Governing Nail Household

This is an empirical research thesis .It focuses on contemporary Chinese ruralgrassroots governance. By analyzing the emergence, constitution and behavior logic ofnail household, this thesis indicates the power structure and skill characteristic ofgrassroots governance and revisits the effect and result of state -making since modernChina.The author collects the empirical materials from Fugou county in Henan province,Jingshan county in Hubei province, Anyuan county in Jiangxi province and Wupingcounty in Fujian province. To master different rural governance characteristics in differentregions, the author not only gets the material from his own survey, but also benefits fromthe academic tradition of North China, South China and Central China research. Based onthe knowledge of different regional rural governance pattern, this thesis analyzes thepractice of family planning policy and agricultural taxes and fees and other policies relatedto rural village, and tries to master the overall situation of nail household governance.For the analytic concepts, this thesis mainly benefits from two traditions of Chineserural research. One is Chinese sociologists study about earthbound China in 1930—1940,especially the efforts of Mr. Fei Xiaotong. The other is abroad Chinese research, whichstudies local governance in modern China, especially the studies of Mr. Philip C. C.Huang. On the relationship between theory and experience, the author applies the regionalcomparing perspective to distinguish the efficiency of different concepts in explaining theexperiences, then the author tries to enrich the contents of theory and understanding ofexperience.The goal of this thesis is not to have a new theory, but tries to deepen theunderstanding of some key issues. This thesis tries to prove that nail householdgovernance is the core work of grassroots governance. To control and utilize marginalman is the foundation of orderly reform in rural area.Marginal man is the organic part of earthbound society. Like local elite, marginal manis the key force to maintain internal order of earthbound society and also is an activeelement of prompting rural social change. Modern state -making creates condition formarginal man to participate in state political reform and social transition. One part ofmarginal men was mobilized, and they became important driving force of Chinese revolution. More marginal men became nail household as the country carried out statepolicy. While they reshaped the grassroots governance, they also promoted the transitionof state governance secretly.Comprehensive governance is the main characteristic of rural grassroots governancein contemporary China, which is realized through the agent system. Double identitiesbring the agent into more extensive power network. In addition, regent can use moregovernance skills, that is to say, it not only uses state power, but also uses informal power.It not only employs civilized power fully, but also wields violent power. Comprehensivegovernance is the foundation of simplified governance of state power, and also is the rootcause of dilemma of grassroots governance.Nail household governance is an important part of contemporary Chinese politics, itis a key field of promoting state modernization. Nail household is a fulcrum throughwhich the state power entered into rural society. Therefore, grassroots governance fieldbecame a part of state politics. The nail household even directly entered into stategovernance field and touched state political nerve.