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This paper evaluates the minimum living standard guarantee program (Dibao) in rural China using several methods including the income approach, the multidimensional poverty approach, and a proxy means test approach. We find that the targeting accuracy of the program appears greater the more comprehensive the evaluation method used—but all these methods find low levels of targeting accuracy. Because Dibao fund allocation is largely decided by the villagers, who take a more holistic view in selecting "poor" households than the various evaluation methods, we argue that the low targeting efficacy may be due to the lack of comprehensive evaluation method, as opposed to the low targeting of the program itself. This paper argues that the community-based targeting used by the Dibao program may be a better way to combat poverty in many developing countries, as it requires less administrative capacity and overcomes the difficulties of identifying poor households that qualify for assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics have promoted the rapid development of ice-snow tourism in China, which contributes to achieving the goal of having "300 million people participate in ice-snow sports". This paper analyzes the status quo and problems associated with the growth of ice-snow tourism in China based on the methods of documentation and field investigation. The results indicate that China's efforts have born abundant fruits. Notwithstanding, there are still some problems due to the limited time and hastened process of ice-snow tourism development, including unreasonable exploitation, low-quality products and services, imperfect investment and financing system, inadequate management, a single marketing mode, and insufficient talent teams. Compared with developed countries in Europe and the United States, ice-snow tourism in China is in the stage of rapid development. To achieve the high-quality development of ice-snow tourism in China, this paper proposes actions from eight aspects which involve policy, products and services, marketing, safety management and control, talent teams, standardization construction, science and technology, and community participation. This study can provide references for the high-quality development of ice-snow tourism in China, as well as perfecting Chinese theoretical research on ice-snow tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we use the panel data of 281 cities in China from 2005 to 2020 for capturing the factors driving urban inclusive growth (IG). In doing this, we employ the BP neural network algorithm combined with the DEA model to measure the urban inclusive growth efficiency (IGE). Furthermore, a nest of machine learning (ML) algorithms are introduced to explore the drivers of urban IGE, which overcomes the defects of endogeneity and multicollinearity of traditional econometric methods. We find for the overall sample that entrepreneurship and innovation contribute the most to IGE, accounting for about 35%, respectively, and they are the most critical drivers, while the heterogeneity test results reveal that the contribution of influencing factors has changed for different regions such as the eastern region, the central region, and the western region. Based on the experimental results of the ML model, we provide some policy suggestions for China and similar developing countries and emerging economies to promote IG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on China's Industrial Robot and Customs data from 2006 to 2019, this paper conducts an empirical investigation into the impact of industrial robot usage on export trade structures and its working mechanism with the popularization of industrial robots and the expansion of export trade in China. It finds that the use of industrial robots has significantly increased the proportion of general trade, reduced that of processing trade and promoted the transformation from processing-trade into general-trade, or the impact mechanism of industrial robots on export trade structure. After adopting such two methods as lag phase and tool variables to address potential endogenous problems, the results continue to be valid. In addition, the paper also discussed the regional heterogeneity effect of industrial robot trade transformation. Such evidence provides a new perspective for developing countries to explain the transformation of their export trade and are of high significance in optimizing the structure of trade patterns and promoting the transformation of export trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is striving to build a new dual-circulation development pattern with the aim of leading the coupling of science, technology, and innovation through the active role of financial factors, ultimately promoting the country's optimal economic development. As a result, this paper constructs a coupled dual-circulation-STI (scientific and technological innovation) relationship model. The domestic and foreign components of the input–output relationship are used to portray the extent of the dual circulation, combined with Index DEA to measure the quality of science and technology innovation under the role of financial factors and the coupled coordination model to analyze the intrinsic correlation between the two. The study used an Index-DEA and value chain analysis model to measure each industry's technological effectiveness and the degree of internal and external circulation, respectively. The coupled coordination model approach was used to measure the coordination relationship between the double-loop model and technological innovation. Based on the coordination assessment table, the degree of coupling and the natural state of science and technology innovation and dual cycle in each industry were assessed. The study found that the country's dual-circulation pattern gradually strengthened from 2015–2019, with the financial element also driving an increase in STI. However, due to the twists and turns of the external environment, the coupling power of the dual-circulation STI weakened in some years. On this basis, the paper concludes that the quality of STI, driven by financial factors, has been increasing year on year, and the coupling with dual circulation has been trending upwards. Regarding policy