Transitions of Governance Mechanisms in China's Agriculture: Land Reform, the Cooperatives, the People's Commune, HRS and Agricultural Industrialization

Abstract

This paper intensively analyzes the transitions of governance mechanisms in historical periods of China's agriculture in order to obtain a prospect for the Agricultural Industrialization. The three-pointed structure of governance mechanism presented by O. E. Williamson is applied and modified in applying to China's agriculture. By referring also to Schultz's theory, the different historical periods, from Land reform, the Cooperatives, the People's Commune, the Household Responsibility System to the Agricultural Industrialization, are respectively scrutinized with respect to their features of governance mechanism.