Search

How does power shape foreign policy attitudes? Drawing on advances in psychological research on power, I argue that the sense of relative state power explains foreign policy hawkishness. The intuitive sense that "our state" is stronger than "your state" activates militant internationalism, an orientation centered on the efficacy of force and deterrence to achieve state aims. Beyond general orientation towards the world, this sense of power explains discrete attitudes towards pressing security issues, from threat perception in the South China Sea to nuclear weapons use against Iran. Five original surveys across the US, China, and Russia, as well as an experiment fielded on the US public, lend support to these claims. The psychological effects of state power overshadow dispositional traits common in behavioral IR, like individuals' personalities and moral proclivities. More surprisingly, power changes individuals, making hawks of even the most dovish. Taken together, the paper presents a "first image reversed" challenge to standard bottom-up accounts of foreign policy opinion and offers unique explanatory leverage in a potential era of US decline, China's rise, and Russian belligerence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identities are not pre-given but are socially constructed with performative power. Taking a critical discursive approach, this study explores how the cultural understandings of deafness and the deaf community become intertwined with ideas of the 'state-home' (guo jia) in contemporary China. The paper analyzes forty award-winning biographical essays written by Chinese citizens with hearing disabilities in a 2016 national essay contest. The paper argues that the paradigmatic narratives from the essay contest correspond to the disability policy framework of the Chinese government in the market-reform era. The implications of these statist narratives of deaf identity need to be critically reflected as the human body becomes a central site of governance and governmentality in China during this stage. This study looks at autobiographical essays written by deaf people in China Essay contests organized for deaf people in China have opened up possibilities of expressing and sharing deaf experiences, but such events need to be analyzed critically. In China, the government plays an important role in orienting the disabled peoples' organization The individual's development and national development are inseparable in China's disability advocacy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last three decades, China's legal framework and political attitude regarding fashion have faced several changes. Initially, the country lagged behind the international standard, but over time China has made a significant effort to improve the legal environment where the fashion industry operates. If China is now a top player in the global fashion market, it is due also to its commitment to building on a solid formal legal framework. While this consolidation is occurring, further transformations that will affect the fashion business are underway in China: in particular, one concerning the advent of digitalization, which is crucial in determining the future development of the industry and increasingly relevant due to the spread of COVID-19, and another concerning the undergoing social, political, and cultural changes being strongly pushed forward by President Xi's leadership. This paper aims to identify some features of the evolution of legal regulations relating to the fashion industry in China and to analyze its current trends and possible future developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socio-psychological factors can influence efforts to conserve biodiversity. Despite numerous studies focused on giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) conservation, the intentions of farmers with respect to these conservation practices have received little attention. This paper uses an expanded version of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a framework to identify the socio-psychological factors that influence farmers' intentions to adopt conservation practices. The TPB hypothesizes that intention is determined by three psychological constructs: attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Perceived resources and some socioeconomic issues are also considered in the expanded TPB framework. A structured survey of 506 farmers was conducted, with farmers categorized into groups who received and did not receive subsidy payments. A principle components analysis was applied to check the structure of the latent TPB constructs. We used a logistic model to identify the impact of perceived resources, attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and other socioeconomic characteristics on farmers' intentions to adopt conservation practices. Results show that the intentions of subsidized conservation participants were significantly influenced by perceived resources, behavioral control, attitude, and subjective norms. Non-subsidized conservation participants were significantly influenced by perceived resources, behavioral control, and subjective norms. Numerous socioeconomic factors were also significantly associated with intentions. To improve the adoption of sustainable conservation practices by farmers, attention should be paid to both psychological and socioeconomic issues that could improve the sustainability of A. melanoleuca conservation and the livelihoods of farmers in southwest China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The context of mainland China remains under-researched in the bereavement literature. This article reports on a qualitative study on bereaved people's experience in mainland China in light of their relational beings, uncovering varied applications of cultural emphases on harmony in their ongoing lives. By collecting and analysing qualitative data