In her article, “Solidary Groups, Informal Accountability and Local Public Goods Provision in Rural China,” author Lily Tsai argues that formal institutions do not explain variation in public goods provision at the village level in China. Instead, she finds that group-based institutions explain why some villages are better at public goods provision than others.
Why do informal institutions, rather than formal institutions, explain better public goods provision at the village level in China? How does Tsai make her argument? What evidence does she provide? Is her evidence convincing? Why or why not?
Your essay must do the following:
- Include a thesis statement that explains whether Tsai’s argument is convincing and why you think
- Include an explanation of the evidence she provides to make her argument against the explanatory power of formal institutions and for the explanatory power of the informal institutions.
- Include a title that clearly captures what your reader will encounter in the
