Children in the environment: Forest day-care centers: Modern day care with historical antecedents

Some features of early child care are more prominent in Norway than in other countries, such as emphasis on the outdoor environment. Of general relevance and interest is the form of day care provided by forest day-care centers. Three ideas form the development of these centers placed in wild areas. First, throughout history, Norwegians have had a close attachment to nature and some parents want to provide their children with outdoor experiences at an early age. Second, urging children to play outdoors characterizes the image many parents have of a happy, healthy childhood. Third, provision of day care for children has always been restricted in western countries, forcing parents to invent types of service that can become part of an ecological system that promotes healthy development.The forest day-care centers developed recently represent a supplement to the wide typology of child care in the 21st century. The article outlines the connections between these ideas in general European and western history and Norwegian history and presents debate and decisions about a question dating from the last half of the 1980s. It concludes that the forest day-care centers are perhaps only a modern form of the original kindergarten concept, which started in Europe and America as gardens for children not gardens of children.     

Scale, technique and composition effects in the Mexican agricultural sector: the influence of NAFTA and the institutional environment

More than a decade after NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) entered into force, the environmental effects of agricultural trade liberalization in Mexico are still controversial, emerging, and not fully understood. This paper contributes to the literature that aims to explore trends in input use in the agricultural sector in Mexico during the post-NAFTA period among both commercial/industrial and traditional/rainfed farmers, and examines the influence of the national and multilateral institutional framework on these outcomes. We decompose the post-NAFTA agricultural production data into scale, technique and composition effects to estimate the impact that trade liberalization has had on the use of fertilizer and land use, two key agricultural inputs for which reliable aggregate data is available. We conclude that among commercial farmers patterns of crop type specialization and significant technological improvements have led to some declines in fertilizer use but they have been offset by growth in fertilizer use associated with growing agricultural output. Among traditional farmers increased output and specialization in land-intensive grain crops are contributing to an increase in land under cultivation and technological improvements show the potential, but not yet not the strength, to counteract these effects. We analyse the environmental institutional framework and rural development plans, observing that institutional weaknesses have, in several instances, reduced the environmental benefit of technique and composition effects. We conclude with recommendations about how the Mexican agricultural sector might reap the environmental benefits of international agricultural trade.     

Strengthening Green Global Governance in a Disparate World SocietyWould a World Environment Organisation Benefit the South?

The debate on the advantages and disadvantages of upgrading the United Nations Environment Programme to a 'world environment organisation' (WEO) has gained momentum in both academe and politics. This article contends that a WEO would further the interests especially of developing countries, because it would provide them, first, a high-level forum to unite their individual bargaining power against the major industrialised countries. Second, a WEO would assist Southern efforts to garner international support for environmental programmes in regions and sectors that are increasingly bypassed by economic globalisation. Third, a WEO would create a locus to politically institutionalise the influence of non-governmental lobbyists in a way that increases the balance of opinions and perspectives. The article then addresses special challenges and caveats for developing countries in the upcoming negotiation process, in particular whether an upgraded UNEP would address only 'global' issues, thus absolving the international community from assisting developing countries in mitigating the more pressing local environmental issues in the South; whether the new body would have powerful sanctioning mechanisms, which might disproportionally affect developing countries; and what decision-making procedures the new body would have.     

生态文明——人类发展的必然选择

生态文明作为人类文明的一种形式,是人类对传统工业文明进行理性反思的产物,是人类发展的必然选择.党的十六大将生态问题纳入基本国策,将生态文明建设列入全面建设小康社会的重要目标.建设生态文明是明智的选择,也是一项刻不容缓的任务.生态文明建设是一个复杂的综合性的工程,需要摈弃功利主义发展观,树立人与自然和谐发展的新观念,需要人们生态意识的培养与素质的提高,需要决策层的正确引导,需要法律、法规的约束等措施来实现.     

政府控制、制度环境与信贷资源配置

将政府控制内部结构与制度环境纳入统一分析框架,深入研究了政府控制内部结构对银行信贷资源配置的影响,以及在不同制度环境下政府控制内部结构对信贷资源配置发挥的作用是否有所不同。研究表明:政府行政级别越低,越有动机干预银行信贷资源配置,帮助其所控制公司获得银行贷款,公司银行借款水平就越高。与通过实业主体控制的公司相比,在政府通过国有资产管理机构控制的上市公司,政府通过干预银行信贷资源配置帮助公司获取银行贷款的行为更为便利,该类公司具有较高的银行借款水平。与制度环境较差的地区相比,在制度环境较好的地区,政府控制内部结构对银行信贷资源配置发挥的作用相对较小。研究有助于深入理解信贷资源配置行为的制度根源。     

以色列反恐政策演变及其评价

以色列建国后,其面临的恐怖主义威胁先后经历了三个不同阶段,与此相适应的以色列反恐政策也先后进行了多次调整。以色列反恐政策体系来自其长期的反恐作战实践,并深受其历史文化经历的影响,具有较强的适应性、综合性以及崇尚“先发制人”等特征。虽然以色列的反恐政策成功地维持了其社会的正常运转,但由于其反恐斗争仅是巴以冲突的一个重要组成部分,故而在巴以冲突得不到解决的情况下,它不仅无法走出诸多反恐“困境”,也难以获得反恐战争的最后胜利。     

绿色税收:欧盟经验与东北之鉴

作为对外部性予以纠正的公共政策方式,绿色税收能够引导节约资源、合理利用环境、提高社会福利。德国、荷兰等欧盟国家在推动社会资源优化配置过程中,关注各方面利益的相互均衡,促进社会效率与公平协调发展;与此相适应,课税理念也得到了调整,并以税收制度变迁进一步推动了社会和谐发展。这些对中国东北地区经济转型都具有借鉴意义。     

实施可持续发展战略需深入研究和解决的几个重大问题

在实施可持续发展战略的过程中 ,要特别注意控制人口、节约资源、保护环境 ,要根据我国国情 ,采取一系列有效措施 ,促使我国经济及社会的发展同人口增长、资源利用、环境保护相适应。要把经济社会发展与人口、资源、环境等结合起来 ,统筹安排 ,综合协调 ,从而使可持续发展战略取得良好成效。     

中国西部开发中的环境财政金融问题探讨

中国目前实施的西部大开发和第１０个“五年”计划中,环境的治理和保护已成为实现经济增长和可持续发展的关键。本文从实际出发,按照市场经济原理,就国家、企业、个人和国际社会在环境保护和治理上,应承担的财政金融责任进行了较为深入地探讨．其目的在于实现发展与环保的统一与协调。     

贵州传统民居建筑的环境自然生态观

本文在研究贵州传统民居环境自然生态特点的同时,关注传统民居在历史、文化、地理的综合作用下,分析传统民居的生态特点,挖掘传统民居中普遍而朴素的生态价值、历史意义及现实意义,并为具有生态价值的新民居设计提供理论依据。