China May Let Peasants Sell Rights to Farmland

China is considering letting peasants buy or sell land-use rights. This would be the first time this has happened. This could have the effect of stimulating the economy, from the bottom up, by providing poor farmers with more cash. Also, by giving the farmers a bigger incentive to be efficient (property rights) the income gap might be reduced. This is a major step away from communist ideals that could lead to a better standard of living for many people. I guess this is one of the silver linings in the dark cloud of a global recession.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/11/world/asia/11china.html