Standardisation and the Chinese local state: an analysis of bamboo shoot standards in Lin'an

摘要

Although current studies into Chinese food supply and quality provide different explanations for the causality of food problems there is limited inquiry into the role of the county state. This is a serious omission because firstly county government performs a key role in providing support for farmers through agricultural extension services and farmers' cooperatives ; and secondly, the county level is central to novel instruments that seek to manage supply chain relationships, such as the implementation of food production standards. We investigate who are the key players involved in standard making and delivery at the county level. We also analyze how and why the local state engages in standard setting activities. We use Lin'an's bamboo shoot production industry as a case study to understand how the local state implements hazard-free, green and mountain food production standards. The paper concludes that traditional conceptualisations of the local state do not sufficiently address how bamboo nature, knowledge of standards and state authority co-produce institutional capacity to control food supply and quality in China. By analysing the territorial strategies of a local state, we can identify the (re)production of nature; farmers' cooperatives and standardisation as major territorial strategies to help Lin'an county enhance its institutional capacity. ududResearch paper: Standardsation and the Chinese Local State: an Analysis of Bamboo Shoot Standards in Lin'an. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315694302_Standardsation_and_the_Chinese_Local_State_an_Analysis_of_Bamboo_Shoot_Standards_in_Lin%27an [accessed Apr 19, 2017].