Lynette Ong (University of Toronto)

In authoritarian countries where formal channels of addressing grievances and resolving conflicts are unavailable, citizens often choose to bargain with the state whenever they can. The frantic speed of urban demolition and reconstruction that comes with rapid urbanization in China has heightened the tension between the state and society. This paper brings into focus the role of middlemen (huangniu) in facilitating state-society bargaining in urban housing demolition in China. These middlemen are profit-maximizing professionals who have insider connections with government officials. They help bring together the state and aggrieved citizens by lowering distrust between them, lowering the transaction costs of corrupt deals, and bridging divergent expectations and compensation demands. In so doing, they facilitate authoritarian bargaining, defuse protracted stand-offs and resolve some grievances that would have been otherwise taken to the street.