scholarly journals Rural urbanization under Xi Jinping: From rapid community building to steady urbanization?

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Meyer-Clement
Keyword(s):  
Rural Community ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Community Building ◽  
Rural Landscape ◽  
Policy Learning ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Xi Jinping ◽  
Rural Land ◽  
Rural Urbanization

‘Rural community building’ is one of the most prominent policies of rural urbanization and village renovation in China. Since the nationwide implementation of this policy within the scope of the programme ‘Building a new socialist countryside’, the large-scale construction of new residential complexes has accelerated the transformation of the country’s rural landscape. However, extensive demolition and relocation have drawn increasing criticism, and the policy has become synonymous with the seizure of rural land resources by local governments. When Xi Jinping came to power, the new leadership initially appeared to abandon the policy but has eventually revived it. This article studies the implementation and evolution of the rural community building policy as a case of policy learning. The analysis of national and local policy documents and implementation practices in four provinces highlights a new framing of the policy, more intensive hierarchical controls over rural land use, and the state’s increasing reach into village governance, as well as new incentives for local governments to continue with demolition and relocation projects. These changes reveal a mode of policy learning in the context of an authoritarian regime whose goal is to improve policy implementation in the face of growing public criticism and social tension.

scholarly journals Five-year plan in four: kolkhoz propaganda in film and documentaries in Estonia

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 ◽  
pp. 10002
Author(s):  
Martti Veldi ◽  
Simon Bell ◽  
Friedrich Kuhlmann
Keyword(s):  
Rural Community ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Rural Landscape ◽  
Collective Ownership ◽  
Collective Effort ◽  
Collective Farming ◽  
Large Scale Land ◽  
Post War ◽  
Opera Singers

In 1951 the first colour film in was produced Soviet Estonia–Valgus Koordis (“Light in Koordi village”). This never-before-seen medium applied effective ideological symbols to visualise the power of collective effort with the scope of difficulties building up the new life in a freshly established collective farm (kolkhoz). It was straightforward propaganda to demonstrate that in spite of difficulties, collective farming was the only correct way to achieve prosperity in the countryside. The theme of the film was to show the goodness of Stalinist improvements in a poor post-war rural community at the end of the 1940s. In a very simple manner, topics such as nationalism, the class struggle, socialist ideology, kulaks, collective ownership, mechanisation of agriculture and large-scale land improvements were presented. To capture the wider audience and to increase social impact, the film also starred the rising opera star Georg Ots, still considered as one of the greatest Estonian opera singers ever. In addition to ideologically charged films, a type of propagandist short documentary, the ringvaade (newsreel) was produced in Soviet Estonia. These concentrated on various aspects ofSoviet lifestyle, aiming to demonstrate the achievements of collectiveideology, and the high morale of the Soviet working class. We studied these and other examples in order to examine the range of themes andmotifs presented in them, focusing on the ideological impact on the rural landscape caused by mechanisation, forest management and land melioration. What is revealed is an attempt to persuade the new kolkhozniki (collective farmers) of the benefits of the new system – which, ironically, had dispossessed many of them of their own farms which they had built up in the inter-war years (and which were restored to them after the collapse of the Soviet system in the 1990s).

scholarly journals Investigating the Sustainability Performance of PPP-Type Infrastructure Projects: A Case of China

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shengqin Zheng ◽  
Ke Xu ◽  
Qing He ◽  
Shaoze Fang ◽  
Lin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Behavioral Control ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Perceived Behavioral Control ◽  
Actual Behavior ◽  
Infrastructure Projects ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Managerial Implications

In China, the demand for public infrastructure projects is high due to the acceleration of urbanization and the rapid growth of the economy in recent years. Infrastructures are mainly large scale, so local governments have difficulty in independently completing financing work. In this context, public sectors often seek cooperation from private sectors, in which public–private partnership (PPP) is increasingly common. Although numerous studies have concentrated on sustainable development, the unsustainability performances of infrastructures are often reported on various media. Furthermore, studies on the sustainability performances of PPP-type infrastructure (PTI) projects are few from the perspective of private sectors’ behaviors. In this study, we adopted the modified theory of planned behavior and the structure equation model and conducted a questionnaire survey with 258 respondents for analyzing the sustainable behaviors of private sectors. Results indicated that behavioral attitude, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norm interact significantly. They have direct positive effects on behavioral intention and then indirectly influence actual behavior through this intention. Actual sustainable behaviors of private sectors have significantly positive effects on the sustainable development of cities. We offer theoretical and managerial implications for public and private sectors on the basis of the findings to ensure and promote the sustainability performances of PTI projects.

