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As one branch of industrial ecology, the ecoindustrial park (EIP) concept is being accepted and implemented in many parts of the world. In order to pursue a sustainable industrial development, China's government is forging this concept into a new strategy of industrial development and regional practices. This article aims to depict a picture of current China's experiences on EIP. It first presents two stages of EIP development at national level. Then more details at individual level are provided by three cases studies, that is, Dafeng, Lubei, and Nanhai, in which three points are addressed: (1) the industrial and environmental backgrounds of EIP projects; (2) specific resource sharing; and (3) benefits and challenges in these projects. The case studies show that the government acts as a key role player, facilitating multiple functions in the development of EIP projects. The case studies also suggest that many factors including holistic, economic, social, and technical aspects need to be taken into account to develop a successful EIP project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic reforms since the late 1970s have made China one of the world's fastest growing economies but have also led to greater unmet social welfare needs and growing income inequality. This article describes social policy trends in urban and rural China and reviews recent empirical evidence on the transitions and impacts of its social benefit system. The evidence reveals that although urban social benefits experienced significant cutbacks, they are still much more generous than the minimal social benefits for rural residents and migrants. This extremely inequitable situation calls for a larger, progressive social benefit system in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's ongoing economic growth is accompanied by a large amount of air pollution that exacts significant health and economic costs on its people. Following up on some earlier work focusing upon general mortality and child-specific health effects, this article uses a larger data set, covering more than 90 Chinese cities, along with a set of China-based epidemiological functions, to estimate some of the adult health benefits of reducing urban air pollution. Projecting future air pollution based upon current conditions, it calculates the averted mortality and morbidity effects that would result from the cleanup of particulates, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. The inclusion of nitrogen dioxide in our analysis is particularly important because it is a growing problem and has not been included in most of the more widely known studies that examine Chinese air pollution. Finally, the economic valuation of these pollution-related health effects is developed, using a number of recent, China-based valuation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses administrative obstacles in China that hinder the full integration of the rural population into the mainstream of development during a period of rapid industrialization. The Chinese household registration only for urban residents with its golden contents of cradle-to-grave security has become a formidable stumbling block that perpetuates the status of rural migrants as second-class citizens in their own country. Rural migrant workers are excluded from certain types of jobs and are not eligible for many benefits that urbanites have, such as health, education, and unemployment protection. These workers must also pay a number of fees and work for lower minimum wages than the local residents. With a precarious legal existence in urban areas, they are easy prey to unscrupulous officials and employers. Because they are not allowed to form independent trade unions, their best option is to vote with their feet and leave the firms with the worst conditions; this is exactly what they did from 2004. Given this situation, the debate on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) took a new turn with not only nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) pushing it but with a wider range of employers and, of late, Chinese officials promoting their version of CSR. In the campaign to promote minimum labor standards, the norms set down in the Social Accountability 8000 were included in the CSR, recognizing the right to free collective bargaining and free trade unions but were excluded in the Chinese version even though the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements recognized these rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The drug problem in China reappeared in the late 1980s. At that time, most drug abusers used opium only, with heroin accounting for a very small proportion and its use being limited to border areas in the southwest and rural areas in the northwest. Beginning in the early 1990s, drug abuse spread quickly. The number of registered drug addicts increased from 70,000 in 1990 to one million by the end of 2002. Besides opioids, some "new" kinds of drugs including amphetamines and ketamine have penetrated the country through various channels since 1997. Drug abuse has caused severe problems for both the abusers and society. Three types of treatment settings for detoxification and rehabilitation are available: compulsory detoxification institutions, rehabilitation units through labor, and voluntary detoxification institutions run by sections of public security, justice, and health, respectively. Medical treatment is often combined with psychological counseling and physical training. Pharmaceutical therapy, traditional Chinese medicine, and nonpharmaceutical therapy are utilized for opioid addiction. Drug prevention, especially for young people, is emphasized. NGOs at different levels have all joined in this work. Intervention work was also started in regions where drug abuse and HIV/AIDS problems are serious. Drug abusers are helped to keep drug free after being released from detoxification settings by their communities. Different levels of institutions engaged in research on drug abuse are found in all parts of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]