Transforming China poverty crisis： Challenges and issues

This paper describes the economic conditions of urban and rural poverty in China. The examination of this problem deconstructs into three components and this explains why this problem is China＇s premier economic problem, despite its recent economic progress into a world ranked industrial economic power. Here, this paper examines the period of 1985 to 2008, a period of almost exponential growth. Even though during this period millions escaped from poverty levels of income, this was only part of the positive results. There were social negatives as well, and the main one was that economic inequality became worse, as the impoverished, as well as being affected by the current financial situation that has overcome the Chinese labor market, has put them into competition with the better off who are in the same economic predicament. As China merges into forms of economic globalization, any external blow will cause sharp fluctuations within the Chinese economy, as reflected within the labor market. Unemployment imposes direct impacts on incomes, and may give rise to social instability. As a result, job growth should be at the top of the macro-control agenda.     

城市职业流浪乞讨人员管理的困境及出路

《城市生活无着的流浪乞讨人员救助管理办法》实施以来,对如何依法管理城市职业流浪乞讨人员起到了重要指导和推动作用,但受法治的、习惯的及历史的诸因素制约,当前在城市职业流浪乞讨人员管理方面仍存在困境。虽然各地正积极探索有效的管理模式,从实践和长远来看,我们还需要在深刻分析的基础上,借鉴国外做法,探索中国特色的城市职业流浪乞讨人员管理之路。     

基于ELES模型的陕西城镇居民消费结构研究

消费是拉动经济发展的源动力,而研究消费的一个重要途径是对消费结构进行研究。消费结构不仅反映消费水平而且对于消费总量和产业结构有着重要影响。陕西城镇居民的消费结构经过了两个阶段的变化,由上世纪90年代中期以食品、衣着和家庭设备为主变化为以食品、医疗保健、交通通讯和教育文娱并重。同时,根据居民的消费弹性和消费结构的发展趋势,可以预见医疗保健和交通通讯等方面将成为居民未来的消费热点。     

Explaining Urban Social Disorder and Violence: An Empirical Study of Event Data from Asian and Sub-Saharan African Cities

By 2050, two thirds of the world's population will live in cities, and the greatest growth in urban populations will take place in the least developed countries. This presents many governments with considerable challenges related to urban governance and the provision of services and opportunities to a burgeoning urban population. In the current article, we use a new event dataset on city-level urban social disorder, drawing upon prominent theories in the conflict literature. The dataset spans the 1960–2009 period, covering 55 major cities in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa and includes data on nonviolent actions such as demonstrations and strikes and violent political actions like riots, terrorism, and armed conflict. We find that urban social disorder is associated in particular with low economic growth rates and hybrid democratic regimes, while level of development, economic inequality, large youth bulges, and economic globalization do not seem to affect levels of urban social disorder.     

Keeping Creativity Downtown: Policy Learning from San Francisco,Seattle, and Vancouver for Municipal Cultural Planning in Toronto

I examine Toronto's interest in the policy learning process regarding possible solutions to development pressure downtown though understanding policies from San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver. Grounded by the analysis of creative city interventions and incorporating a theoretical framework of policy adaptation, the investigation is informed by interviews with fifty-one multi-sector stakeholders, historical and archival materials, and policy documents. Return to urban living and the creative cities movement challenge city centers in preserving creative and cultural businesses and organizations. Emergent data themes include: (1) research and strategic planning; (2) stakeholder partnerships; and (3) economic development incorporating economic benefit and social good.     

Inter-Organizational Coordination and Corruption in Urban Policy Implementation in Bangladesh: A Case of Rajshahi City Corporation

This article provides an overview of the state of inter-organizational coordination and corruption in urban policy implementation in Bangladesh. Based on a study carried out in one of the seven large cities in Bangladesh, the available data illustrate that there are major coordination problems between the Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) and other government departments. This is due to a lack of formal coordination mechanisms, partisan leadership, and a fragmented organizational culture of patron-clientage, which dispenses undue favor and involves nepotism. These pathologies breed corruption and seriously impede inter-organizational coordination. Ordinary citizens suffer as a result.     

农村城镇化建设的制约因素及其对策研究

改革开放以来,我国的城市发展速度不断加快,有效地带动了经济建设的快速发展。然而,作为农业大国,"三农"问题一直受到社会的广泛关注,业已成为制约我国经济进一步发展的重要因素。推进农村城镇化建设工作,是有效解决这一问题的关键所在。当前农村城镇化建设中存在的制约因素表现在经济、社会和居民生活三个方面,而促进城镇化建设应科学规划,注重中心村镇发展,加快农村经济发展,促进农村全面发展,实现人民的共同富裕。     

Cultural Planning and Urban Renewal in South Africa

The author explores the role of cultural planning as a planning tool in South Africa. He argues that cultural planning contributes to arts "as an intrinsic part of the way humans operate in the world" (Bamford 2006, 19), thereby focusing on cultural identity, creativity, and the globalization of culture. Arguing that cultural planning, as an engine for community development, is essential in South Africa, the author examines the broad definition and importance of cultural planning; the status of South African cities, particularly Johannesburg and Tshwane in Gauteng Province; and the requirements for successful cultural planning.     

New Urbanism and Selection Bias in the Formation of Social Capital

Over the past several decades, there has been a decline in social capital in American communities. New urbanism has been proposed as a tool to reverse some of this decline. This study seeks to understand the potential benefits of new urbanism in terms of social capital. Differences in social capital between a new urbanist subdivision (NUS) and a standard suburban subdivision (SSS) are compared. The findings of this study suggest that residents of NUSs have more social capital than residents of SSSs. However, many of the differences between the two communities disappeared when a social bias control was added to the model.