The incidence of popular complaints of farmers on land compensation : a case study of two villages in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China

Abstract

The thesis analyzed the reason for the incidence of lodging popular complaints triggered by a land requisition in two villages in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China. The thesis only took the popular protests on land compensation as a background. The main topic was how charismatic leaders mitigated the dissatisfaction toward land compensation. A field research was performed during which intensive interviews were conducted with the villagers and village leaders concerned in the case. The possible factors of causing the different results of popular complaints were discussed. The factor of village leadership was studies in detail. The thesis explained the relationship between village leadership and the happening of complaints. By analyzing the results of interviews, four aspects of village leadership were specified: leadership and economic rewards, leadership and communication, leadership and social norms, and leadership and historic trajectory. The thesis showed that the case in the background of current China could only partially be predicted by the existing theories in western world. Further research need to be conducted specifically against the background of China.