from a sample of 31 bereaved people, a largely traditional but changing picture of the bereavement experience is captured. The findings highlight the predominant values of harmony and familism in shaping the Chinese bereaved people's identities in their ongoing lives. This article examines the idea of relational beings in the context of mainland China by shedding light on the reported experience of bereavement, and thus, furthers the ongoing debates on socio-cultural constructions of bereaved people's identities. Accordingly, this paper provides researchers and practitioners with an in-depth narrative of bereaved people's experience in this largely under-explored society, providing theoretical and empirical evidence to inform future studies, as well as bereavement support and policy-making in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of new financing methods in the networked society, and due to the underdeveloped social security system in China, more and more patients and their families have to choose crowdfunding as an important way to raise treatment funds. Using thematic narrative analysis, this paper studied 100 texts of medical crowdfunding on Easy Fundraising from February 27, 2018 to May 1. It is found that the requests used a series of strategies including: constructing the identity of the patient in order to build a disadvantaged image worthy of help; using tragic narration based on the traditional Chinese cultural elements such as "family concept" and "filial piety" and contrast of the patients' experience before and after the illness to mobilize the sympathy of potential donors; and downplaying the needs itself in order to maintain patients' self-esteem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change poses a potential risk to coastal infrastructure, thus threatening the economics or even the safety of human beings. Thus, a better understanding of the attitude of port organizations toward climate adaptation and mitigation is essential. This paper addresses this research gap by investigating 18 port organizations in China. The questions include the impediments and the impact of context, systems, and other factors on the implementation of adaptation strategies. The results indicate that port organizations are generally aware of climate change impacts and agree that some further steps are needed. However, policy support serves as a key factor in implementing adaptation plans. Apart from offering important insight on the attitude of port organizations, the study also serves as a platform for further research on climate adaptation planning in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The logistics environment between China and Korea has been changing rapidly in line with the 'Go West' policy of international trade and logistics area. The policy includes the BRI, Western Development Strategy, and Korea–China FTA. Against this background, the Korea–China train ferry (KCTF) is being newly illuminated as an alternative mode to cope with the logistics environment between Korea and China. One of the key success factors of the KCTF depends on, among others, shippers' perception, which will affect the choice and the successful operation of the KCTF. From this perspective, this paper develops seven hypotheses based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). We test these hypotheses using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to explore the structural relationship between shippers' behavioral beliefs influencing the perceived usefulness, the attitude toward and intention to choose the KCTF. The test results confirm that among the behavioral beliefs, transport accessibility in association with an efficient network of inland roads and railway networks is an important prerequisite. In addition, we verified a high statistical significance in the structural relationships among perceived usefulness, the attitude toward and the intention to choose the KCTF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A main purpose of the present study was to examine and compare attitudes toward inclusive education between parents of children with ASD, parents of typically developing children, and classroom teachers in China. The investigators also sought to explore factors influencing different stakeholders' perspectives. An attitude survey was distributed to 14 institutions in Shanghai and Anhui Province in China, including four kindergartens, two elementary schools, four special schools, and four private training agencies. Seven hundred and twelve responses were received, including 170 from parents of children with ASD, 337 from parents of typically developing children, and 197 from classroom teachers. Both multivariate and univariate analyses were conducted to compare differences in attitudes between groups. The results indicate that parents of children with ASD held the most positive attitudes toward inclusion, whereas classroom teachers held the least positive attitudes toward the inclusion of children with ASD. Further analyses revealed that not only were adults' attitudes influenced by their identities as parents or teachers, but their background may also influence how they perceive inclusive education. The findings of the study provided a comprehensive view on how different parties perceive inclusive education of ASD. It also provided empirical evidence that inclusion generally has a positive impact on people's attitudes toward ASD. Implications and suggestions for future research and practices were further discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the paper "Shame: An Acute Stress Response to Interpersonal Traumatization," by Dianne Trumbull. Topics mentioned include the visual dimension, power, and pain of shame, distinction between shame and guilt, the role of shame in development and attachment emotion, the impact of shame on self-esteem, and the interaction of shame and culture.

