Free and unfree labor in Qing China: Emigration and escape among the bannermen of northeast China, 1789–1909

Though internal migration in China during the Qing era (1644–1911) was mostly unrestricted, the government tightly controlled the movement of peasants who worked state lands in frontier regions and certain other locations. Such peasants accounted for 5–10% of China's population. In the state farms of northeast China, households could move legally only from one place to another within the system. Departure from the system was illegal. In this article, one of the first quantitative studies of migration in late imperial China, we apply discrete-time event-history methods to longitudinal, nominative household register data from six northeast Chinese state farm systems to compare how characteristics of the farm system, village, and household influenced the chances of legal moves and illegal departures. We show that among these state peasants, who were supposedly “unfree,” migration was not uncommon. We also show that the determinants of legal and illegal migration differed substantially. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of these findings for our understanding of migration processes in late imperial China.     

Opting for Openness: Capital Mobility and Monetary Sterilisation in Malaysia

Malaysia gained attention for its use of capital controls in 1998, but since the early 2000s it has emphasised its commitment to an open capital account, despite experiencing volatile capital flows. As well as opting for financial openness, Malaysia chose to manage the value of its exchange rate after de-pegging from the US dollar in 2005. In a bid to escape the macroeconomic constraints that arise from capital mobility, Malaysia also chose to sterilise a large portion of capital inflows. It then made a further choice to use market-based sterilisation instruments more than regulatory sterilisation measures. These choices have carried costs and led to a build-up of economic risk. Three interrelated factors explain these choices: Malaysia’s strategy to manage the stigma arising from its imposition of controls in 1998, the increased level of financial integration that followed from this strategy, and the politically privileged position of groups that have benefitted from Malaysia’s commitment to capital openness.     

陕北乡村的“挣功名”现象及其与农村革命的关联

由于科举之废及社会动荡,一种因攀升无望而出现的功名变异现象,出现在民国前期的陕北乡村社会里。这种现象一方面打断了传统社会的局面,造成社会流动的歧变,增加了社会的不安定因素;另一方面却形成了一种较为独特的社会文化生态,这又为随后陕北乃至西北地区革命运动的兴起提供了客观条件。     

India’s South-South Cooperation in Human Resource Development

ABSTRACT

The article reviews several of the main modalities of India’s human resources’ involvement with other developing economies, and especially those in Africa. These involve the provision of long-term scholarships and short-term professional training awards. Comparison is made, in the case of international students, between the scholarship and privately funded categories, and also between those from Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth countries. Comparable data on such assisted foreign student flows are also offered in respect of South Africa. Other modalities of India’s HRD engagement with Africa are analysed, including those associated with the India-African Forum Summits (IAFS). India also does capacity building through non-state actors, notably nongovernment organisations and the private sector. Furthermore, it promotes cultural diplomacy through its Indian Cultural Centres and Chairs of Indian Studies, though these are not restricted to developing economies. Although attention is paid to the Commonwealth dimension in these comparisons, it is acknowledged that the classification of students and countries as Commonwealth may not be as widespread or meaningful today as 60 years ago.     

来华留学生影响因素的实证分析

中国一直被认为是世界上最大的留学生输出国,到目前为止,这一地位依然没有改变,但是被忽视的一点是,2011年中国已经成为世界第十大留学生接收国。研究发现,中国的研究与开发投入占GDP的份额、高等教育入学率,以及中国与十大来华留学生输出国的GDP差距是影响来华留学生的最主要的三大因素。但是,世界前500名大学排名中中国大学数量,在所有因素中影响作用最小。由此可见,就目前来看,相对于中国的经济增长来说,中国高等教育的质量并不是主要吸引留学生来中国学习的主要因素。但是,目的国的高等教育质量才是吸引留学生的最根本因素。因此,要进一步提升中国高等教育质量,保证我国留学生的教育的可持续发展。     

Mapping the Theoretical Foundations of the Social Work–Migration Nexus

This article revisits the social work–migration nexus by investigating the implications of the debate on mobility and transnationalism. The conceptual boundary between migration as single-directed movement and as an extended and multidirected process has been much discussed across the social sciences but not yet fully in social work. However, the dialectic of sedentarism versus mobility makes for a key challenge to the arrangements and the tacit assumptions of this field of research and practice. Building on an innovative analytical framework and on a variety of examples, we highlight the friction between sedentarism and mobility as central to social work with immigrants and their families.     

社会流动视角下的城市底层生存与低保制度调适——基于湛江的实证调查分析

湛江的多社区社会调查显示,城市低保对象处于生存边缘和发展边缘,存在社会支持网络狭小、信息路径闭合、生活态度钝化和代际继承效应增强等现象,难以实现向上的社会流动。现行的城市低保制度可迈向有助于低保对象社会流动的发展型制度。     

Why Is Homeownership Associated With Nonfinancial Benefits? A Path Analysis of Competing Mechanisms

Four mechanisms may underlie a homeownership effect: residential stability, perceived control, social identity, and financial interest. Path analysis of survey data collected from lower-income households suggests that the length of time lived in the dwelling and the participant's sense of control mediate the association of homeownership with civic engagement and health outcomes. The magnitude of this homeownership effect depends upon higher levels of home equity and increases after controlling for single-family detached housing. While much of the homeownership effect remains unexplained, the findings suggest that the nonfinancial benefits of owning a home are influenced by home equity and dwelling type yet are driven by residential stability and perceived control. These mechanisms could be leveraged to benefit renters.     

Retrograde venous cerebral air embolism from disconnected central venous catheter: an experimental model

There are few reported cases of death attributed to retrograde cerebral air embolism from central venous catheter. The pathophysiological mechanism and the necessary conditions are not fully understood, also because of missing experimental data. We performed experimental simulation while working on a possible case of retrograde cerebral air embolism. A hermetic system consisting of two containers connected to each other and to an electric pump by means of rubber hoses was built. In this system, a fluid (water and blood) could continuously flow under conditions similar to those of the common jugular vein. The part of the system representing the jugular vein could be freely positioned at angles between 0 and 90°. A central venous catheter was inserted into this part. After disconnection, the behavior of the air bubbles entering the hose through the tip of the catheter was evaluated at different positions. At angles between 0 and 45°, the air bubbles followed the fluid flow. At angles >45°, the air bubbles showed the tendency to flow upstream; this phenomenon was more evident the more vertically the hose was located. We were able to demonstrate that a retrograde air embolism can be caused by a disconnected catheter and is even more likely if the neck is in a vertical position.     

中国城市化进程中的农民权利诉求

中国的城市化作为缓和城乡二元结构状况为目的的一种社会发展趋势,既为三农问题的解决带来了机遇,也使农村中固有问题和矛盾日渐凸显,同时在其不断推进中还将带来新的问题。农民的权利诉求是农村城市化中的主体回应,与城市化进程是一个双向互动的过程,诸如社会结构、现代化目标、流动性、社会心理等城市化中的多种因素影响着农民权利诉求的产生与变化,而农民的权利诉求同时也促进着城市化发展的动态平衡。