How social capital enables or restricts the livelihoods of poor peri-urban farmers in Mexico

Poor farmers in peri-urban territories are subjected to the gradual transmutation of their livelihoods while they try to escape from poverty and adapt to an increasingly urban environment. Social capital seems to influence the outcomes of such livelihoods, and might expand chances and choices to improve poverty status, but also to follow their own paths. This article explores the mechanisms through which this capital enables or restricts such livelihoods in two peripheral municipalities in Mexico. The findings highlight the importance of informal institutional and non-institutional mechanisms in regulating access to, and distribution of, resources in peri-urban territories.     

Fostering uptake: lessons from climate change vulnerability assessments in Africa and Latin America

Findings from climate change vulnerability assessments can inform decision-makers in their evaluation of options to reduce the negative impacts of climate change. Certain attributes of an assessment can improve the use or uptake of its results. The science policy literature describes three characteristics – credibility, salience, and legitimacy – as being necessary for the uptake of scientific results for decision-making. We draw from the experiences of eight climate change vulnerability assessments conducted in Africa and Latin America for USAID (United States Agency for International Development) to explore the practical application of these three characteristics to fostering uptake of the assessment results.     

破解西部民族地区教育与经济发展低水平均衡——以黔东南州为例

由于历史等方面原因,西部民族地区教育与经济发展长期处于低水平均衡状态,即“经济不发达——教育落后——人才匮乏——经济不发达”的恶性循环。破解这一低水平均衡陷阱,必须使“教育”成为内生变量并发生聚变,即坚持教育优先发展,提升教育对经济社会发展的功能性价值。强力支持西部民族地区优先发展教育,造就足够的人力资源,推动教育与经济发展达到更高层次的均衡水平,是统筹区域发展和实施西部大开发战略的重要内容,对西部民族地区发展具有“造血”意义。     

新时代协商治理:内在机理与基本立场

当前,学界仍然需要对“治理”做中国情境的整全性探讨以克服现有研究中存在的碎片化倾向。要树立规避低水平重复研究的学术立场,特别要进一步深化对新时代中国协商治理之本土化因素及其核心指归的梳理,凝练基于学术的中国协商治理之基本指导的理论精义,建构一种适应性的本土概念与理论体系,探索底线性的协商治理理解是学术研究的基本使命。基于此,以什么形式实践协商治理,应交由党领导人民去完成。同时,要科学把握西方治理嬗变、理论适用性及其困境,科学认识治理中国方案的定位、中西方治理的本质差异及其体现。对协商治理的理论与实践及其超越性之内在机理的研究,是解释与建构的尝试,是对情境的宏观考量,亦是阐明研究立场与实践立场的过程。     

Privatisation of urban water and sewerage services in Turkey: some trends

This article describes the experience of privatised urban water-supply and sewerage services in Turkey, focusing on the cases of three cities that have opted for such privatisation. The article opens with an examination of the management of urban water and sewerage services in Turkey and explores the development of water services and water policies in local government institutions. The second section introduces case studies of cities that have transferred the management, operation, and maintenance of urban water services to private operators.     

The Ethical Trading Initiative: Tenth Anniversary Conference

This article reports on the tenth anniversary conference of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), drawing attention to the irony that just as progress is being made on the situation of home workers (among the least protected of all working people) the two organisations that have done so much to raise awareness of these issues themselves face closure for lack of funding.     

Analysing social-change practice in the Peruvian Amazon through a feminist reading of participatory communication research

This article analyses the social-change practices of Minga Perú, an NGO in the Peruvian Amazon which promotes gender equality and reproductive health through radio broadcasts and community-based interventions. This analysis, grounded in participatory research methods, reveals a feminist and gender-equitable approach, allowing participants to take the role of leader rather than of passive research subject. Such participatory research methods helped to empower both individuals and their communities in the Peruvian Amazon, encouraging the development of more productive group dynamics and leadership.     

译介·批评·方向——西方妇女戏剧在中国

西方妇女戏剧从20世纪70年代开始进入一个具有历史意义的发展时期,并取得令人瞩目的成就。约十年后,以美国妇女戏剧为代表的西方妇女戏剧在中国得以引进。从介绍性报导、剧作翻译与演出到学术批评与交流,中国有关西方妇女戏剧的课题累积了一定的研究基础。本文着重梳理二十余年来的研究成果,提出可能进一步发展的方向,期待中西方妇女戏剧更好的交流和对话。     

论农民的医疗保障权——以西部为视角

健康权是基本人权，医疗保障权是人权的基本组成部分。改善医疗待遇，就是保护人权。医疗保障是社会保障的一个重要方面，国民医疗保障是政府义不容辞的责任。由于长期以来，城乡“二元”结构等因素的存在，中国农民的医疗卫生状况令人担忧，其医疗保障权利的实现存在诸多障碍。本文以西部农民为视角，对农民医疗保障权利的若干问题进行了初步探讨。     

发展信息化是西部大开发的核心战略

受世界经济一体化的影响,全球经济已逐步由工业时代向信息时代转型。信息化差距是西部发展差距的突出标志。在未来的发展中,信息化战略将成为西部大开发的核心战略。