Positional concern, gender, and household expenditures: a case study in Yunnan province

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 572-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojun Yang ◽  
Ping Qin ◽  
Jintao Xu
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Consumption Tax ◽  
Household Expenditures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Positional Concerns ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Government

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to attempt to investigate farmer’s positional concerns in rural China, and how the positional concerns correlate with household expenditures on visible goods. Design/methodology/approach The authors conduct a survey-based experiment to measure farmers’ positional concerns, and employ econometric models to examine the determinants of the degree of positional concern and how the positional concern affects household expenditures on visible goods. Findings The authors find that Chinese farmers have strong positional concerns for income, and high-income households are more concerned with relative position. Furthermore, there is a significant difference between males and females with respect to correlation between degree of positionality and household expenditures on visible goods. For females, there is a positive correlation between degree of positionality and household expenditures on clothes, restaurants, and mobile phones, respectively. For males, there is a positive correlation between degree of positionality and household expenditures on mobile phones. Social implications The government policy thus should pay attention to the positional goods, and the relevant consumption tax by increasing the prices of visible goods could be considered or suggested in the future even in the rural areas. Originality/value This paper provides complementary evidence on Chinese farmers’ positional concerns, and how the degree of positional concern relates to household expenditures on visible goods.

scholarly journals Does Social Support Affect the Health of the Elderly in Rural China? A Meta-Analysis Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (18) ◽  
pp. 3471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natuya Zhuori ◽  
Yu Cai ◽  
Yan Yan ◽  
Yu Cui ◽  
Minjuan Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Meta Regression ◽  
The Impact

As the trend of aging in rural China has intensified, research on the factors affecting the health of the elderly in rural areas has become a hot issue. However, the conclusions of existing studies are inconsistent and even contradictory, making it difficult to form constructive policies with practical value. To explore the reasons for the inconsistent conclusions drawn by relevant research, in this paper we constructed a meta-regression database based on 65 pieces of relevant literature published in the past 25 years. For more valid samples to reduce publication bias, we also set the statistical significance of social support to the health of the elderly in rural areas as a dependent variable. Finally, combined with multi-dimensional social support and its implications for the health of the elderly, meta-regression analysis was carried out on the results of 171 empirical studies. The results show that (1) subjective support rather than objective support can have a significant impact on the health of the elderly in rural areas, and there is no significant difference between other dimensions of social support and objective support; (2) the health status of the elderly in rural areas in samples involving western regions is more sensitive to social support than that in samples not involving the western regions; (3) among the elderly in rural areas, social support for the older male elderly is more likely to improve their health than that for the younger female elderly; and (4) besides this, both data sources and econometric models greatly affect the heterogeneity of the effect of social support on the health of the elderly in rural areas, but neither the published year nor the journal is significant. Finally, relevant policies and follow-up studies on the impact of social support on the health of the elderly in rural areas are discussed.

Scientific approach using AHP to prioritize low volume rural roads for pavement maintenance

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akhilesh Nautiyal ◽  
Sunil Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Road Transportation ◽  
Rural Roads ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pavement Maintenance ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
The Government

PurposeA large number of roads have been constructed in the rural areas of India to connect habitations with the nearest major roads. With time, the pavements of these roads have deteriorated and they need some kind of maintenance, although they all do not need maintenance at the same time, as they have all not deteriorated to the same level. Hence, they have to be prioritized for maintenance.Design/methodology/approachIn order to present a scientific methodology for prioritizing pavement maintenance, the factors affecting prioritization and the relative importance of each were identified through an expert survey. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to scientifically establish weight (importance) of each factor based on its relative importance over other factors. The proposed methodology was validated through a case study of 203 low volume rural roads in the state of Himachal Pradesh in India. Ranking of these roads in order of their priority for maintenance was presented as the final result.FindingsThe results show that pavement distresses, traffic volume, type of connectivity and the socioeconomic facilities located along a road are the four major factors to be considered in determining the priority of a road for maintenance.Research limitations/implicationsThe methodology provides a comprehensive, scientific and socially responsible pavement maintenance prioritization method which will automatically select roads for maintenance without any bias.Practical implicationsTimely maintenance of roads will also save budgetary expenditure of restoration/reconstruction, leading to enhancement of road service life. The government will not only save money but also provide timely benefit to the needy population.Social implicationsRoad transportation is the primary mode of inland transportation in rural areas. Timely maintenance of the pavements will be of great help to the socioeconomic development of rural areas.Originality/valueThe proposed methodology lays special emphasis on rural roads which are small in length, but large in number. Instead of random, a scientific method for selection of roads for maintenance will be of great help to the public works department for better management of rural road network.

