Social Capital and the Effectiveness of Land Use Policies: Evidence from Rural China, 2016

The dataset underpins a study on "Social Capital and the Effectiveness of Land Use Policies: Evidence from Rural China," drawing from the 17 Provinces Rural Land Survey by Renmin University of China. This research navigates the intricacies of land use policy effectiveness in rural China, underpinned by the significant reforms initiated by the 1986 Constitution allowing transactions of land use rights. These reforms enabled local governments to lease land use rights to the private sector, significantly contributing to fiscal revenues and fostering economic development and urban expansion at an impressive rate. However, this rapid transformation introduced several challenges, including legal, social, and environmental issues centered around land use policies.

The study delves into the consequences of these reforms, such as the technical efficiency impacts on livestock grazing in Tibet versus the degradation of ecosystem services in Inner Mongolia, and the negative effects of full-scale land relocation practices on organic fertilizer usage. The complexity of redeveloping brownfields in rural areas and the crucial role of rural land tenure in investment, productivity, and participation in the land rental market are also highlighted. The effectiveness of land use policies has thus become a focal point for scholarly investigation, particularly regarding the impact on rural residents, who are critical stakeholders in the reform process.

Central to this exploration is the concept of social capital, defined as the network of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling society to function effectively. Social capital, encompassing elements such as trust, social networks, and norms, plays a pivotal role in encouraging environmental restoration and climate change adaptation efforts. This has been observed not only in China but globally, suggesting a move towards behavioral land use policies that leverage social capital for cost-effective and sustainable outcomes. These policies aim to influence behaviors through intrinsic motivations rather than through monetary incentives or legal mandates, which often entail significant public expenditure and administrative costs.

The data seeks to advance the discourse on land use policy by proposing a comprehensive analytical framework that includes various forms of social capital and measures policy outcomes both in the short and long term. Employing an innovative empirical strategy, the study addresses endogeneity issues and aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the relationship between social capital and land use policy outcomes. The findings suggest that social capital has a contextually dependent effect on policy effectiveness, varying across different policy objectives and stages of policy evaluation. This research underscores the importance of incorporating multiple dimensions of social capital into policy analysis and design, offering insights that could guide sustainable urbanization and rural development efforts.