Benefit Conflicts and Program Defects of the Operation of Village Combination in China's Countryside: Also on the Practice Model of Developed Countries

Abstract

Village combination is a significant social transformation and development event in China's rural areas. In the central government's original plan, the implementation of the policy should run smoothly. As some local governments forced the villagers to accept the merger policy in a radical administrative way, it caused opposition from all walks of life. From the perspective of cost-benefit, it can be found that the implementation of village combination has long-term benefits to the society as a whole. However, due to the neglect of the protection of villagers' legitimate rights and interests in the current operation, the positive effect of the policy is insufficient. In terms of fair compensation, the system ignores the monetary compensation for using the homestead, which leads to the loss of villagers' interests that cannot be effectively filled. Moreover, the lack of current legal provisions that implement the village combination is impossible to follow. At the same time, because of the local government's neglect of applicable laws, it is difficult for villagers to get just legal relief. In addition to discussing the chaos of the current village combination, the main ways that villages merge in developed countries outside the region are also discussed. Through the evaluation of these national practices, it provides a model for the better development of village combinations in China.