implications, developing countries such as China should continue to invest more financially to create a healthy and sustainable innovation model. Through the innovation-dual-circulation development model, the country should eliminate the sloppy development model in construction and use the power of science and technology to lead social progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent literature has been debating the performance of high-technology zones (HTZs) in developing countries. This paper contributes to this debate by examining how national HTZs in China affect allocative efficiency of resources among Chinese cities as well as China's total factor productivity (TFP) growth. This paper finds that resource misallocation among cities reduces China's TFP growth by 4.5% of which capital misallocation accounts for 2.4% and labour misallocation accounts for 2.1%. Moreover, we find that the establishment of national HTZs in China increases aggregate TFP by improving the allocative efficiency of capital among cities: that is, redistributing more capital from lower to higher productivity cities. In contrast, we find little evidence of TFP gain driven by technical efficiency following the establishment of HTZs. This paper thus reveals a potential positive effect of establishing HTZs in developing countries: although establishing HTZs may not improve the technical efficiency of these countries, it may nevertheless mitigate these countries' resource misallocation and enhance their aggregate TFP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The logic of the 'smile curve' in the context of global value chains (GVCs) has been widely used in case studies of individual firms, but rarely identified at the country‐industry level by using real data. This paper puts forward a proposal, based on an inter‐country input–output model, to consistently measure both the gain of value added and the position of countries and industries when they join GVCs. This allows for better identification and mapping of economy‐wide smile curves in a given conceptual value chain. Using the World Input‐Output Tables, we identify the Information and Communications Technology exports‐related smile curves for China and the United States (US), which provide an intuitive and visual representation of who gains value added and jobs through joining GVCs, and to what extent. Further insight into the distributional implications of GVC expansion, based on our analysis of labour markets for China and the US, provides a strong support for the so‐called 'Paradoxical Pair of Concerns' between developed and developing countries. Our empirical results show that gains through joining GVCs may vary greatly across different skill levels of labour domestically, a fact that has, at least in part, been a driver of the backlash against globalization and the rise of trade protectionism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how Muslim immigrants negotiate their family practices and religious identities in secular Guangzhou, a global city in south China, drawing on an in‐depth qualitative analysis. It provides a lens for better understanding the interrelationship between family practices, transnational mobility, and religious values spatially in the Chinese context. The key arguments of this research suggest that transnational mobility plays important roles in making, remaking, and unmaking of connections between family and religion. Moreover, both family spaces and religious spaces are dynamic and on the move. As an empirical study on family and religion in the Chinese context, this research can not only be read as a contribution to family and religious geographies in an everyday setting, but also one of the first everyday geography studies of Islam and Muslims in globalised China. This paper provides a lens for better understanding of the intersection of family practices and religion. We argue in this empirical analysis that transnational mobility plays important roles in the making, remaking, and unmaking of the connections between family and religion. Moreover, we indicate that focusing on the interrelationships between family and religion can nuance understanding of how notions of family and family spaces are reproduced through daily religious practices and how processes of doing family and doing religion are spatially entangled, as both family spaces and religious spaces are dynamic and on the move. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to address a recurring theme in agricultural resources and environmental economics – the low adoption rates of pro-environmental agricultural practices in many developing countries. By improving the Norm-activation model, this paper incorporates external incentives and social norms into the framework and employs multivariate probit and ordered probit models to explore how environmental conscience, external incentives and social norms influence rice farmers' adoption behaviours and intensive use of pro-environmental agricultural practices. The case study, involving 954 household-level data of rice farmers from rural Hubei province, China, reveals that the adoption rates of certain practices are very low, and that only 6.5% rice farmers adopt three or more pro-environmental agricultural practices. Results show that straw returning and soil testing and fertilizer recommendation are complementaries, and that environmental conscience, external incentives and social norms all positively affect the adoption behaviours, while the adoption intensity is significantly influenced by awareness of consequences, perceived efficacy, external incentives and descriptive norm. These findings underscore that policy interventions to improve rice farmers' environmental conscience, to provide well-designed external incentives and to activate social norms are needed to enhance the adoption of pro-environmental agricultural practices in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study on informality has experienced a shift from describing the spatial characteristics toward exploring the connotation of urban governance in recent years. This paper takes urban villages in Shenzhen, a typical informal settlement in China, as cases to analyze the two urban village governance modes of redevelopment and in situ upgrading and reveals the dynamics of