Innovative Research On The Security System For Land-Expropriated Peasants Based Upon Sustainable Livelihoods

Land, the basis that human beings depend on for existence, is the foundation of sustainable development of economy and society. With the quickening of urbanization process in China, the demand for construction land has expanded greatly; diminishing agricultural land and projecting the imbalance between land supply and demand. Moreover, a great number of land- expropriated peasants,who find it more difficult to make a living because of the loss of land, have emerged. As a result of the defects of land expropriation compensation system and social security system, the rights and interests of land- expropriated peasants cannot be properly shielded, thus posing challenges for the realization of sustainable livelihoods and development and the maintenance of social stability. Aiming at the perfection of land-expropriated peasant security system, China is presently exploring new practices and reforming the land expropriation system.This thesis, from the theoretical perspective of sustainable livelihoods, analysed the different safeguard patterns of the security system, which takes form of employment arrangement, monetary indemnity and social security. The thesis also pointed out their limitations in protecting the sustainable livelihoods for land-expropriated peasants in the historical progress of land expropriation compensation system. Basing on the analysis above, the thesis introduces the innovative practice of the security system for land-expropriated peasants, taking regions including South China Sea in Guangdong Province, Wuhu in Anhui Province and Suzhou in Jiangsu Province for instance, summarizes their practice as "land circulation pattern" security system and analysed the corresponding advantages and achievements of protecting the sustainable livelihoods for land-expropriated peasants through the approach of sustainable livelihoods theory.Taking Village X in Suzhou Industrial Park as an object of study, this thesis, from the perspective of sustainable livelihoods, involves a comparative study between the new "land circulation pattern" security system and the current security system for land-expropriated peasants. An evaluation model of sustainable livelihoods is also constructed trough correlation analysis and factor analysis to generate evaluation results basing upon the subject models and corresponding statistics of Village X. The results show that the sustainability of natural, social and human capital of post-land-circulation peasants is better than those of land-expropriated peasants, while land expropriation brings more material capital and financial capital. The evaluation results further verifies how the land circulation pattern could better protect the sustainable livelihoods of lost-land peasants.On the basis of above-mentioned verification process, the thesis discloses the basic security system framework and illustrates the basic principles, concepts, target, content and methods based upon sustainable livelihoods for land-expropriated peasants. The thesis also concludes that sustainable livelihoods security system for land-expropriated peasants consists of basic livelihoods security and sustainable livelihoods security. Basic livelihoods security mainly includes security projects for endowment, medical care, employment etc., while sustainable livelihoods security, ensuring the short-term basic livelihoods, enables lost-land peasants to attain the development opportunities and sustain long-term livelihoods, covering the sustainable livelihoods even for their offspring.