Suchergebnisse

PurposeThis study examines the recovery of households after disasters from the sustainable livelihood approach (SLA) perspective.Design/methodology/approachThis study analyzes the perception of recovery by using a longitudinal household survey data set collected from a Chinese county devastated by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The analysis compares the changes of livelihood capitals (financial, natural, physical, social, human) between 2012 and 2009 and recovery perception.FindingsThe results demonstrate that both the current status of financial, natural, and social capital and the changes of the capitals between 2009 and 2012 are positively correlated with the perceived level of recovery. The associations between the current status and the change of physical capital and recovery perception are insignificant. In contrast, with a greater change of human capital between 2009 and 2012, participants have a lower perception of recovery.Originality/valueBy investigating a longitudinal data, this study indicates that (1) household recovery should be considered as multidimensional, (2) the SLA could be a feasible framework to measure recovery, and (3) individual's recovery perception is dependent on the various dimensions of recovery measures.

In contemporary China, colleges and universities have become the most important source for the Communist Party of China (CPC) to select political elites. With reference to undergraduates in contemporary Chinese higher education, this article explores the impact of "redness" (family background and ideology) and professional accomplishments (academic achievements) on the selection of Party members. Findings in this study have shown that in Chinese higher education, one's "redness" and "professional" accomplishments remain the main standards to select political elites. First, ideology is the primary criterion for selection of Party members among college/university students. The "redder" one's ideology, the greater is the probability of one being selected for membership. Second, a stronger "red" family background could enhance one's likelihood of selection by the Party, but primarily for those who are in the lower study year in their university/college schooling. This is particularly evident if one's father is a government official, a state-owned enterprise manager or a Party member. Third, the "professional" accomplishment criterion appears to be increasingly important at the higher study years in the university. Specifically, junior and senior students who have higher academic rankings and student awards are associated with a higher probability of selection by the Party. (China/GIGA)

Background: As China is going through a profound aging process, the mental health of the elderly is becoming an issue. As in many other societies, the elderly in China is a population at high risk of suicide; Methods: Data for the study were taken from the Sample Survey of the Aged Population in Urban/Rural China (SSAPUR) accomplished in 2010 by the China Ministry of Civil Affairs. The valid sample for this study was composed of 18,683 individuals, including 9416 urban residents and 9267 rural residents both aged 60 or more years; Results: Logistic regression analyses showed that household income and expenditure, the number of children, chronic diseases, disability of daily living, depression, the frequency of visiting neighbors and having friends or relatives who can help or not had remarkable effects on the suicidal ideation among urban and rural old people. Gender, education, political affiliation, marital status and self-rated health status did not work on the dependent variable. However, some risk factors for suicidal ideation among the Chinese elderly were different between rural and urban regions; Conclusions: We should take different measures when facing the different groups of the elderly.