Justice from Above or Justice from Below? Popular Strategies for Resolving Grievances in Rural China
China Quarterly, March 2008
41 Pages Posted: 8 Aug 2006
Abstract
Research on rural conflict in China suggests that village leaders are sources of trouble and obstacles to justice and that aggrieved villagers have more trust in and receive more satisfactory redress from higher-level solutions than from local solutions. In contrast to this account of justice from above, evidence presented in this article from a 2002 survey of almost 3,000 households supports an alternative theory of justice from below. According to the theory of justice from below, the social costs associated with appealing to higher authorities, including the legal system, for help with local disputes tend both to discourage the escalation of disputes and to produce relatively disappointing experiences and outcomes when such routes are taken. Survey respondents indicated that local solutions, often with the involvement of village leaders, were far more desirable and effective than higher-level solutions.
Keywords: China, justice, rural, law
JEL Classification: K41
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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