Objective: The past decade has been marked by a significant increase in information on stigma associated with mental disorders, but these findings have yet to be applied extensively to mental health services in China. The objective of this study was to conduct a narrative review of studies relating to stigma toward mental illness in China. Methods: A critical search of scientific papers was conducted in the PubMed, CNKI, and WANFANG databases. The search included articles published from January 2001 to April 2016. Results: Forty-two studies were evaluated and arranged into the following category groups: general public, health professionals, medical students, family members and caregivers, and people with mental disorders. Conclusion:We identified some results similar to those reported in foreign settings. However, somenoteworthy findings concerning the stigma of health professionals, medical students, and family members towards people with mental disorders in China should be the focus of further research. Interventions designed to reduce mental health-related stigma may benefit from considering cultural influences exhibited by the Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's rapid economic growth over the last three decades has led to increased population wealth and the proliferation of entertainment centres where people can conduct business, relax and meet new people. Little is known about the sexual risk behaviours of employees at high-tier entertainment centres. This paper addresses this gap in knowledge by comparing HIV risk perception and sexual and reproductive health behaviours among female and male employees at three high-tier entertainment centres in two cities in China, comparing those who report a history of transactional sex to those who do not. In both cities, participants who reported a history of transactional sex were more likely than those without a history of transactional sex to report multiple sexual partnerships, more lifetime sexual partners, a history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), having anal sex and/or recent abortions, and were more likely to perceive themselves to be at risk for STIs/HIV. However, risk behaviour was also high among those with no history of transactional sex. These findings highlight the need for targeted sexual and reproductive health initiatives for employees in these work settings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background:Students’ daily-life experiences may render favorable effects on the students’ affective domain like interest, enthusiasm, motivation, joy, curiosity, awareness, and eagerness to learn science as not commonly found in the classroom environment. However, no rigorous research has been reported on those aspects in Mainland China despite many recent studies done in various Western countries. Purpose:This paper aims to report and compare the science-related experiences of ninth-graders from two places (in Urumqi City of Xinjiang province and Shanghai) in China through a large-scale survey of their junior secondary three students. Sample:The sample consists of 4115 students in Urumqi City (from 28 schools) and Shanghai (from 25 schools). Design and methods:This study adopted a Likert scale questionnaire instrument, as translated from the international Relevance Of Science Education (ROSE) Project. From a confirmatory factor analysis of the data, we identify and focus on six factors which are directly correlated with students’ science-related experiences outside school environment in Xinjiang and Shanghai and employ relevant factor scores to compare the gender, regional, and socioeconomic effects. Results:As revealed by thet-test, gender and regional differences were statistically significant in affecting (1) students’ outdoor living experience, (2) hands-on experience of transportation, and (3) their daily-life experience with do-it-yourself tools and models. In all three aspects, boys and Xinjiang students possessed richer experiences than girls and Shanghai students, respectively. Conclusions:Based on ANOVA tests, Shanghai students’ out-of-school science-related experiences were more often significantly affected by various socioeconomic variables (including their parents’ education and occupation and their family income) than Xinjiang students. From cross-regional comparison, Chinese students had much fewer science-related experiences than those of Greek and Finnish students. The limitations and educational implications of the present study are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Determining the factors that influence young adults’ engagement in environmental action is critical to further developing their active and important participation in environmental issues. In this paper, we designed two studies to identify life experiences of Chinese college students that foster environmental action. In Study 1, we used an open-ended survey to ask 34 young environmentally active citizens about the life experiences influencing their current engagement in environmental protection. In Study 2, we developed a significant life experience scale based on the results of Study 1 and recruited junior and senior students from seven universities to participate in an online questionnaire. We analyzed 606 valid questionnaires to understand whether the significant life experiences identified in Study 1 can distinguish environmentally committed students from other students and to what extent the significant life experiences can predict environmental action. Our results suggest that environmental organizations, college education, natural experiences and life principles could be important factors influencing the formation of environmental action, while other life experiences may also contribute to this process. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As an epilogue to this special issue, this paper offers a brief critical review of Chinese-outbound-tourism literature, developed so far in conjunction with the articles accepted in this special issue. In doing so, we provide an overview of the state-of-the-art knowledge with regard to Chinese outbound tourism. Issues other than those presented in the special issue articles are also discussed and highlighted. These include the social and environment issues that could possibly prove not as positive as economic benefits in destination countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]