the governance mode transformation. Through the lens of informality, this study focuses on the interaction among the government, the market, and former property owners on tenure legalization. The study finds that first of all, informality is the core of the transformation of urban village governance in Shenzhen. By strategically making use of informality, the government adopted different modes of urban village governance to fulfill the demands of urban development at different phases. Second, in the process of formalizing informal settlements through redevelopment, although the institutional framework is relatively complete, the boundary between informality and formality still changes continuously in property titling. While in the new governance mode of in situ upgrading in recent years, the government creates "special areas" in informal settlements via approving their de facto tenure security, so as to attract market force to upgrade physical environment and social management. Through revealing the mechanism in the blurred area between informality and formality, this paper responds to the dualistic argument on the informality theory, deepens the idea of taking informality as a flexible urban governance strategy in developing countries, and provides new thoughts for governance of informal settlements in China and other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to control the risks of Chinese enterprises in infrastructure investment in developing countries, the corresponding evaluation system is constructed through a structural equation model algorithm to analyze these risks, so as to achieve risk prediction and risk controllability. Structural equation modeling is a method to establish, estimate, and test causality. It can replace multiple regression, path analysis, factor analysis, covariance analysis, and other methods and clearly analyze the effect of individual indicators on the population and the interrelationship between individual indicators. It is a multivariate statistical modeling technology mainly applied to confirmatory model analysis. Due to the guidance of national policies, there are more and more opportunities for Chinese enterprises to invest abroad. However, due to the influence of political, economic, and environmental factors, overseas investment is facing many difficulties. This paper analyzes the risks from four aspects: bilateral policy risk, legal difference and litigation risk, international economic risk, and technical risk through structural equation model algorithm. Aiming at these risks, the simulation software of the algorithm is constructed in MATLAB big data analysis software, and the risk control measures are put forward. Finally, with the support of China's policies, in order to ensure the investment income, we should carry out risk intervention for the foreseeable risk and reduce the impact of risk on the investment income as much as possible, so as to improve the risk prevention and management awareness of overseas investment business. By analyzing the characteristics of venture capital and the various kinds of risks affecting venture capital, the risk structure model estimation of risk sneak attack is established by using the principle of structural equation model, and the impact of various risks on investment risks can be analyzed, so that the risk measurement and control of venture capital provides the basis of theoretical knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses urbanization in the context of China's efforts to meet its commitments regarding the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper focuses specifically on governmental policies to promote polycentricity, with multiple urban centers of a similar scale within metropolitan areas, rather than a traditional single, dominant central business district. Polycentric urban forms have the potential to reduce average commuting times, thereby impacting greenhouse gas emissions. Polycentricity may also enhance access to employment and other opportunities for marginalized households. To this end, we examine the nexus between emerging polycentric urbanization patterns in Chinese cities and modes of governance at the national and local levels. Changsha, in Hunan province, is selected as a case study to illuminate the issues. Our analysis shows that fiscal considerations and other national and local governance imperatives can play a crucial role in determining how urbanization evolves. While China is unique in many ways, there are also important commonalities with other countries in the global South that are experiencing rapid urbanization, so the insights generated here may be more broadly applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an increasingly important role in global economic development, and they have encountered many unique problems (such as resources and strategic choice). Strategic management accounting (SMA) techniques can help SMEs allocate limited resources rationally and integrate internal and external information to help managers make strategic decisions. However, how and what is the SMA applied in the reality of SMEs, especially in developing countries today. This paper aims to explore the extent to which SMEs of developing countries use SMA. This article used the qualitative research method and the data were collected by interviewing five managers and two employees in M company. The findings indicated that: (1) The senior managers of SMEs do not have an understanding of accounting nor pay enough attention to it, and the role of SMA is even worse; (2) Although the chief financial officers obtain the knowledge of SMA, they cannot fully involve it in their strategic decision making. (3) SMEs have realized that enterprise culture is very important for a company to achieve strategic goals, but it is far from enough to attach importance to and create it. (4) The general managers of SMEs believe that the operating department is the core of the company and all resources should be prioritized to meet their needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This research aims to assess variations of motivations when studying international location decisions. In particular, this study aims to assess the influence of diverse motivations – seeking technology, seeking brand assets, seeking markets, seeking