance the effectiveness of agricultural cooperatives in developing modern agriculture. • Agricultural cooperatives can effectively bridge the gap between smallholders and modern agriculture in China. • The number of cooperatives at the county level exerts an 'inverted U-shaped' effect on agricultural economic growth. • The average membership size of cooperatives has a 'U-shaped' effect on agricultural economic growth. • 'Fake cooperatives' with no farmer members or accumulated capital do not hamper the agricultural economy. • Cooperatives' capital accumulation rather than government subsidies boosts agricultural economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of nonfarm employment stability on migrant workers’ farmland transfer decisions. Using data on 1148 migrant workers extracted from the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), our structural equation model determined a significant positive impact of employment stability on migrant workers’ farmland transfer behaviour. Results show that the employment stability of migrant workers has a significant positive impact on their farmland transfer behaviour. In particular, their willingness to settle in the city is an important, although incomplete intermediary factor, accounting for 42.15% of the overall employment stability effect. These findings imply that creating a fair and inclusive employment system in urban China and expanding the urban welfare system to include migrant workers are likely measures to develop land rental markets in rural China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's rapid urbanization growth during the past decades which has highly promoted its affluence has induced various challenges for the countryside. The problem of rural decline of quite many villages which are suffering depopulation in turn challenges the urbanization sustainability in China. By way of in-depth historical and literature review, the paper finds distorted urban-rural relationship and the tendency of village decline owing to China's long time urban biased policy. By further investigating China's new-type urbanization strategy, the paper draws concerns about future rural development which is less mentioned in the plan. It calls for ruralization and actions to revitalize the countryside so as to be adapted to China's new-type urbanization plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to investigate land conversion as a result of urban–rural transformation in the Chinese context. Theoretical analysis and empirical study of the Bohai Rim region find strong connections between the land conversion rates and urban–rural transformation intensity in the period 2000–2010. Rapid land conversion normally takes place in counties/districts of low initial level of urban–rural transformation. However, places of high initial socioeconomic level and low transformation intensity would experience slow land conversion. The different land conversion rates in relation to urban–rural transformation intensity are mainly attributed to the China's land quotas distribution system which is subjective and administrative. The study highlights the implementation of land quotas distribution system based on differences to improve the land distribution efficiency and achieve balanced regional development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the way in which changes in social and industrial structures brought about by the urban-rural transformation process impact upon the relationship between farmland conversion and economic growth in post-reform China. Through this study, panel data analysis revealed that an inverted U-shape relationship existed between the factors of farmland conversion and economic growth in China in the period 2000–2009. The turning point, whereby decreasing farmland conversion is able to occur alongside economic growth, was found to have occurred in 2008, the year when China's per capita GDP exceeded 3000 US dollars. Moreover, rural-urban migration was not found to be significant with respect to this relationship, while the industrial upgrading from secondary to tertiary industries was found to help reduce farmland conversion. The paper highlights the important role that market and governmental forces play in initiating the shift from extensive to intensive and highly efficient land-use patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We identify the land use problems while China is undergoing rapid urbanization. [•] We interpret and assess five land use policies of Chinese current implementation. [•] There is still lacking an overall land use policy framework in China. [•] Chinese future land use strategy and policy system were presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has undergone a dramatic transition echoed the unprecedented urbanization and economic growth since the late 1970s. The current research on urbanization has overlooked the transformation consistency between urban and rural areas. Although the Chinese central government has focused on improving rural residents' livelihood, it is still far from achieving coordinated urban–rural development. This paper provides a comprehensive assessment of China's urban–rural development transformation (URDT) based on three indicator systems, namely the urban–rural development level (URDL), the urban–rural structure level (URSL), and the urban–rural coordination level (URCL). Findings from this investigation show that universal and intense URDT has taken place in China over the last two decades. This has been accompanied by growth of URDL and URSL and deterioration of URCL. There are, however, obvious spatial disparities in the different aspects of URDT. The western and northeastern regions of China have experienced slower transformation than other regions between 1990 and 2010. Correlation analysis among the sub-index shows that coordinated urban–rural development needs a certain initial socioeconomic level and moderate changes of URDL and URSL. This paper suggests that more attentions should be paid to rural areas and lagging areas in central and western China. Given the regional disparities of URDT, the most effective way to achieve urban–rural integration in China is by taking the overall considerations of development policies of both region and urban–rural areas aimed at various urban–rural development transformation characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]