This thesis aims at investigating the development of land management system in China and Shenzhen is chosen as the case study. The choice attributes to the facts that Shenzhen is both a Special Economic Zone and forerunner in land management reform. By probing the system, emphasis is given to whether the employment of property right approach can tackle the thorny issues in the land management in China. It is maintained that, such approach cannot totally deal with the peculiar issues of China and special characteristics of land market in Shenzhen. By and large, the core is the problem is the incompatibility of the land management reform with the other aspects of the economy, such as the slow progress of the enterprise and labor reform, the necessity of land development controls to handle...[ Read more ]

This thesis aims at investigating the development of land management system in China and Shenzhen is chosen as the case study. The choice attributes to the facts that Shenzhen is both a Special Economic Zone and forerunner in land management reform. By probing the system, emphasis is given to whether the employment of property right approach can tackle the thorny issues in the land management in China. It is maintained that, such approach cannot totally deal with the peculiar issues of China and special characteristics of land market in Shenzhen. By and large, the core is the problem is the incompatibility of the land management reform with the other aspects of the economy, such as the slow progress of the enterprise and labor reform, the necessity of land development controls to handle the externalities and ensure orderly development of the land market, the lack of project and housing finance and the stimulus to attract more foreign direct investments(FDI).

On the other hand, this thesis also examines the interrelationship between the FDI and the land management. Basically speaking, land management policies are FDI-driven in various aspects including the preferential land management treatment towards the FDI, the control of speculation to prevent skyrocketing land prices, the large expansion of the infrastructure development and the restructuring of the land policy to cater for the changing economic environment. Sadly, however, numerous baffling problems also emerge from such a relationship and further reduce the possibility to the total employment of property rights approach.

In all, notwithstanding the bumpy road of reform and the dilemma to consider the impact of the reform to the F'DI, it is contended that a balance has to be achieved. The government intervention and the imperfections created should be reduced following the progress of the other reforms and the economic conditions.