resources and escaping institutional constraints – as determinants of the international location choice of emerging market multinational enterprises (EM MNEs) entering least developed, emerging, and developed countries. Design/methodology/approach: The authors develop a set of hypotheses based on the ownership–location–internalization framework and complement it with an institutional perspective. The conceptual model posits that the different internationalization motivations (seeking technology, seeking brand assets, seeking markets, seeking resources and escaping institutional constraints) will impact the location choice of EM MNEs in developed economies, emerging markets or least developed countries. This study uses the 2013 survey data collected by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. The final sample of analysis of this research includes 693 observations. Findings: After controlling for several variables, two-stage Heckman regressions show there is a variation of motivations when EM MNEs enter least developed countries, emerging markets and developed economies. EM MNEs are motivated to enter least developed countries to seek markets and resources. Conversely, those firms enter developed countries in their search for technological assets and to escape institutional constraints at home. While the present study findings show a clear difference in the motivations that lead to location choice in least developed vs developed countries, the results are not as clear for location in other emerging countries. Research limitations/implications: The paper offers empirical support for the importance of motivations as crucial determinants of location choice. Originality/value: This paper provides a detailed quantitative study on the internationalization location choice of EM MNEs based on their motivations. Though theoretical models underscore the importance of motivations, we know very little about how, in practice, motivations drive location choice. This study contributes to the international location choice literature a deeper understanding of how diverse motivations drive choices of expansion into developed economies, emerging markets or least developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This structured review aimed to discuss the existing literature on therapeutic hypothermia for moderate to severe neonatal encephalopathy exclusively in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).Methods: Medline, Embase, CINHAL and Cochrane Registry were searched for original papers with therapeutic hypothermia (TH) for treating neonatal encephalopathy in LMIC with no language restrictions. The search identified 1413 papers from 1990 to 31 August 2021.Results: Twenty-one original papers were included after duplicates removal and full-text screening in the final review. Fourteen randomized control studies and seven non-randomized studies were discussed with various modes of cooling (servo-controlled, phase changing material, traditional methods), complications during cooling, mortality and long-term neurodevelopmental assessment. Although there is sufficient evidence in LMIC favouring cooling for the reduction in mortality and improving the neurodevelopmental outcomes, nonetheless these studies were widely heterogeneous in terms of method of cooling, tools for assessing developmental outcomes, age at assessment and variations in neuroimaging tools and reporting.Conclusion: Therapeutic hypothermia is beneficial in LMICs with low certainty of evidence in reducing mortality and improving neurodevelopmental outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has a wetland area of 53.42 million hectares, the fourth largest in the world; it includes all types of wetlands defined by the Ramsar Convention and has a carbon sink capacity of more than 1.71 million metric tons per year. Inland wetlands in China are mainly distributed in 10 major catchments, among which the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, the rivers in the northwest, and the rivers in the northeast each have more than 8 million hectares of wetlands. There are 4220 species of plants and 4015 species of animals in China's wetland ecosystem. The wetland resources that have been developed and utilized include edible products, reeds for paper making, peat for fertilizer, fuel for power generation, and chemical, pharmaceutical, ceramic, and building materials. However, wetland areas in China have shrunk by about 54% since 1980. In recent years, China's central government has set great store by Chinese wetlands, and although 49.03% of wetland area is now officially protected, many issues have confounded the implementation of that protection. It is imperative that knowledge gained from scientific research be used to formulate a sound wetland protection and management plan that takes into consideration social, economic, and ecological issues in a way that facilitates the sustainable use of wetland resources and informs decision-makers of the paths that must be followed to achieve that goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the developing countries, China's export trade mode (ETM) has gradually shifted from processing trade to general trade. Is the deterioration of China's environmental pollution caused by the transformation of ETM? Based on the panel data from 194 cities in China from 2000 to 2016, this paper investigates the impact of ETM transformation on the environmental pollution and its internal mechanism. The results show that the ETM is gradually shifting from processing trade to general trade, and environmental pollution will deteriorate first and then improve, that is, showing a significant "inverted U-shaped" relationship between the transformation of ETM and environmental pollution. Through the robustness test of the threshold, and SYS-GMM model, the results are still valid. The mechanism research shows that the upgrading of industrial structure, energy structure, industrial agglomeration, environmental protection investment, and resource allocation are the main mechanisms that the transformation of ETM affects environmental pollution. The conclusions of this study can provide empirical evidence for the process that the environmental pollution level of developing countries deteriorated and then improved during the process of transforming