article

Landownership concentration in China: the Buck Survey revisited

Modern China12 (3)Published In 1986 • Pages: 259-360

By: Arrigo, Linda Gail.

Abstract
This study recalculated some of John L. Buck's famous land survey data from the 1930s to determine factors that might have contributed to social inequality. Specifically, it examines land ownership, rents, productivity, and management, along with climate and transportation (to markets). The study also calculates a general subsistence quota above which a farming household produces a surplus. The findings suggest that land productivity, especially double cropping, and population density are most likely predictors of surplus production which in turn predicts landownership concentration and social inequality.
Subjects
Population
Tillage
Initiation of judicial proceedings
Real property
Renting and leasing
Production and supply
Labor supply and employment
Classes
Household
culture
Han Chinese
Region
Asia
Sub Region
East Asia
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard; 2021
Field Date
not applicable
Coverage Date
1929-1933
Coverage Place
People's Republic of China
Notes
Linda Gail Arrigo
Includes bibliographical references (p. 359-360)
LCCN
75642238
LCSH
China--Social life and customs