The Local Regulation of Climate Change

2012 ◽  
pp. 454-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Deshazo ◽  
Juan Matute
Keyword(s):  
Regional Planning ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Measurement Methods ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Local Effects ◽  
Local Regulation ◽  
Urban And Regional Planning ◽  
Policy Effects

This article discusses the importance of measuring the greenhouse gas (GHG) effects of urban and regional planning and policy in order to develop and implement policies to reduce GHG emissions. It argues that existing local government GHG measurement methods fail to support the local governments in their evaluation of policy design and the GHG reductions resulting from their policies. The article highlights the need for a large amount of observational data, from different locations and different times, as well as for control variables in order to disentangle local policy effects from nonpolicy and extra-local effects.

PART 1: Finance: Transport Strategy for Polish Cities

1997 ◽  
Vol 1576 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Slobodan Mitric
Keyword(s):  
Mass Transport ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Road Networks ◽  
Cost Recovery ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Rolling Stock ◽  
Urban Road

A recent study requested by a group of mayors representing the largest Polish cities is summarized. The study was to be used as input into local and national debates about future directions of urban transport development in the country. The wider context is that of a major political and economic reform, begun in the late 1980s, involving no less than a rapidpaced transition from socialism to capitalism, featuring large-scale downsizing of the public sector, privatization, and a redistribution of political and resource powers from the state to local governments. Among the downstream effects of these changes has been an increase in private car ownership and use and a reduction in the market share of urban mass transit modes from between 80 and 90 percent of nonwalk daily trips to 70 percent or less. For transit operators, now owned by local governments, this has meant an added financial pressure coming after a decade of underinvestment in infrastructure, rolling stock, and other equipment. Large numbers of unemployed, retired, or otherwise low-income travelers, another consequence of restructuring the economy, have made it difficult to improve cost recovery by increasing fares. Traffic growth has generated congestion, since the structure and size of urban road networks were predicated on low car use. An urban transport strategy is proposed to respond to these problems. Its main short-term objective is to have an affordable and socially and environmentally acceptable modal split. In the longer term, the objective is to use the demand response to a much-reformed price system as the principal guide to how infrastructure and services should evolve. The key features of the strategy are as follows: ( a) evolution toward market-supplied services by a mixed-ownership mass transport industry; ( b) treatment of urban road networks as public utilities, focusing on cost recovery through pricing; ( c) linkage of pricing policies for mass transport and individual transport modes, in line with second-best thinking, aiming to reduce and even eliminate subsidies for both modes; and ( d) reliance on internally generated revenue leveraged by long-term borrowing to finance sectoral investments. It is therefore a counterpoint to a strategy wherein mass transport is a state-owned monopoly, the use of urban roads is subsidized as is mass transport, infrastructure investment is the instrument of preference as opposed to pricing, and sectoral investments and operating subsidies are financed from tax-generated budgets.

The Politics of The Grain Trade in Iraq c. 1840-1917

1991 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 151-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hala Fattah
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Grain Trade ◽  
The Many ◽  
Difficult Terrain ◽  
The Military

Anyone who watched the televison coverage of, or read about the African famine some years ago could not help but be appalled by the many obstacles erected to impede the progress of getting food to the starving millions in Ethiopia, Somalia and the Sudan. While it is true that the difficult terrain, an inhospitable climate and the lack of rain were partly responsible for the large-scale spread of famine and dearth in the African sub-continent, it is also true that local governments were responsible for creating impediments to the alleviation of mass hunger and starvation. Governments waging war against secessionist regimes and rebel armies used political means—primarily blockades of grain and other foodstuffs—to starve the enemy forces, creating misery among the military as well as civilian populations in the rebel areas.

scholarly journals The Effect of Governmental Health Measures on Public Behaviour During the COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoyan Wang ◽  
Li Li ◽  
Lingfei Wang ◽  
Zhi Xu
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
New York State ◽  
The United States ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Phase Rule ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Epidemic Area

