Rowan University，Department of Sociology

This research examines debates over the assessment of the Great Western Development Strategy (GWDS) (xibu da kaifa) through the case study of Zhangye in Gansu Province in Western China. The policies and implementation of the GWDS have caused many researchers to question the sustainability and the long-term consequence of the plans. The major concerns include the diffused and uncertain decision-making processes and the imbalanced approach that put overwhelming emphasis on the construction of infrastructure while ignoring other aspects of the plan, as well as factors that have been proven to be effective instrument in stimulating economic and social development, such as encouragement of private and foreign investment. Zhangye in Gansu Province provides a good case to assess the above debate because at about the same time when the government was pushing the GWDS, Zhangye received insurmountable pressure from the government to drastically reduce its water consumption so as to help with water reclamation and other related environmental protection projects. By examining and comparing Zhangye in relation to other districts in Gansu over the time period of early 1990s and early 2000s, we hypothesize that Zhangye’s economic and social structure would hav