Inequities in the allocation of medical resources in China’s Township Health Centers

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 637-646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Ma ◽  
Linxiu Zhang ◽  
Matthew Boswell
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Health Centers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Representative Study ◽  
Use Of Data ◽  
Fixed Assets ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Academy Of Sciences

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to produce a high-quality measure of the nature of healthcare resources available in China’s Township Health Centers (THCs), paying particular attention to equity between high- and low-income areas. Design/methodology/approach This study makes use of data from a nearly nationally representative survey in rural China conducted by the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2011. The samples of towns were selected randomly from 25 counties located in five provinces from different regions of China. Data were collected through questionnaires and direct observation. Findings The THCs located in rich areas have higher levels of human resources than poor areas. THCs in rich areas also have more fixed assets than those in poor areas. In fact, even though the Chinese Ministry of Health mandates that all THCs have certain basic levels of medical equipment and facilities, many THCs in poor areas do not have them. The allocation of mandated equipment is unequal. Practical implications These findings suggest that China’s government should pay more attention to THCs located in poor areas, especially in light of new initiatives to improve health care in poor rural areas. Originality/value This is the first nationally representative study to employ rigorous empirics to investigate the extent of inequality in allocation of resources within THCs across China.

Forty years of rural reform in China: retrospect and future prospects

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 460-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiwen Chen
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Agricultural Policies ◽  
Timely Manner ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rural Reform ◽  
Fields Of Study ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Government

Purpose Bottlenecked by rural underdevelopment, China’s overall development is bound to be inadequate and unbalanced. Through a brief retrospect of the reform directed against the “equalitarianism (egalitarianism)” in China’s rural areas, as well as the Chinese Government’s conceptual transformation and systemic construction and improvement thereof, the purpose of this paper is to clarify the panoramic significance of rural reform; the necessity, priority, and long-term nature of the current rural development; and the important role of public policy in doing so. It also looks ahead to consider the prospects for future rural reform. Design/methodology/approach This paper first reviews the rural reforms that were carried out in 1978. Second, it introduces the government’s conceptual change regarding rural reform and the establishment and improvement of the system that underlies it. Finally, the future of rural reform is envisaged. Findings The initial rural reforms brought extensive and profound changes to China’s rural areas. The experience of rural reform has been referred to and escalated by other fields of study. Hence, rural reforms have become something of global significance. Moreover, since the government can undertake reforms well beyond the reach of farmers, its views must be modified in a timely manner, and only then may it reasonably construct and improve the system pertaining to the “three rural issues (agriculture, rural areas, and farmers).” Originality/value This paper reviews the rural reforms carried out in 1978. It introduces the government’s change of concept with respect to rural reforms and the establishment and improvement of the system based on the “three rural issues,” thus looking forward to the future of rural reforms. The findings of this paper are of significance to the formulation of future agricultural policies.

The impact of investment on drinking water quality in rural China

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-269
Author(s):  
Ai Yue ◽  
Yaojiang Shi ◽  
Renfu Luo ◽  
Linxiu Zhang ◽  
Natalie Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Representative Data ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Although access to safe drinking water is one of the most important health-related infrastructure programs in the world, drinking water remains a large problem in China today, especially in rural areas. Despite increased government investment in water resource protection and management, there is still an absence of academic studies that are able to document what path the investment has taken and whether it has had any tangible impact. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of drinking water investment on drinking water in China. Design/methodology/approach The authors make use of nationally representative data from 2005 and 2012 to measure the impact of drinking water investment among 2,028 rural households in 101 villages across five provinces. Both ordinary least squares regression and probit regression are used to analyze the correlates and the impact of drinking water investment. Findings The authors demonstrate that water quality was likely a significant problem in 2004 but that China’s investment into drinking water appears to have resulted in initial improvements during the study period. The authors show that the most significant change came about in terms of hardware: villages that received more drinking water investment now have more piped tap water and more access to water treatment infrastructure (disinfecting and filtering facilities). High rates of rural resident satisfaction with drinking water suggest the effects of drinking water investment are being felt at the village level. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study on drinking water investment over time in rural China using nationally representative data.