from processing export trade to general export trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is the world's fastest growing economy and is the focus of extensive discussion by both academics and businesspeople. One of the principal drivers of China's growth is foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country. China has pursued a historically unique FDI policy that has long-term implications for both Chinese and international businesses. The largest portion of China-related research is focused on FDI in China. This paper looks at what we know from this research and where future research about China and FDI needs to move. This paper will allow academics to build that knowledge of China and FDI into teaching and into a foundation for understanding this dynamic economy. Such an understanding of FDI will also help academics whose expertise is not China to better understand what is unique about China and its economy and lay the foundation for understanding other emerging economies. Using a process framework this paper examines various issues related to FDI in China, including the nature of earlier foreign investments into China, the timing and mode of entry, partner selection decisions, joint venture strategies, interpartner issues, and people issues in FDI. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• Part of UN sustainable development goal 9 is upgrading production capabilities. • Increasing economic complexity is a key driver for sustainable economic growth. • Sequential model selection used for robust generalised method of moments estimation. • Chinese FDI evidently shows a positive impact on host countries' economic complexity. • Global policy makers should deepen their relationships with the belt and road. Upgrading the production capabilities in all countries is a target of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goal 9. Increasing economic complexity, that is, a country's ability to manufacture more sophisticated products and thus moving up the value chain, is a key driver for sustainable economic growth. This paper investigates whether Chinese Belt and Road investments have impacted the economic complexity of host countries — a topic not addressed in the literature to date, using a sequential generalised method of moments model selection approach. The research focuses on the countries whose economic complexities are below that of China. Our empirical results show significant positive effects of Chinese investments on such host countries' economic complexities. The inflows of Chinese investments have thus supported the upgrading of production capabilities in these countries. This is encouraging, especially for the Global South countries, to intensify their interactions with the Belt and Road initiative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmland mortgages are expected to drive county agricultural economic growth (CAEG) as a crucial component of furthering the reform of the rural land system and the reform of the rural financial system against the new backdrop of the new era. This study gathers panel data from 2045 Chinese counties from 2011 to 2020 and uses the difference-in-differences method and the synthetic control method to systematically examine the effects of China's farmland management right mortgage loan (FMRML) pilot program on CAEG. The FMRML pilot program was implemented in 2016, and this research is presented as a quasi-natural experiment. The findings indicate that there is a "policy trap" and that CAEG has not been successfully promoted by the FMRML pilot program. The reason for this is because the pilot program has made county resource mismatch worse, making it unable to fully realize the promotional effect on CAEG, rather than significantly activating the three key drivers of agricultural economic growth: people, land, and money. The impact of the FMRML pilot policy on CAEG is not uniform, according to the results of the heterogeneity study, with a substantial "blocking" effect only in the central region and no significant influence in the western, northeastern, or eastern regions. The findings propose that in order to optimize agricultural mortgage policy and advance CAEG, China and other emerging nations can benefit greatly from the insights this study offers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how a region in a developing country can trigger and strengthen the positive impacts of the Internet on farmers' income, using the case of flower and tree industry cluster in Shuyang County, Jiangsu Province, China. It finds that the combination of macro-level Internet popularization, micro-level Internet use, and local endowment conditions triggers the effect of the Internet on increasing farmers' income. The case also shows that the continuous enhancement of this effect is essentially because internal supply can adapt to the continuous online migration of external demand and make creative adjustments, thereby achieving the cumulative fit of internal supply and external demand. This study can provide empirical evidence from China for the digital dividend issue in rural areas of developing countries, and provide a reference for developing countries to promote the role of the Internet in empowering farmers and increasing their incomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on a new model of land readjustment integrated with shareholding in Zhaoqing, China. It determines whether this innovation reduces transaction costs throughout the land development process. To cope with the uncertainty during rapid urbanization in peripheral areas, shareholding land readjustment provides opportunities for the original landowners to share the long-term sustainable land value increment. This is accomplished through a shareholding platform built by local government and a closely associated state-owned enterprise, with a guarantee of short-term fixed compensation. Shareholding land readjustment holds great promise in connecting plan implementation with land property exchange issues in the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the rapid development of the digital economy, it's an important topic how to play the role of digital technology in improving innovation efficiency. Employing the spatial econometric model with province-level panel data during 2006–2018, the