Land tenure and agricultural investments in China: a meta-regression analysis
China Agricultural Economic Review
ISSN: 1756-137X
Article publication date: 25 September 2019
Issue publication date: 11 June 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that lead to the controversy within the existing empirical literature on the relationship between land tenure and agricultural investments in China.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducts a meta-regression analysis (MRA) based on 265 samples from 29 selected studies. These studies are collected from different regions and populations; therefore, this study utilizes a random-effects meta-regression model to control between-study heterogeneity.
Findings
The empirical results show that the variable “land-related long-term investments” significantly affects the relationship between land tenure and agricultural investments. The variables: “ration land,” “land titling” and “land transfer rights” all have significant effects on this relationship, but at different levels. The study area (e.g. “western China,” “central/inland China,” “two regions contained”), “plot level,” “panel data,” “sample size,” “considered endogeneity” and “off-farm employment” variables all significantly influence the relationship. Additionally, the results show that the relationship is significantly affected by the survey time.
Practical implications
Policymakers should treat the existing research conclusions with caution and pay more attention to defining land tenure. The relationship between land tenure and agricultural investments also depends on regional resource availability. Therefore, land property rights policies should be region-specific in order to successfully encourage agricultural investments.
Originality/value
In this study, the author collectively examines existing empirical studies to investigate whether their inconsistent results are affected by research characteristics. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first study that analyzes land tenure and agricultural investments in China using MRA. Future research should refine the definition of land tenure, the selection of agricultural investment types, the research method and the method of data collection.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Many thanks go to the first author and co-authors in Tables I, II and III for supporting the data provided in this study. Special thanks go to the China Scholarship Council (Grant No. 201706850009) for supporting this research project. The author thanks Professor Shuyi Feng from College of Public Administration of Nanjing Agricultural University for initial guidance. Great thanks go to the reviewers’ valuable comments. The author also thanks Cassidy Hampton and Zoe Wallace, who are native-born Americans, for improving the English writing.
Citation
Li, J. (2020), "Land tenure and agricultural investments in China: a meta-regression analysis", China Agricultural Economic Review, Vol. 12 No. 2, pp. 329-347. https://doi.org/10.1108/CAER-12-2018-0245
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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