Unpacking Local Economic Development: A Case Study from Nekemte Town and Its Hinterlands,Oromia, Ethiopia

Most agree that local economic development (LED) is a “bottom-up” development approach seeking to unleash the development potential of a locality. Nonetheless, focusing closely on the dynamics of specific localities, this can be criticized for being too local and overlooking extra-local links. This article explores the drivers of LED from the local economic actors’ perspectives in Nekemte town and its hinterlands, Oromia region, Ethiopia. The results clarify that LED is not only just “local”, but also an approach that links urban and rural areas, and thus, understanding rural–urban linkages is a prerequisite for a better understanding of the local economic development.     

Pitirim Sorokin’s contribution to rural sociology: Russian,European and American milestones of a scientific career

ABSTRACT

The whole of Pitirim Sorokin’s fascinating and difficult scientific life led to his fundamental works on urban–rural relationships being expressed in the terms ‘rural–urban continuum’ and ‘rurbanism’. However, only a few special studies have been devoted to different aspects of his biography and scientific interests. The legacy of Sorokin as a rural sociologist has not yet become a subject of special studies in Russian social science. This contribution considers the key stages of Sorokin’s scientific career as contributing to the development and institutionalization of rural sociology as a discipline closely connected with urban sociology.     

论工会在推进新生代农民工城市融入中的作用

与老一代农民工相比,新生代农民工城市融入愿望更为强烈。然而,受到城乡二元结构的限制与自身文化、技能的制约,新生代农民工城市融入水平较低。工会作为党联系职工群众的纽带和桥梁,作为职工利益的代表者和维护者,理应发挥组织优势,加快推进新生代农民工城市融入。     

Environmental Harm or Natural Hazard? Problem Identification and Adaptation in U.S. Municipal Climate Action Plans

A number of cities in the United States have devised climate action plans (CAPs) to mitigate the effects of climate change. However, few of these plans address strategies to adapt to the long term effects of climate change that will occur in the near and distant future. The research presented in this article examines why cities choose to embed adaptation provisions in their CAPs. Our study codes the content of CAPs for all cities (N = 98) in the United States with populations greater than 50,000. We find cities that frame problems associated with climate change in the language of hazards are more likely to include adaptation strategies in their CAPs than cities that focus on other types of environmental harm. Our findings suggest that more robust efforts to plan for climate change will require the activation of communities of interest beyond those that have been instrumental in setting the current climate agenda.     

边缘化的生活——中国改革过程中女民工的城市生活经历

生活在城市边缘的女民工,她们抱着不同的理想来到城市,其工作和生活状况虽各有不同,但多处于社会的下层,但她们中的一部分人不向生活低头,通过不懈努力和奋斗,找到了自己生存和发展的空间,为家庭和谐和社会稳定做出了应有的贡献。     

不平衡发展与中国新型城乡二元经济

城乡不平衡是经济发展的常态,城乡差别是不可消除的。中国城乡关系的构建应抛弃变二元经济为一元经济的传统思路。在新的历史条件下,克服中国巨大的城乡差距的正确途径是实施向农村倾斜的新不平衡发展战略,逐步建立城乡有别、各具特色、相互协调的新型城乡二元经济。     

近代视野下西部民族地区的城市发展——以甘宁青区域为考察对象

在现代性因素的“跃进”性扩散下,以洋务运动为先声,19世纪后期的甘宁青地区也开始了缓慢而曲折的早期现代化进程,城市亦随之出现转型并得到一定发展。但是,由于自然地理环境的先天不足,再加上长期战乱不断、对民族关系问题的认识偏差等后天的人为主观能动性的缺失,较之东、中部等地区而言,近代甘宁青地区的城市发展又表现出明显的滞后性:不仅城市发展缓慢,而且城市早期现代化水平也十分有限,这种滞后的城市发展又对区域的发展造成了严重的消极影响。     

农村社会保障体系：现状·问题·对策

目前,我国农村社会保障过分依赖家庭保障和土地保障,已无法适应当前农村经济社会发展的要求,迫切需要建立符合现代文明、体现社会公平与公正的新型农村社会保障体系。为此,应摈弃“经济发展决定论”片面化的思想误区,着重建立健全三项农村基本社会保障制度,拓宽农村社保资金来源渠道,提升土地保障和家庭保障的“造血”功能。     

二次就业教育应对城市青年失业

调查发现,城市失业青年较大比例从批发、零售贸易和餐饮业等不太需要技术或技能且薪水较低的行业中失业,主要原因是没有一定的职业技术或职业技能。所以,加强对城市失业青年的二次教育,提高个人素养和能力,才是解决城市失业青年问题的有效途径。     

乡土秩序的失落——对流动人口犯罪的社会学思考

流动人口犯罪的原因及其防治机制不能从流动人口群体以外的范围内去寻找 ,必须深入到生成流动人口的具体社会结构中去探寻。该社会结构主要有二方面要素 :城乡二元格局 ;户籍管理体制和现存的庞大剩余劳动力。流动人口犯罪的基础性原因是存在于流动人口群体中的乡土秩序在城市中的失落 ,以及由此而产生的流动人口生存与发展预期的落空。要解决这些问题 ,必须寻找一个重建秩序之路 ,也就是经过小城镇化而达到全面的城市化。其目标是消除两种秩序的差别和对立 ,直至建立最大限度遏制流动人口犯罪的新型秩序。