article explores the impact of the development of the digital economy on innovation efficiency in China. The analysis unveils three major findings. First, the innovation efficiency has significant positive spatial externalities and the digital economy has significantly positive direct effects and spatial spillover effects on innovation efficiency, but the above effects are heterogeneous for different regions and innovation subjects. Second, the impact of digital economy development on innovation efficiency has characteristics of a certain degree of lag effect and continuity. Third, the threshold effect analysis reveals the non-linear characteristic of the increasing marginal effect of the digital economy on innovation efficiency. Altogether, the development of the digital economy has become an important driving force for promoting China's innovation efficiency. The findings of this paper provide empirical evidence for understanding the relationship between the digital economy development and innovation efficiency, giving significant implications for the innovative development of developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, China has risen to prominence in the global economy with breakneck speed. Many have hypothesised that Chinese economic actors undermine the global drive to promote good governance in developing countries, and in Africa in particular, by disproportionately engaging economically with countries that suffer from poor governance outcomes. Using bilateral trade data, this paper explicitly compares how different aspects of African countries' governance levels impact their trade patterns with China and the West. It finds that African countries with better corruption controls and improved democratic development levels export more to the Western countries sampled, though the opposite is true with regard to their exports to China. Interestingly, democratic development is associated with greater imports from both the West and China, but the opposite holds with regard to respect for human rights. Finally, political stability has no significant impact on African trade—with either the West or China. However, when oil exporters are excluded from the sample, the relationship between political stability and African exports strengthens dramatically, which suggests that both Western and Chinese importers are willing to tolerate political instability to secure oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the background of globalisation and state rescaling, promoting decentralisation and enhancing local governance capacity have become prioritised objectives of transnational city-to-city partnerships mainly between developed and developing countries. However, considering the critical debates on Global East's uniqueness, two questions emerge when studying the transnational partnerships of Chinese cities. (1) Are Chinese cities' partnership establishments and objectives remarkably different from the existing international body of knowledge? (2) In China, whether decentralisation and local governance are promoted by city-to-city transnational partnerships as well? To cope with the questions, this paper examines 28 Chinese world cities' partnership establishments and objectives and reaches two conclusions. (1) With the objective of economic development, Chinese cities have consistently maintained strong connections with cities in both the developed and developing countries. (2) Chinese cities' transnational partnerships do not observably promote decentralisation, and China's political decentralisation is much more unstable than its economic decentralisation. Overall, both the binary partnership establishments and the dual-track decentralisation in political and economic aspects are highly embedded in China's interstitial and transitional position as a Global East country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regeneration of old residential communities in China is one of the most important tasks in urban renewal. In recent years, distinctive models and pathways have emerged in the emerging practice of participatory community regeneration, all of which can be seen as applications of collaborative governance theory at the community level. Collaborative governance is considered an effective way to achieve multiple goals in urban regeneration, but there has been relatively little research on collaborative governance in small-scale regeneration projects. This paper summarizes three nuanced pathways in the collaborative governance model through case studies, which are led by different initiators, resulting in collaborative models, rights dynamics, and implementation pathways that are applicable to different scenarios, effectively resolving community conflicts and producing sustainable practical results. This study compares how the three models achieve their respective objectives in participatory regeneration projects by coordinating the different stakeholder participation processes. These three models complement and extend international experience and will provide a vivid Chinese example for other developing countries around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in scientific research into hydrogeochemical research on glacier meltwater. Nevertheless, systematic and quantitative analyses are lacking to investigate how this research field has developed over the years. As a result, this study is aimed at examining and evaluating recent research trends and frontiers in hydrogeochemical research on glacier meltwater throughout the previous 20 years (2002–2022) and at locating collaboration networks. This is the first global-scale study, and visualization of the key hotspots and trends in hydrogeochemical research has been presented here. The Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database aided in the retrieval of research publications related to hydrogeochemical research of glacier meltwater published between 2002 and 2022. From the beginning of 2002 till July 2022, 6035 publications on the hydrogeochemical study of glacier meltwater were compiled. The result revealed that the number of published papers on the hydrogeochemical study of glacier meltwater at higher altitudes had grown exponentially, with USA and China being the main research countries. The number of publications produced from the USA