No county is an island: the rise of interjurisdictional cooperation among counties in China
研究中国820个县的合作数据与24个地方的实地调查，发现县际合作增加是国家治理责任下放与地方干部追求规模利益共同作用的结果，有助于理解地方治理转型。
Why are China’s notoriously competitive local governments increasingly cooperating with each other? Combining interjurisdictional cooperation data from 820 counties and fieldwork in 24 localities, we argue that the increasing trend of inter-county cooperation is the newest manifestation of China’s state-rescaling initiative. It is the combined result of the state’s devolution of governance responsibilities and competitive-minded local cadres’ interests in benefits associated with scaling up. The study contributes to understanding how counties’ growing interdependence intersects with the regime’s survival logic in the unfolding reconfiguration of China’s counties.