This paper explores China's experience with property rights reform. In
contrast to most countries in East Central Europe and the former Sovi
et Union, China has experimented with different ownership forms and th
is has been quite successful, Over the last two decades China has had
the highest growth rate in the world. The main argument presented here
is that private property rights alone cannot provide a theory for Chi
na's economic success and that the whole process is too complex to be
reduced to canonical explanations. To this end the paper reviews recen
t evidence in the three main areas of reform-agriculture, rural indust
rialisation and state-owned sector reform. (C) 1998 The Regents of the
University of California. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.