and China accounts for about half (50%) of all publications from the top 10 countries. Kang SC, Schwikowski M, and Tranter M are highly influential authors in hydrogeochemical research of glacier meltwater. However, the research from developed nations, particularly the United States, emphasizes hydrogeochemical research more than those from developing countries. In addition, the research on glacier meltwater's role in streamflow components is limited, particularly in the high-altitude regions and needs to be enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium pollution turns out to be a global environmental problem. This study conducted a quantitative and qualitative bibliometric analysis based on 9188 research items from the Web of Science Core Collection published in the last 20 years (2000–2020), presenting an in-depth statistical investigation of global freshwater cadmium research progress and developing trend. Our results demonstrated that the researchers from China, the USA, and India contribute the most to this field. The primary sources of cadmium are mining, industry, wastewater, sedimentation, and agricultural activities. In developing countries, cadmium exposure occurs mainly through the air, freshwater, and food. Fish and vegetables are the main food sources of cadmium for humans because of their high accumulation capability. Source evaluation, detection, and remediation represent the main technologies used to clean up cadmium-contaminated sites. To mitigate the risk of cadmium contamination in freshwater, biomarker-based cadmium monitoring methods and integrated policies/strategies to reduce cadmium exposure merit further concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the survival and development of traditional villages in China have been serious challenges. Rural tourism is regarded as an important way to solve rural problems, and the combination of rural culture and tourism has become a new power point for rural development. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the spatial distribution structure between traditional villages and rural tourism. In this paper, rural tourism was represented by the rural tourism characteristic village (RTCV), and Henan Province, China, was taken as a study area to analyze the distribution pattern and spatial correlation of rural tourism and traditional village (TV) and discuss the relationship between the spatial correlation and regional natural environment and socioeconomic factors. The results show that the coupling of the spatial correlation between RTCVs and TVs in Henan was clear. They could be divided into 5 regions based on geographical factors. In addition, the research summarized 4 typical spatial structures between TVs and RTCVs in Henan based on the regional symbiosis theory, and the spatial pattern formation mechanism of TVs and RTCVs was discussed based on three driving mechanisms. The spatial structure of the two can provide reference value for other developing countries and regions to achieve sustainable rural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As far as we know, for large manufacturing enterprises, there is often a community of labor gathered around such enterprises, which is especially used as a place for the enterprise to place the labor force. This paper aimed to update the industry model of Chinese Manufacturing Enterprises (CMEs) to improve workers' health management. This work first discusses the value, mode, and process of Enterprise Digital Transformation (EDT) and Worker Health and Safety Management (WHSM). Then, it proposes the CMEs-oriented EDT model and WHSM system based on Big Data Technology (BDT) and the Internet of Things (IoT). The proposed model and system are verified through a case study on the Shanghai BYD manufacturing enterprise (short for BYD) using the Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Method (CFEM). The EDT model verification considers the adaptation and performance of enterprises after EDT. The WHSM system considers workers' oxygen inhalation status to evaluate their heart and cardiovascular health. The results show that EDT improves the enterprise's revenue and reshuffles the revenue structure. The EDT model has absolute adaptability to BYD. It has greatly improved BYD's indexes, especially financial performance, market capability, and technical capability.

Facing the increasingly deteriorating climate, carbon emission reduction has become a global consensus. In particular, as an industry with very serious pollution emissions, the manufacturing industry is under enormous pressure to reduce environmental consumption. At the same time, against the background of rapid digitization development, the production and organization of the manufacturing industry have greatly changed, which also provides new research ideas for global carbon emission reduction. Based on the panel data of 40 major economies in the world, this paper calculates the degree of input digitization of the manufacturing industry using the input-output method and constructs a triple fixed effect model to analyze the impact of manufacturing's input digitization on its carbon emission intensity from the perspective of the world and developing countries. The research finds that, first, on the global level, input digitization significantly reduces the carbon emission intensity of manufacturing, and the effect of carbon reduction increases gradually over time, with a noticeable industry spillover effect. Second, the test results from developing countries show that the relationship between digital input from developed countries and manufacturing's carbon intensity in developing countries presents an inverted U shape. Third, heterogeneity analysis shows that digital input has the most obvious effect on carbon reduction in the pollution-intensive manufacturing sector. Tracking the sources of digital input, it is found that digital input from high-tech economies has the most obvious effect on carbon reduction. The paper takes the lead in clarifying the impact of digitization on carbon emissions from the manufacturing sector, expands the existing research on the digital economy and the environment, and also makes a theoretical contribution to global carbon emission reduction.

