China and the Comparative Analysis of Land Reform

Abstract

These two books illuminate different aspects of the role land reform has played in China's development process. Lippit shows how land reform helped finance industrialization. Wong, on the other hand, demonstrates that land reform was not able to solve the problems of equity or of agricultural development in the short run. These books can help other countries absorb China's important experiences. Yet at the same time, they underscore the degree to which Chinese studies can benefit by comparative analysis, as the conclusions of the books would