Expulsion by pollution: the political economy of land grab for industrial parks in rural China

Hua Li, Lu Pan

Corresponding authors: Hua Li， e-mail: lihuacau@163.com

Globalizations, 2020(Published online)

Abstract: This paper aims to broaden the analysis of the social-ecological impact of land grab. It does so by examining a hidden form of dispossession – expulsion by pollution within the context of industrial transfer inside China. Expulsion by pollution is different from the land dispossession described in most land grab studies as it involves expelling people from their land by reducing its use value through pollution, rather than taking the land away. Based on a case study in China, this paper explores the dynamics, mechanisms and impacts of expulsion by pollution. It finds that the alliance of developmentalist government and private capital has not only provided political space for pollution to occur but also limited the space for local villagers to resist its environmental impacts. The poor bear the heaviest brunt of the negative impact of pollution and in the most vulnerable situations.

Keywords: Industrial transfer; expulsion by pollution; environmental struggle

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To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2020.1724244