Stakeholder perspectives of China's land consolidation program: A case study of Dongnan Village, Shandong Province

Rural urban migration abetted by pro-urban policies has led to relative stagnation in China's rural sector. Partly to remedy this situation and partly to accommodate the demand for more urban land as urbanization progresses, the central government has promoted land consolidation that also increases land use efficiency. This approach has been lauded by many scholars. However, little research has been undertaken to ascertain how consolidation affects those rural residents targeted in consolidation schemes. Through a case study of Dongnan Village in Shandong Province, this study shows that consolidation through the government preferred Spatial Territory Reorganization (STR) model affects different residents differently and corresponding engendered different responses. Factors that mattered were these residents' main occupation and age. While local officials supported consolidation, they have not found ways to effectively deal with residents' resistance. Policy implications from this study relate to the need for bottom–up participation, implementation flexibility, and the need for adequate support infrastructure and incentives to compensate for adjustment costs both economic and socio-psychological. •Attitudes toward Dongnan's land consolidation program depended mostly on residents' occupation and age.•Policy-makers should ensure grassroots participation, flexible implementation and adequate compensation for villagers.•Land consolidation must be set within the broader framework of rural development policies.