The Power of Ni Hao

<正>Chinese language contest builds bridges around the world ‘Everyone who visits Hunan[Province]comes here,"said Xiao Yuanyuan,pointing at the serene hall of the Yuelu Academy with its inscribed walls and sylvan surroundings.In the course of her career at the Information Office of the Government of Hunan Province in central China,Xiao has personally escorted many groups of visitors to this five-star heritage site in Changsha,the provincial capital.It is the place where scholars and students     

DO GROUP DYNAMICS INFLUENCE SOCIAL CAPITAL GAINS AMONG MICROFINANCE CLIENTS? EVIDENCE FROM A RANDOMIZED EXPERIMENT IN URBAN INDIA

As an intrinsic part of the classic microfinance model, group meetings are intended to employ social capital to ensure timely repayment. Recent research suggests that more frequent meetings can increase social capital among first‐time clients. Using randomized variation in group meeting frequency for 174 microfinance groups in India, we demonstrate that social capital gains associated with more frequent meetings continue to accrue across multiple lending cycles. However, these effects are reduced when group members differ in their borrowing history. In addition, clients who start with low levels of empowerment report higher social capital gains when matched with similar clients. We discuss how current microfinance policy debates overlook the creation of social capital, including through repayment meeting frequency, and we encourage regulators to undertake a holistic understanding of microfinance's impacts.     

Allele frequencies for STR loci of the Powerplex 16 multiplex system in five endogamous populations of India

Allele frequencies for the 15 STR locus of PowerPlex 16 were analyzed in 95 healthy unrelated individuals belonging to five important population groups inhabiting different part of India. Fifteen loci studied are Penta E, D18S51, D21S11, THO1,D3S1358, FGA, TPOX, D8S1179, vWA, Amelogenin, Penta D, CSF1PO, D16S539, D7S820, D13S317 and D5S818. In addition of all tetra nucleotide loci, two penta nucleotide loci Penta D and Penta E of the studied system are also found highly polymorphic in all the five studied populations of India. These loci are found highly informative in solving paternity cases and other forensic testing in studied population.     

Organized independent labor movement in Taiwan： The case of the CTWU

Labor was a significant factor in Taiwanese politics. In history, some of the most important unions in Taiwan were built around a core of members resolutely loyal to a political ideology. However, with time many tenets of labor and political history have undergone a change. The alliances between trade unions broke the links with their respective political parties or groups. The centralized and traditional union structures fell short of workers＇ expectation amid the mounting pressures of political democratization in Taiwan, thereby giving way to ＂independent＂ union bodies. This paper examines the experiences of＂independent＂ trade unions in Taiwan in a historical context and attempts to trace the conditions that are instrumental in the growth of such unions. The case of one ＂independent＂ union in Taiwan--the Chunghwa Telecom Workers＇ Union （CTWU） depicts the ways and means by which independent rank-and-file led unions have proven their collective strength time and again. The case analysis in the present paper suggests that the continuing economic liberalization in Taiwan may bring about the proliferation of ＂independent＂ unions with far greater collective voice and less monopoly effects than the current situation.     

Thrown Off The Track

One of the quirky yet inspiring images to come out of China during the novel coronavirus epidemic is that of Hu Chuanchun,a media person in Hangzhou in east China,who shared his indoor running drill on Weibo,the popular Chinese social media platform.The 45-year-old,self-confined to his apartment since the outbreak,said he clocked a personal record of 8.14 km in 47 minutes,all of it achieved on a yoga mat in his living room.     

Sharing Legacies

<正>An exhibition of Afghan treasures in Beijing continues the cultural exchange along the ancient Silk Road While working as a curator after majoring in contemporary art,Pu Hong felt something was missing from museums—people."I felt there was a big question mark about the function of museums,"the 30-year-old said."I saw several museums hosting exhibitions     

One Road to Development

正Egypt looks east for economic expansion When Egyptian President Abdel Fattahal-Sisi attends the G20 Summit in Hangzhou,Zhejiang Province,in September,it will be his third visit to China since assuming office in 2014,This will indicate,according to Tarek Kabil,Egypt's Minister of Trade and Industry,the depth of China-Egypt relations."In two years we have had three meet-     

Still a Land of Milk and Honey

<正>Foreigners looking for jobs in China get heartened by new policy relaxation When ABC correspondent Jim Laurie f irst visited China in 1978,he remembers the term used to describe foreigners living in China:laowai.They needed to have a"foreigners’registration"card and if they wanted to drive outside Beijing,they also needed a foreigner’s travel permit.He still has his old permit,numbered 208420.     

Settling Out of Court

<正>More businesses are turning to arbitration for faster,low-cost dispute resolution Lin Zhiwei likes to quote a saying common in legal circles:decisions by the supreme courts of China and the United States might not be executed,but awards issued by arbitration courts will always be.