[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Secretary ›› 2026, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (1): 30-43.

Previous Articles     Next Articles

How to Absorb:the Construction of Village Social Interest Absorption Mechanism from the Perspective of Infrastructural Power—A Field Study of Z Village in S Town,T City,Southern Jiangsu Province

LIU Xiangdong,ZHANG Bin   

  • Online:2026-01-25 Published:2026-02-27

Abstract:

The widely held view that rapid economic development undermines social stability in developing countries is challenged by the “China exception”. While existing scholarship has focused primarily on urban governance since the reform era,rural social order remains understudied.  Based on extensive fieldwork in Z Village,S Town,T City,Southern Jiangsu,this study adopts the theory of infrastructural state power and constructs an “organization-rules-technology” framework to examine how the state reshapes mechanisms of interest expression and realization in the context of rapid rural economic growth,thus facilitating a governance order oriented by state will. The research finds that sustained state presence achieves the restructuring of grassroots organizations by coopting emerging forces and redefining the roles of village cadres;the introduction of new normative rules into public and social life redefines the publicness of village interactions;strong fiscal support for material and institutional infrastructure allows governance resources to be more effectively aligned with both the spatial configuration of rural development and the stratified interests. Together,these processes enable a comprehensive penetration of state power into rural social space,reinforcing stability through state-led governance.

Key words: infrastructural power, interest intensity, organization-rules-technology, interest absorption