Education and economic growth in the United States: cross-national applications for an intra-national path analysis

Do the leading predictors of economic growth found in the cross-national research have a capacity to predict economic growth at the state level in the United States (US)? Are the effects of education spending on economic growth underestimated because research fails to examine the indirect effects of spending on economic growth? This article presents the findings from a study investigating the relationship between education and economic growth in US states while controlling for the effects of the leading predictors of economic growth from the cross-national research. It also utilizes a path model to examine direct and indirect relationships between education spending and economic growth measured as per capita income growth. The results indicate that spending on higher education and highway expenditures demonstrate a positive association with growth in per capita income, while K12 (kindergarten through 12th grade) spending and K12 pupil–teacher ratios demonstrate a negative association with income growth from 1988 to 2005. Moreover, K12 spending and population growth indirectly affect income growth through their relationship with K12 pupil–teacher ratios, and spending on higher education indirectly affects income growth through college attainment rates. Overall, all but one variable from the cross-national research demonstrates a significant direct or indirect relationship with income growth during at least one time-period investigated. Treating K12 pupil–teacher ratios and college attainment as mediating variables also enhances our understanding of the dynamics that explain growth in per capita income at the sub-national level in the US. However, some unexpected findings emerge when the data are analyzed on the basis of two eight-year sub-periods.     

Cohousing For Whom? Survey Evidence to Support the Diffusion of Socially and Spatially Integrated Housing in the United States

Cohousing is a resident-led neighborhood development model that clusters private dwelling units around collectively owned and managed spaces, with potential to address long-term social and environmental challenges in American metropolitan regions. To date, however, the cohousing model has been slow to diffuse beyond a demographically narrow following. This limited following may signal to policymakers that cohousing is an unappealing housing model, and therefore an impractical policy objective. Drawing from a survey of 1,000 American residents, the results of a multivariate regression model suggest that (a) many of the characteristics of the current resident population of cohousing in the United States have no statistical association with the individuals who indicate interest in cohousing nationwide; (b) other characteristics serve as better predictors of interest in cohousing; and therefore (c) the slow diffusion of cohousing is likely the consequence of inaccessibility rather than low appeal. Overcoming these challenges demands shifts in policy.     

Decentralised governance and empowerment of county governments in China: betting on the weak or the strong?

Decentralised economic development initiatives empowering local governments have gained currency in both developed and developing contexts. The empowerment of county governments in China is a case in point. This study uses difference-in-differences (DID) and the fixed-effects model with panel data (1997–2008) in counties in Zhejiang Province to empirically investigate the different impacts of the empowerment reform on county economies and fiscal revenue (FR). The results reveal that the reform has not promoted county economies as expected but has significantly increased FR. The reform has had a larger impact on less developed counties than on developed ones, which suggests a positive outcome of this decentralisation policy in China with regard to revenue generation. This study on county empowerment in Zhejiang Province provides some policy implications for other regions in China or developing countries.     

Disquieting growth: urban space in Kawashima Yūzō's film Suzaki Paradise Red Light

This article examines how Japanese postwar cinematic texts manifest and comment upon contemporary political and economic events, and considers the usefulness of cinema for a more complete historical understanding of the period. In particular, it argues for the significance of fūzoku eiga, or ‘films of customs and manners’ by analyzing a representative text of that genre, Kawashima Yūzō's 1956 film Suzaki Paradise Red Light. Although Kawashima's film has been treated as an apolitical melodrama, a close textual analysis reveals it to be a counter-narrative to the success story of postwar economic recovery and growth that the Japanese state sought to promote. Key to this analysis is an examination of the urban space of the Suzaki neighborhood in Tokyo, as depicted in the film. Kawashima's tour of Suzaki addresses the issues of the economic stagnation within the metropolis, uneven development, and the liminal space of muen, or ‘no ties,’ which offers a brief refuge from an increasingly disciplined everyday life.     

广西经济增长的就业效应分析及对策

20世纪80年代,广西经济增长表现出较强的就业带动效应,但进入90年代,伴随着经济的快速增长,就业增长却呈现出下降趋势。经济增长对就业增长带动作用的减弱导致广西失业问题突出。文章对广西经济增长就业效应减弱的成因进行了剖析,并提出相应的政策建议。     

循环经济的理论思想渊源与实践——以美、日、德、中为例

循环经济理论思想源远流长。尽管在传统的经济发展模式中,人们在生产中不考虑资源环境方面的问题,但理论上的认识早就有之,这些理论是当今推行循环经济和进一步研究循环经济理论的重要依据。目前,发展循环经济已成为世界各国的共识,美、日、德率先行动,取得了宝贵经验。进入21世纪,中国也开始走循环经济发展之路,近年来,中国在发展循环经济方面正在加大力度,并取得了可喜的成果。集中各国经验,探索崭新的循环经济发展之路,是实现人与自然和谐发展的重要保证。     

略论国际反恐怖法与人类的可持续发展

人类发展的不平衡,是造成国际恐怖主义的原因之一。由于国际恐怖主义的存在,人类陷入了一场持久而深重的灾难中。人类可持续发展的进程也因此受到阻碍。国际反恐怖法在制定和实施过程中应融入可持续发展的价值理念,确保人类生态及弱势方在国际反恐怖法中受到保护。     

俄罗斯经济增长因素实证分析

俄罗斯建国十多年以来,纵观其各年GDP增长,1995年经济开始有了起色,虽然1997、1998年受到金融危机的影响GDP有所下降,但是危机过后到现在,一直保持增长趋势。经验认为,俄罗斯经济增长与其能源出口、制度改革、居民消费、汇率贬值和稳定的政治局势有很大关系,通过建立多元回归模型,对影响俄罗斯经济增长的主要因素进行实证分析,来验证学术界存在的观点,并根据结论提出保持经济稳定性增长的对策。     

论我国循环经济立法的价值取向

基于对立法价值重要性的认识,提出在循环经济的立法进程中,立法的价值问题应当成为立法者考虑的首要问题;进一步探讨了我国循环经济立法的基本价值追求,认为应以人与自然同存的整体利益,实现可持续发展和确保生态安全为价值目标。     

对增加农民收入的思考

进入21世纪,增加农民收入成为人们关注的热点。随着经济的发展,农产品供求关系的变化、农民纯收入增幅缓慢、城镇化滞后等因素制约了农民收入的增长。土地承包责任制中产权不清晰以农业为主的产业结构农户分散经营农业剩余劳动力难以转移农业生态环境恶化是影响农民增收的主要问题。因此,走农业可持续发展的道路应从国民经济全局出发,重新思考农民收入的增长,将农业结构战略性调整同城乡社会结构的调整结合起来,实现农业规模经营,实现农业产业化经营,发展农产品多样化、优质化、深加工,转移农村人口,加快城镇化步伐,保护生态环境。