Evaluation of access to electricity and the socioeconomic effects in rural and urban expanses of Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Toluwalope Ogunro ◽  
Luqman Afolabi
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
National Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
The Government ◽  
Electricity Access

PurposeRecently, multidimensional aspects of poverty has been increasingly focused on which includes education, economy and health, while access to modern energy such as stable electricity is also one of the possible solution; thus, this article aims to divulge the relation between access to electricity and progression in socioeconomic status in urban and rural areas of Nigeria in an attempt to propose a sustainable framework for access to electricity.Design/methodology/approachDemographic and health survey data are collected using four categories of model of questionnaires. A standard questionnaire was designed to gather information on features of the household's dwelling element and attributes of visitors and usual residents between the 2018 period. Biomarker questionnaire was used to gather biomarker data on men, women and children. Logistic model estimation technique was employed to estimate the socioeconomic factors affecting access to electricity in Nigeria.FindingsThese studies discovered that there are diverse set of factors affecting access to electricity in Nigeria especially in the rural areas. However, respondent residing in rural areas are still largely deprived access to electricity; most importantly, households with no access to electricity are more likely to use self-generating sets as revealed. Additionally, empirical findings indicated that the higher the level of your education and wealth, the higher the likelihood of having access to electricity in Nigeria. These factors included political will to connect the rural areas to the national grid, development of other infrastructures in those deprived areas and others.Practical implicationsThe problem confronting access to electricity in Nigeria has three components. The first is the significance of those deprived access to electricity in the rural areas and the physical resources needed to connect them to the national grid. The second is the political willingness of the government to have equitable distribution of public goods evenly between rural and urban areas especially on electricity access which will go a long way in reducing poverty in Nigeria. The third is lack of robust national development plans and strategy to tackle the problems facing electricity access in Nigeria.Social implicationsAs the rate of socioeconomic status/development increases, access to electricity is anticipated to rise up in Nigeria.Originality/valueThe findings can be used by the policy makers to address problems facing access to electricity in Nigeria.

A Grey-DEMATEL approach for implicating e-waste management practice

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atul Kumar Sahu ◽  
Harendra Kumar Narang ◽  
Mridul Singh Rajput
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Decision Model ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Waste Generation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Research ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
The Government ◽  
Smart Mobile

Purpose The use of smart electronic gadgets is proportionately increased during last decades as these gadgets are crafting coziness and relief to the society by making their work easier, effective, etc. These gadgets are the need of today’s working environment for effective planning and work execution. Today, people pertaining to almost every corner of the world are addicted to smart mobile phones, and nowadays, these mobile handsets have become very essential and it is not possible to survive without using them. On the other hand, these smart mobile handsets become inefficient and obsolete over time due to which there is a need to replace the old phones by the new ones, thus creating e-waste. The purpose of this paper is to recognize the significant enablers which are responsible for replacing the existing working mobile phones with the new ones by the end consumers. Design/methodology/approach The Grey-DEMATEL (Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory) approach is proposed by the authors to compute the decision results. The present work is supported by the structural modeling equations for supporting sustainability throughout and recognizes the most significant enablers responsible for creating e-waste by replacing the working mobile phones with the new ones. Findings The implication for reducing e-waste using a qualitative approach is presented by easy computation steps for collaborating green issues in the present work. The authors explained numerous enablers, which are responsible for handsets replacement by the consumers. The work can aid the companies as well as the government legislations to identify the significant enablers, drivers, factors, attributes, etc., in moving toward green environmental issue; the generation of e-waste by the obsolete existing working handsets due to non-identification of deficient enablers can be insignificant to the society. Research limitations/implications The implication of developed Grey-DEMATEL techniques is presented by its integration with the application field of e-waste generation by mobile handsets. The authors attempt to devise a conceptual framework linked with knowledge-based theory. The work is illustrated by the case research to understand its applicability and validity in the present scenario. Originality/value The authors attempt to propose a decision model, which will aid in identifying the most significant factorial condition responsible for replacing the existing mobile phones with the new ones by the end consumers. The proposed appraisement module can be used as an investigative tool to build and fabricate a planned environmental progress map for overall business considering environmental domain by the companies.