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in radical changes in many aspects of life. To deal with this, each country has implemented continuous health measures from the beginning of the outbreak. Discovering how governmental actions impacted public behaviour during the outbreak stage is the purpose of this study. Methods: This study uses a hybrid large-scale data visualisation method to analyse public behaviour (epidemic concerns, self-protection, and mobility trends), using the data provided by multiple authorities. Meanwhile, a content analysis method is used to qualitatively code the health measures of three countries with severe early epidemic outbreaks from different continents, namely China, Italy, and the United States. Eight dimensions are coded to rate the mobility restrictions implemented in the above countries. Results: (1) Governmental measures did not immediately persuade the public to change their behaviours during the COVID-19 epidemic. Instead, the public behaviour proceeded in a three-phase rule, which is typically witnessed in an epidemic outbreak, namely the wait-and-see phase, the surge phase and the slow-release phase. (2) The strictness of the mobility restrictions of the three countries can be ranked as follows: Hubei Province in China (with an average score of 8.5 out of 10), Lombardy in Italy (7.125), and New York State in the United States (5.375). Strict mobility restrictions are more likely to cause a surge of population outflow from the epidemic area in the short term, whereas the effect of mobility restrictions is positively related to the stringency of policies in the long term. Conclusion: The public showed generally lawful behaviour during regional epidemic outbreaks and blockades. Meanwhile public behaviour was deeply affected by the actions of local governments, rather than the global pandemic situation. The contextual differences between the various countries are important factors that influence the effects of the different governments’ health measures.

scholarly journals Multilevel Environmental Governance: Vertical and Horizontal Influences in Local Policy Networks

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi ◽  
Huang ◽  
Chen ◽  
Xu ◽  
Liu
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Policy Actors ◽  
Empirical Context ◽  
Local Water ◽  
Governance Network ◽  
Different Levels

In the context of multilevel governance, collaboration among governmental and non-governmental entities across different levels of government is increasingly popular in China’s environmental governance. Policy actors are engaged in two types of collaboration with other local governments: horizontal and vertical collaboration. Policy actors participate in horizontal collaboration when they work with entities at the same level, and in vertical collaboration when working with governments at different levels. This study examines multilevel environmental governance in China by studying how the decisions of policy actors to participate in local water governance networks are influenced by vertical pressures from higher level government and horizontal influences from other policy actors at the same level. We approach the research questions in the empirical context of local water governance in Dongguan city of Guangdong Province. With survey data collected from 31 municipal departments, 32 town governments, nine water-related private businesses and five NGOs, we tested the hypotheses with Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions. The results indicate that vertical pressure and horizontal brokerage are both drivers for participation in the local water governance network.

scholarly journals Disposal of Personal Protective Equipment during the COVID-19 Pandemic Is a Challenge for Waste Collection Companies and Society: A Case Study in Poland

Resources ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Nowakowski ◽  
Sandra Kuśnierz ◽  
Patrycja Sosna ◽  
Jakub Mauer ◽  
Dawid Maj
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Waste Collection ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Information Campaigns ◽  
The Social

One of the social measures applied during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the use of personal protective equipment (PPE)—face masks and gloves. As a result, this waste category has expanded enormously. This study investigates waste management issues from multiple perspectives, including local governments, waste collection companies, and individual citizens in Poland using a telephone survey for institutions and an online questionnaire for individuals. The results of this study show that approximately 80% of local governments in the Silesian region have applied special measures for handling and collection of waste PPE. Only 13% of waste collection companies have applied special collection schedules for the waste generated at quarantine collection points due to the high costs of changing collection schedules, providing additional vehicles, and paying for more labor. The information campaigns focusing on new methods of PPE waste collection have been difficult to introduce on a large scale, and citizens need better information regarding how to handle and dispose of waste PPE. Results indicated the most helpful method in supporting waste PPE collection would be automatic PPE dispensers with waste PPE collection options and waste bags of a designated color. The respondents identified waste PPE pollution of the environment as an issue and the necessity for proper recovery of this waste stream.

scholarly journals Factors Affecting Land Prices in a Rural New Jersey County

1979 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl A. Northcraft ◽  
Leslie E. Small
Keyword(s):  
Policy Development ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Multiple Regression Model ◽  
Land Market ◽  
Market Forces ◽  
Rural Land ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Land Prices ◽  
State And Local

Much attention has been given in recent years to the conversion of substantial amounts of rural land to urban uses. A variety of policies designed to encourage the retention of rural open space have been either proposed or implemented by many state and local governments. Because the decision to convert land to urban uses is generally a private decision in response to market forces, an understanding of these market forces should facilitate better policy development and implementation. This paper reports on a research project designed to explore the forces affecting rural land prices in areas where the rural land market is significantly influenced by the demand for land for urban or suburban uses. Publicly available data on transfers of rural land were analyzed, using a multiple regression model, to both identify and quantify the importance of factors affecting rural land prices.

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