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Paper short abstract

This article stresses the state-society interaction as a major determinant of development patterns. It advances a typology of state–society engagement in village communities and develops a theory of interactive development as part of an emerging development paradigm.

Paper long abstract

Despite having similar beginning conditions, why and how does the same development campaign produce different results in various settings? This article stresses the state-society interaction as a major determinant of development patterns, in contrast to earlier scholarship, which has typically focused on either top-down state intervention or bottom-up public participation. I propose a typology of state-society engagement in local communities as well as a theory of interactive development. The interaction of two factors—state mobilization and social embeddedness—determines how the state and societal development efforts are combined and balanced. Interactive development occurs when both factors are strong. By enabling mutual communication and cooperation dynamics between the state and society in decision-making and policy implementation, interactive development differs from other patterns of development, such as predatory, null, and community-driven development. Through an examination of the Targeted Poverty Alleviation Program (2014-2020), I analyze different pairings of mobilization and embeddedness to see how they affect development patterns in China. Interviews and participant observation in East China villages support the argument that the success of a development campaign in a local community is contingent on achieving the ideal balance between state intervention and community embeddedness in integrating concerted efforts into development projects. This study adds to the literature on the intersection of development studies and state-society relations and draws attention to substantial “interactive” practice in state-led development projects.