How Does Administrative Decentralization Activate Endogenous Rural Development?— The Transformation of R Village and Its Underlying Logic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15583321Keywords:
Administrative Decentralization, Rural Development, Endogenous Power, Underlying LogicAbstract
The rural revitalization strategy, guided by China’s vision for national rejuvenation, emphasizes activating endogenous development in rural areas. Yet in practice, many grassroots initiatives suffer from “floating public projects,” where government dominates while local participation lags. This paper examines how administrative decentralization can effectively stimulate rural endogenous power by analyzing the transformation of R Village—a once-declining bonsai-producing village plagued by governance issues and economic stagnation. Through the downward extension of administrative authority, public resources, and governance concepts, R Village achieved organizational restructuring, industrial revitalization, and community re-engagement. The case demonstrates the potential of a “new endogenous development” model that integrates external support with internal capacity-building. R Village’s shift from a “weak and dispersed” village to a national model offers valuable insights for sustainable rural development and broader rural revitalization efforts.
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Fundings:This research was supported by the Zhong Kai College of Agricultural Engineering Graduate Student Science and Technology Innovation Fund Grant (KJCX2024031) and General Program of the National Social Science Foundation (21BSH104). The funding institutions had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
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