Impacts of China's burgeoning rural land rental markets on equity: A case study of developed areas along the eastern coast

In this study, we examine how rural land rental markets in China are changing the distribution of land among villagers of different incomes. To uncover the impact of land rental markets on land distribution, we first employ the Gini coefficient as a measure of changes in land holdings before and after the emergence of land rental markets. We then use multivariate analysis to examine how land rental market activity differs by income groups within villages. Results indicate that disparity within villages is increasing in the form of land rental market 'land grabs', implying that land rental markets are not a tool to reduce land disparity in rural China.