Homeowners’ Rights Protection Actions in China

• In Event: 4367 - Section on Asia and Asian America Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: 10. Political Sociology

Abstract

Drawing on data collected from 191 cases of homeowners’ rights protection actions in urban China between 1999 and 2012, this paper employs the concepts of organization, strategy, and opportunity structures to examine the effect of dispute type, number of participants, rights-defending method, homeowner organization, and government response on the result of homeowners’ collective action. It finds that in disputes involving government departments, homeowners are less likely to successfully protect their interests than is the case in conflicts involving only property management or developers. Mobilizing fifty or more participants is conducive to achieving a satisfactory result, but the likelihood of success does not continue to rise as numbers increase beyond this threshold. In terms of protest method, non-institutionalized radical actions do not help homeowners to realize their claims. A well-functioning homeowners’ organization that truly represents the interests of homeowners can significantly increase the success rate of homeowners’ collective action, while improper government intervention and administrative nonfeasance severely hinder homeowners’ success. Overall, the data suggest the circumstances under which China’s affluent homeowners have been able defend their rights and interests even within the limits of the authoritarian political structure.

Author

• Zhiming Sheng, Shanghai University