The availability of credit has long occupied a central place in development strategies. Rural credit institutions are more than an instrument of intermediation, they also handle risk, mobilize and disseminate information about market and technology. Given the informational problems and innate disadvantages of rural credit markets, the rationale for laissez-faire and liberalization is by no means based on a sound understanding of the state s role in redressing market failures. This study examines the rural credit market in China, its impacts on agricultural transformation and the state s role...