Local governance and the quality of local infrastructure: Evidence from village road projects in rural China

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Wong, Ho Lun; Wang, Yu; Luo, Renfu; Zhang, Linxiu; Rozelle, Scott
• 署名单位: Lingnan University; University of Minnesota System; University of Minnesota Twin Cities; Peking University; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Geographic Sciences & Natural Resources Research, CAS; Stanford University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2727
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2017.06.006
• 发表日期: 2017
• 页码: 119-132
• 关键词: Local governance; Infrastructure quality; Village roads; Village participation; rural china

摘要

Research has shown that allowing local communities to elect their own leaders increases local infrastructure investment. However, much less is known about the effects of local governance reform on the quality of local infrastructure. This paper examines the effects of governance reform implemented in rural Chinese villages on the quality of village road projects. We conduct surveys in 101 rural villages and collect data related to the implementation of the reform over the last two decades. We also measure the quality of over 550 village road projects completed in these villages. Using fixed effects and instrumental variable estimation methods, we find that the implementation of village governance reform increases the quality of village road projects. We also find evidence supporting the following effect mechanisms: (1) village leaders become younger and more educated, (2) high quality road projects increase incumbent leaders' re-election chances, and (3) village residents participate more actively in the management and monitoring of village road projects. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.