Suchergebnisse

China's rapid urbanization has created large scale of population migration, resulting in many villages being dominated by "left-behind" women, and weak governance of those collectively owned resources. The situation has required these women to take up the functions of decision-making and governance as a remedial mechanism as well as a new path. Based on a case study in a typical hollowing-out village in central China, this paper explores an example of left-behind women's collective action to prevent the over-exploitation of community and resources. It finds out that although traditionally excluded from public activities and marginalized, the "left-behind" women were able to mobilize and enhance collective action. When empowered, they are growing fast with endurance and courage, and as capable as anyone of defending the common-pool resources. It suggests that the left-behind women offer a new governance option for those population hollowing out rural areas.

China's rapid urbanization has created opportunities for many people – predominantly men - to migrate from rural to urban areas in search of work, leaving their farms and families. This has resulted in many villages being dominated by a large population of 'left-behind' women. This situation has required these women not only to take responsibility for their own domestic and farming duties, but also increasingly to get involved in local governance, particularly in trying to prevent the appropriation of collective natural resources. Based on a case study in a typical village in central China, this paper explores an example of women getting involved in collective action to prevent the over-exploitation of collectively owned sand resources. As the case study illustrates, although previously denied the opportunity to participate in local politics and governance, the 'left behind' women have seized the initiative and have demonstrated the capacity to impose their will, through a mix of toughness, flexibility and endurance. As a consequence, the study demonstrates that, when empowered to act, the left-behind women are as capable as anyone of defending their community's resources. This new, women-only, approach to collective action over natural resource management therefore suggests that rural-urban migration has not been a wholly negative phenomenon for those left behind. On the contrary, it has created a space in which those who were previously denied access to local politics can assert not only their right to govern, but also their aptitude for the types of action that are required to defend collectively-owned resources.

This study examines how the Chinese state-owned banks allocate loans to private firms. We find that the banks extend loans to financially healthier and better-governed firms, which implies that the banks use commercial judgments in this segment of the market. We also find that having the state as a minority owner helps firms obtain bank loans and this suggests that political connections play a role in gaining access to bank finance. In addition, we find that commercial judgments are important determinants of the lending decisions for manufacturing firms, large firms, and firms located in regions with a more developed banking sector; political connections are important for firms in service industries, large firms, and firms located in areas with a less developed banking sector. ; preprint

Abstract. We made an objective examination of our present state of knowledge on freaque waves in the ocean and lakes from three separate perspectives: - testimonial – from eyewitness account of actual encounters; - empirical – from available in-situ wave measurements; - conjectural – from academic theoretical formulations; and led to a subjective answer to the posted title question of this paper: we do not know very much about freaque waves in the ocean and lakes! There are really no interconnections among the three perspectives we examined. Put them together however, persuades us to think that freaque waves are really an integral part of the ocean and lakes, they happen not infrequently but we still basically do not know when, where, how, what, and why they will happen. We do not even have as yet a viable definition on the phenomenon. So in order to expect tangible progress in our knowledge to the understanding of freaque waves in the ocean and lakes, we propose to strengthen a key ingredient by further invigorate the empirical aspect of the perspective, specifically making more in-situ spatial wave measurement for freaque wave studies, which is practically non-existence at the present.