The Political Economy of Agro-Food Markets in China : The Social Construction of the Markets in an Era of Globalization

After thirty years of reforms and continuous economic growth, China's agricultural production and food consumption have increased tremendously, leading to a complete evolution of agro-food markets. This study uses a path dependency approach to analyze the development of these markets, the structure of which remains relatively unknown. The authors use agro-food industries in China to describe the organization of agricultural markets in China and its implication for local people as well as for her integration into the world economy. vii List of Tables 3.1 Pearson's product-moment correlation analyses comparing provincial mean prices for rice, wheat, and corn by year with provincial mean yields by year 3.2 Pearson's product-moment correlation analyses comparing provincial mean prices for rice, wheat, and corn lagged one year with provincial mean yields for following year 3.3 Moran's I values for provincial crop prices, 2003-2010 5.1 Chinese beef and cattle industry statistics -1980, 1990, 2000, and 2010 6.1 Feeds used in a typical forage-based 'peasant' pig farm, Guangdong, 1998 6.2 Compared feed costs of four pig-production systems, Guangdong, 1998 6.3 Compared costs and incomes per pig in four pig-production systems, Guangdong, 1998 6.4 Compared costs per unit of output in four pig-production systems, Guangdong, 1998 6.5 Compared incomes and returns to labour of four pig farms, January 1998's prices 6.6 Cereal consumption of China's swine industry: An estimate for 1999 6.7 Estimates for feed use in the Guangdong province swine industry, 1998-1999 8.1 Relative wool grade price differentials List of Figures ix 9.6 Sericulture development in Guangxi 9.7 Sericulture structure in Guangxi 10.1 EU imports of cashmere and cashmere products from China, 2002-2010 10.2 Goat and cashmere production in pastoral and semi-pastoral counties in China 11.1 Liquid biofuels production (1.000 t.) 11.2 Comparison of changing targets and actual capacity of bioethanol and biodiesel x Notes on Contributors Björn Alpermann is Professor and Chair of Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Würzburg, Germany. Recent books include China's Cotton Industry: Economic Transformation and State Capacity (2010) and (as editor) Politics and Markets in Rural China (2011). His research interests include rural political economy and village governance. He is also conducting research on social stratification and political culture in contemporary urban China. Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Introduction: Agro-Food Markets in China in Light of Economic Sociology....Pages 1-24 Front Matter....Pages 25-25 Markets as Political Institutions....Pages 27-46 An Approach to Food Quality in China: An Agenda for Future Research....Pages 47-74 Front Matter....Pages 75-75 Post-Reform Grain Markets and Prices in China....Pages 77-102 China’s Sugar under Globalization Forces: Market Structures and State Decision Making in the Context of Liberalization....Pages 103-126 A Diachronic Analysis of the Beef Industry....Pages 127-151 Understanding the Growth and the Decline of Small-Farm Production in the Swine Industry of Guangdong Province and in China from 1980 to 2010....Pages 152-179 Front Matter....Pages 181-181 China’s Cotton Market as a Strategic Action Field....Pages 183-209 Drivers and Dynamics of the Chinese Wool Market....Pages 210-235 Development of Contract Farming in Chinese Sericulture and the Silk Industry....Pages 236-256 Growth, Globalization and Upgrading of the Chinese Cashmere Industry....Pages 257-278 Fuels for the Future? The Emerging Architecture in China’s Liquid Biofuels Market....Pages 279-306 Conclusion: Economic Sociology and the Political Economy of China’s Agro-food Markets....Pages 307-320 Back Matter....Pages 321-329 China's agricultural production and food consumption have increased tremendously, leading to a complete evolution of agro-food markets.The book is divided into two parts; the first part reviews the theoretical framework for the 'social construction of the markets,' while the second part presents the implication for the agro-food markets in China. After thirty years of reforms and continuous economic growth, China's agricultural production and food consumption have increased tremendously, leading to a complete evolution of agro-food markets. The authors use a path dependency approach to analyze the development of these markets, the structure of which remains relatively unknown. The authors use agro-food industries in China, to describe the organization of agricultural markets in China, and its implication for local people as well as for her integration into the world economy. The book is divided into two parts; the first part reviews the theoretical framework for the 'social construction of the markets,' while the second part presents the implication for the agro-food markets in China