Involuntary resettlement, production and income: Evidence from Xiaolangdi, PRC

This paper examines how the capacities of the Chinese state and the institutional structure of agriculture have affected the manner in which resettlement has influenced the livelihoods of peasants in two Henan villages. The villages were resettled because of construction of the Xiaolangdi dam on the Yellow River. Although located in the same region, the original villages exhibited different income levels, equality, and forms of production; since resettlement, incomes in the poorer village have risen, but in the richer village have fallen. The villagers now have access to less land than formerly (though more of it is irrigated) but many now work in new construction and transport activities, building the dam and the village infrastructure. In both villages, when construction ceases, incomes are expected to fall. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.