Hello, I am calling to ask for some money: mobile phones and credit uptake in rural Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 457-480
Author(s):  
Aregawi Gebremedhin Gebremariam
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Control Function ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Rural Poor ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Loan Size

PurposeIt is widely believed that ICT has a significant influence on the daily life of the poor and has positive spillover effects in their livelihoods. Mobile phones are one of the few ICT innovations that have found their way into the hands of the poor residing in remote and rural areas. In Ethiopia, mobile phones are recently introduced but got an acceptance from everyone including the rural poor; in five years’ time, mobile phones subscription has increased from less than 4% to more than 40%. Empirical evidence generally documents the positive role mobile phones play in facilitating the development efforts of poor households. However, using panel data from Ethiopia, the current paper explores a less investigated issue of the possible effects of mobile phone adoption on the credit uptakes of the rural poor who are mostly neglected from the formal credit markets but finance their credit demand from informal sources including relatives/friends.Design/methodology/approachTo investigate the relationship between mobile phones and credit uptake and/or loan size, one can use different empirical strategies. For partly unleashing the endogeneity problem, an instrumental variable estimation approach is adopted in this paper. To deal with the endogeneity problem, one may consider using the linear IV approach or the control function. But the outcome variable and the endogenous variable are binary in nature, and the usual trend is to use the linear IV models or control functions, which do not consider these binary natures of the variables. To this end, a special regressors estimator is adopted, mostly used when both the dependent and the endogenous variables are binary in nature.FindingsThe econometric results suggest mobile phones are positively associated with the credit uptake of rural households, especially credit uptake from informal sources. Households with mobile phones are found to have 4%–14% higher probabilities of credit uptake and about 6%–17% in the case of credit from informal sources. Besides, households with mobile phones are found to have about ETB 65 (USD 3.42) higher loan size and about ETB 78 (USD 4.11) higher amount of loan in the case of a loan from the informal sources. Thus, policy-makers and financial providers working on providing credit in rural areas need to exploit the use of mobile phones in reaching out to the rural poor.Originality/valueThe author attests the fact that the work described has not been published previously and that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Besides, it is the original work of the author.

Differences in game consumption patterns between North and South China

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Wei ◽  
Yiting (Demi) Hao ◽  
Hong Zhu ◽  
Jun (Justin) Li
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Potential Game ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Game Meat ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Government ◽  
North And South

PurposeThe 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected many countries around the world. Due to the debate on the source of the outbreak, wildlife meat consumption has gained international attention and become an area that requires further exploration. The purpose of this research is to explore the differences in game consumption motivations and behaviours among populations in northern and southern China.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey on wild meat awareness with (potential) game consumers across the country as target groups was conducted.FindingsResults from this study showed that consumers in the southern region have a preference for wildlife. This preference was determined by factors such as natural environment, history and culture and the level of economic development. However, there was no significant difference in the frequency of game consumption between the north and south since game meat is not a major component of the daily diet.Practical implicationsThe government should consider banning this trade permanently to prevent future disease outbreaks caused by wildlife-to-human transmissions.Originality/valueThe consumption of game meat is regional, but the animals in game trades live across a wider area, and thus, game trades have a global influence on ecological systems and human health. Therefore, this epidemic is also a global concern, which might lead people to display a highly negative attitude towards consuming game meat.

Falling inequality will help China 'rebalance' economy

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
National Bureau ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Hukou Reform ◽  
The Government ◽  
People's Congress ◽  
Opinion Polls ◽  
Official Corruption

Subject Inequality in China. Significance 'Income distribution' is the social issue of greatest concern to the Chinese public, according to opinion polls by Xinhua and the People's Daily ahead of the National People's Congress (NPC) currently underway in Beijing. However, the latest data from China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicate, paradoxically, that income inequality has actually narrowed for six successive years. Impacts Though falling, inequality is still high enough to weaken political stability. Greater equality will not earn the government as much popular support as cracking down on official corruption and conspicuous consumption. Urbanisation and household registration (hukou) reform will redress imbalances that have disadvantaged people from rural areas.

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