Bringing the State to the Village: Poverty Alleviation and Local Governance in Rural China

Date of Award

6-2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Political Science

First Advisor

Yuan-kang Wang, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Priscilla Lambert, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Jim Butterfield, Ph.D.

Fourth Advisor

Xingmiu Liao, Ph.D.

Abstract

This body of work analyzes how grassroots governance shapes political legitimacy in rural China through the implementation of targeted poverty alleviation policies. It focuses on pairing-up mechanisms between local cadres and rural households as a key site where state authority is enacted and experienced in everyday life.

Drawing on a mixed-methods design, the study combines qualitative fieldwork and survey data collected in rural China. The qualitative component is based on interviews, observation, and document analysis conducted in a poverty-affected county, while the quantitative component draws on household survey data to examine patterns in local governance perceptions.

The study argues that legitimacy is produced not only through redistribution but also through relational practices embedded in policy implementation. It contributes to research on rural political behavior, state-society relations, and governance by linking micro-level interactions to broader patterns of political authority.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Abstract Only

Restricted to Campus until

6-1-2036

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