This thesis has the two-fold purpose of describing and explaining institutional arrangements for natural resource management in an extensive pastoral area of western China. It makes an original contribution to knowledge in terms of the documentation of contemporary local-level pastoral tenure arrangements in a region and country where they have rarely been documented before. Originality also stems from the thesis' employment of the new institutional economics framework to explain pastoral tenure in general, and pastoral tenure in the economic, social and ecological context of western China in particular. A case study approach involving three pastoral villages, two Kazak and one Tuvan, is adopted. Methodologies include a semi-structured survey of 30% of households (201 in total) in the case study villages. Local-level institutional arrangements for natural resource management are characterised by community-based regulation, group tenure arrangements (despite the emphasis of grassland policy on the individualisation of tenure), and variation in the fuzziness of boundaries. While allowing for the possibility of some efficiency losses, the overall pastoral tenure situation is inconsistent with the common perception of it as a `tragedy of the commons'. The exclusivity of pastoral tenure arrangements across space/seasonis associatedw ith resource scarcity. The persistenceo f group tenure and, more generally, of community-based natural resource management, is due to the relatively -low cost of collective action coupled with the benefits derived, including: economies of size with respect to herd supervision; external and seasonal exclusion; and social insurance. a The above findings reinforce contemporary critiques of the evolutionary theory of land tenure and common property theory, and add a new dimension to the literature on property rights reform in rural China. The major policy implication is the need for an incremental, experimental and participatory approach to institutional improvement.

Economic growth and private sector development have been sluggish in China’s western regions, where ethnic minorities make up a sizeable part of the population. In the northwest Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the state maintains a steady presence in the small but growing urban private sector, largely populated by Han-owned firms and entrepreneurs. A small group of minority Uyghur entrepreneurs have positioned themselves in markets where they hold a cultural and linguistic advantage, particularly in trade with neighbouring Central Asia and the production of Muslim foods. However, clustering in similar industries and markets limits the growth of Uyghur businesses in the private sector where they have little presence. To understand how these new entrepreneurs adapt to this environment, and their move toward ‘modern’ business practices, this thesis analyses the characteristics of Uyghur entrepreneurs and their role as ‘agents of development’ in Xinjiang’s capital of Urumqi. / Since the institution of China’s national economic reforms, Uyghurs have progressively engaged in traditional merchant and ‘bazaar’ economic activities, generally outside the registered, firm-type private sector. In Urumqi, the majority of new Uyghur entrepreneurs are disadvantaged in operating firms by a lack of management experience, skilled employees and start-up capital, so that they primarily rely on resources within the Uyghur community for support. Entrepreneurs who seek to modernise their business and ‘break out’ of traditional Uyghur market niches tend to broaden their networks outside the Uyghur ethnic group. Social networks with larger Han firms and government officials allow better access to resources and financing for Uyghur entrepreneurs. In this way, the shift to ‘modern’ business practices entails cooperation and networking with the majority Han, rather than within the Uyghur community alone. / This thesis presents Urumqi’s Uyghur entrepreneurs, traditionally operating on the fringe of the private sector, as agents of social change through business modernisation and cooperation with Han. In Xinjiang, where economic development is often conflated with the state and increasing numbers of Han migrants, Uyghur entrepreneurs are engaging in the market and contributing to the development of Uyghur society as a whole. This thesis demonstrates how these new entrepreneurs integrate into the Han-dominated private sector and thus participate in development in Xinjiang.

Thesis--Lund university. / Includes index. Bibliography: p. 160-163.

Thesis (M.A.) -- Guo li zheng zhi da xue bian zheng yan jiu suo / Photocopy.

Thesis (M.A.)--Zheng zhi da xue. / Reproduced from typescript. Bibliography: last group.

Thesis--Lund University. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 160-163) and index.

Thesis--Lund university. / Includes index. Bibliography: p. 160-163.

Thèse confidentielle / Confidential PhD thesis

About eight million Uyghurs live in the People’s Republic of China. Many Uyghurs are hostile to Chinese rule. Xinjiang, the province in which most Uyghurs live, has long been a spot of violence and controversy. The Chinese government has employed a variety of means to pacify the Uyghurs and integrate them into mainstream society. It has used violence, propaganda, economic incentives, and education. This thesis will examine the use of education in that strategy. Chinese policymakers hope that education will raise Uyghur standards of living, support China’s preferred historical interpretations, and make Mandarin the common language in Xinjiang. This thesis examines three parts of China’s education strategy: preferential policies (傾斜政策), language education, and history education. This is done through examining Chinese White Papers, textbooks used in Chinese classrooms, publications by analysts, and studies done by academics. The goal was to discover how much success China has had in using education to integrate the Uyghurs. This thesis has found that while progress has been made, the PRC has not achieved its goal of using education to integrate the Uyghurs into mainstream society. In fact, its attempts have often had the opposite affect, alienating and angering many Uyghurs.

Thesis (doctoral)--University of Leeds, 1999.