REFRAMING RURAL LAND GOVERNANCE THROUGH NOT-ACTION LEADERSHIP: A CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS OF THE DRYLAND-TO-PADDY PROJECT IN HECHI CITY, CHINA
คำสำคัญ:
Wu wei, Taoist leadership, Sustainable governance, Rural land governance, Public administration, Adaptive governanceบทคัดย่อ
China’s Dryland-to-Paddy Project was introduced to improve cultivated land quality, but its implementation reveals governance problems from excessive intervention. This study reinterprets the Taoist principle of wu wei (non-action) as a public administration leadership framework, analyzing the Hechi City case through the How to Stop and Reason to Stop frameworks. The analysis identifies three governance challenges: policy deviations from premature action, resource misallocation driven by performance-oriented priorities, and conflicts with ecological limits from insufficient local adaptation. Governing in line with wu wei implies slowing premature action, investing in essential supports, and respecting boundaries to generate sustainable outcomes. This study contributes by reframing wu wei as a leadership-oriented governance framework and provides practical guidance for policymakers by emphasizing appropriate intervention boundaries and adaptive local participation in rural land governance.
เอกสารอ้างอิง
Ansell, C., & Gash, A. (2018). Collaborative platforms as a governance strategy. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 28(1), 16–32. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mux030
Bevir, M., & Rhodes, R. A. (Eds.). (2016). Routledge handbook of interpretive political science. London: Routledge.
Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027
Cheng, K. (2024). “Joint responsibility-mutual interest involvement”: A study on intergovernmental consultation between higher and lower levels in contemporary China [Doctoral dissertation]. Jilin University.
Gao, X. (2018). Governing the world through Dao: Intellectual history study of Huainanzi (Vol. 1). Tianjin People's Publishing House, pp. 172-177.
Gilson, L. L., & Goldberg, C. B. (2015). Editors’ comment: So, what is a conceptual paper? Group & Organization Management, 40(2), 127–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601115576425
Gong, D. (2022). Research on the path of integrating Laozi’s thought of “natural inaction” into rural revitalization. Journal of Wuhan Metallurgical Manager’s Institute, 32(3), 88–92.
Guo, J. (2013). Legislative transformation of land use control models. Chinese Journal of Law, 35(2), 60–83.
Kiettikunwong, N. (2025, October 17–19). Non-action leadership: A Taoist-inspired framework for solving social dilemmas in public administration [Conference paper]. 2025 Annual Conference of the Asian Association for Public Administration, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications.
Liu, H., & Zhou, X. (2025). Research on the application of dryland-to-paddy conversion in rural cultivated land quality improvement. Chinese Scientific Journal Database (Full-text Edition) Agricultural Sciences, 2025(4), 191–194.
Liu, Y., Xue, X. F., Zhang, S. C., et al. (2025). Spatiotemporal pattern evolution and influencing factors of dryland-to-paddy conversion in karst mountainous areas: A case study of Youyang County. Mountain Research, 43(1), 87–104.
Lu, J., Lei, Y., Liu, X., & Wu, L. (2019). Reflections on the implementation of dryland-to-paddy field quality improvement projects in Guangxi. Southern Land and Resources, 2019(2), 37–39.
Mo, G., & Mo, G. (2025). A preliminary study on audit issues concerning grassroots cultivated land quality improvement and dryland-to-paddy conversion. Auditing and Finance, 2025(3), 24–25.
Moran, M. (2001). Not steering but drowning: Policy catastrophes and the regulatory state. The Political Quarterly, 72(4), 414–427. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-923X.00420
Qin, J. (2025). Problems and countermeasures in the construction and management of dryland-to-paddy conversion projects in Hechi City. South Agriculture, 19(7), 171–173.
Sun, P., Wang, Z., Qian, Z., et al. (2025). The adaptive mechanism and efficiency leap of rural land use under the “separation of three rights” framework—An empirical study based on rural land utilization practices in Zhejiang Province. Journal of Human Settlements in West China, 40(2), 17–24.
Tang, F. C. (2025). Brief discussion on implementation and optimization strategies of dryland-to-paddy projects: A case study of Diaowo Village in Fengcheng, Dandong. Liaoning Natural Resources, 6, 47–49.
Uhl-Bien, M., Marion, R., & McKelvey, B. (2007). Complexity leadership theory: Shifting leadership from the industrial age to the knowledge era. The Leadership Quarterly, 18(4), 298–318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2007.04.002
Wei, X. (2024). Application of dryland-to-paddy conversion in quality improvement of rural farmland. Rural Science Experiment, 2024(5), 46–48.
Xia, Z. (2013). On the construction of urban and rural ecological civilization from the evolution of the relationship between human and nature. Journal of Technical Economics & Management Research, 2013(12), 114–118.
Yan, X., Zhang, L., Xia, H., & Zhang, Y. (2025). The impact of rural land circulation on farmers’ income in Hainan Province. Agricultural Economy, 2025(1), 110–112.
Yang, Y., & Feng, Q. (2022, August 27). Hechi: Implementing dryland-to-paddy conversion to transform barren land into fertile fields. Guangxi TV News. Retrieved March 3, 2025, from https://news.gxtv.cn/article/detail_37eafd18f22849fa82ca4167cb00c62c.html
Zhang, J., & Li, S. (2024, December 27). Let the dryland-to-paddy project bring prosperity. Guangxi Legal Daily, p. B03. https://doi.org/10.28239/n.cnki.nfzkb.2024.002918
Zhu, W. (2024). Technical and benefit analysis of comprehensive land consolidation project under dryland-to-paddy model in Luocheng County. Southern Agriculture, 18(11), 212–215.
Zheng, Z., & Cai, J. (2019). Institutional guarantee for urban-rural integrated development: Equal rights of collective land and state-owned land. China Rural Economy, 2019(11), 2–15.
