ABSTRACT
This chapter advances its own explanation of how peasants' petitions played an important role in the evolution of rural tax reform in China. According to Li, the central government attributed excessive tax burdens on the peasantry to local officials and responded by initiating rural tax reform and strengthening control over the local officials. The chapter traces how peasants' petitions provided information to the central government and played a crucial role in the central government's decision-making process concerning rural tax reform. The CCP has utilized letters and visits from the people to identify problems and formulate policies to fix those problems ever since it was founded. The petition system provides valuable information throughout the entire policy making process-before policy has been formulated, while policy is being implemented, and after policy has been adjusted. Thus, the petitions serve the policy feedback and agenda setting functions in China's decision making process.
