The Role of Decentralization in Wukan Village Protest, Mainland of China

This thesis seeks to analyze the impact made by decentralization to the Wukan Village Protest, Mainland of China that occurred in 2011. Over the years, China has enjoyed an ever-increasing period of decentralization. Economic freedom granted through this program has benefitted both local and central political actors. However, this policy--which originated from Deng Xiaoping�s era--has been quite detrimental to China�s political stability. One of the most notable and highlighted effect of this massive decentralization was Wukan Village Protest in 2011. A surge of massive decentralization has allowed political corruption to grow faster in local areas. By providing necessary evidence and theoretical explanations, the author aims to examine how decentralization affected the development of the protest and China�s response to this political distortion.