From policy to participation: Exploring the influence of property rights on rural revitalization efforts

Rural property rights transactions serve as a critical driver of rural revitalization in China. This study investigates the impact of property rights policies on farmers’ participation in rural revitalization through ecological-cultural tourism development. Survey data from 1271 rural residents across 16 cities in Yunnan Province is analysed using an ordered logit model to assess policy effects on participation behavior. The results show that: (1) With the increase of the bid value, the willingness to participate tends to decline. (2) Property rights policies significantly enhance participation, with individualized property rights demonstrating stronger incentive effects compared to collective rights. Additionally, with the increase of the duration of property rights, the incentive effects of individual rights decrease and that of collective rights increase. (3) Property rights policies have a stronger effect on the Han group, high-income individuals, and highly educated individuals than on other groups. This study informs the design of property rights policies and sustainable mechanisms to promote farmer participation in rural revitalization, ultimately reducing rural income disparities.