Thirty years have passed since the beginning of the reform era in China which saw important changes in agriculture and rural organizations, but it is clear that certain entrenched legacies from pre-reform China still linger on even after WTO accession, most importantly the key role played by state actors and politics in the development of markets in rural China. Although increasingly diversified markets have emerged for major agricultural inputs and products, their development cannot be understood without taking this role into account.

Against this backdrop, the contributors to this book offer a fresh account of rural politics and markets, consciously linking these two realms and highlighting their interconnectedness. The book is organized in three parts addressing respectively markets for agricultural inputs and outputs as well as current policies in rural development. The perspectives adopted link macro- and micro-level analysis in each chapter and thus contribute substantially to our understanding of existing markets.

As an original account of rural politics and markets in China this book will appeal to students and scholars of Chinese politics, economics, development studies and political economy.

"[T]his book is an excellently edited collection of most recent research on the political economy of rural China - but even more, in that it connects rich micro details with elaborated reflections on macro level questions of national and even global scale. It is thus a must read for everyone interested in contemporary Chinese politics, economy and society." - Anna L. Ahlers; ASIEN 123 (April 2012) 'This edited book of 13 chapters is a rich addition to the academic understanding of the Chinese rural reforms, a much-needed examination of political and economic transformations and trends. The scholarship is solidly based in excellent original research data, and focuses on very recent policy changes while being grounded in solid history and drawing on the wider literature in politics, development and economics... I urge all scholars interested in rural reform to read the introduction and to explore individual articles of interest. The research and the bibliographic range are excellent, making this book a rich resource for understanding and exploring trends and implications of policy change in rural China.' - Michelle S. Mood, Kenyon College; The China Journal (July 2013). "Scholars of rural political economy will find this book a fascinating read." S. A. Newland, University of California, Berkeley, CA