Background: Little is known about the association between polluting cooking fuel and depression among older adults living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)., Objective: To evaluate the association between polluting cooking fuel and depression in older population of LMICs., Methods: We derived data from WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE), which was conducted in six LMICs including China, India, Ghana, South Africa, Mexico and Russia. We applied logistic regression with the propensity score method to examine the relationship of polluting cooking fuel and depression among adults ≥50 years old., Results: Overall, the odds ratio (OR) of depression was 1.57 [95% confidence intervals (CIs), 1.26-1.93] for older adults relying on polluting cooking fuel in six LMICs. In India and China, polluting cooking fuel was associated with depression with ORs of 2.06 (95%CI, 1.44-2.94) and 1.59 (95%CI, 1.01-2.49), respectively. Positive OR of depression was identified for those polluting cooking fuel users aged over 65 years old (OR, 1.65; 95%CI,1.16-2.36) and those aged 50-65 (OR, 1.50; 95%CI,1.14-1.97). Polluting cooking fuel was associated with depression for females (OR, 1.80; 95%CI, 1.32-2.46), however we did not observe significant association for males. Positive effect of polluting cooking fuel was identified in both rural (OR, 1.72; 95%CI, 1.26-2.34) and urban areas (OR, 1.44; 95%CI, 1.07-1.95). For individuals relying on solid fuel, cooking in a room used for living/sleeping and using open stove/fire was associated with depression with ORs of 1.30 (95%CI, 1.14-1.48) and 1.15 (95%CI, 1.01-1.31), respectively. However, no significant effect was identified for hood., Conclusion: Polluting cooking fuel was related to depressive symptoms among older adults in LMICs. In addition, cooking ventilation could be useful intervention to control health hazard of solid fuel., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

This paper explores the struggles of China's party‐state to address chronic food safety problems by adopting international best practices of risk‐based regulation. Despite formally adopting risk‐based approaches for targeting inspections and enforcement in 2002, implementation has been halting and uneven, as we show in the first analysis of risk‐based regulation beyond its OECD heartlands. Drawing on policy document analysis and 36 key informant interviews with food business operators and government officials working on food safety regulation at every level of the state, we identify contradictions between official commitments to risk‐based inspection and top‐down demands for zero tolerance and strict accountability, which leave local inspectors preoccupied with avoiding blame more than reducing safety risks. Our analysis advances recent scholarship on regulatory states of the global South by highlighting how risk‐based ideas, instruments, and practices are refracted through the distinctive norms and style of China's reactive regulatory state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is the world's largest official creditor, but we lack basic facts about the terms and conditions of its lending. Very few contracts between Chinese lenders and their government borrowers have ever been published or studied. This paper is the first systematic analysis of the legal terms of China's foreign lending. We collect and analyse 100 contracts between Chinese state-owned entities and government borrowers in 24 developing countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Oceania, and compare them with those of other bilateral, multilateral and commercial creditors. Three main insights emerge. First, the Chinese contracts contain unusual confidentiality clauses that bar borrowers from revealing the terms or even the existence of the debt. Second, Chinese lenders seek advantage over other creditors, using collateral arrangements such as lender-controlled revenue accounts and promises to keep the debt out of collective restructuring ('no Paris Club' clauses). Third, cancellation, acceleration and stabilization clauses in Chinese contracts potentially allow the lenders to influence debtors' domestic and foreign policies. Even if these terms were unenforceable in court, the mix of confidentiality, seniority and policy influence could limit the sovereign debtor's crisis management options and complicate debt renegotiation. Overall, the contracts use creative design to manage credit risks and overcome enforcement hurdles, presenting China as a muscular and commercially savvy lender to the developing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The future trends and development trajectory of China's carbon emissions trading scheme (ETS), one of the key policy instruments for curbing peak carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality, have drawn a lot of interest. However, the Porter hypothesis (PH) and its validity boundary have not been explored sufficiently. We use micro-firm data from 2010 to 2019 to investigate whether the triple-difference (DDD) method could reveal the weak PH on the policy viewing ETS as a quasi-natural experiment in this work. Meanwhile, we use the panel threshold model and the moderated mediation effect model to assess the scientific border of the PH on the ETS. The findings show that by verifying the weak PH, the ETS may greatly enhance investment and foster the inventiveness of heavy-polluting industries (HPE). In contrast, the strong PH on the ETS has unstable validity and has non-linear characteristics. In particular, the ETS shows a U-shaped link between innovation and profitability by first decreasing and then increasing HPE's profitability through R&D. The cost of R&D and compliance costs being combined negatively impacts HPE's profitability. Further analysis shows that ETS will have different effects on the profitability of HPE due to R&D level and the threshold change of the compliance cost. This paper will offer some insightful points of view for the implementation of carbon market mechanisms in developing nations like China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We examine how adolescent free time allocation—namely, screen time and outdoor time—is associated with mental health and academic performance in rural China. Methods: This paper used a large random sample of rural junior high school students in Ningxia (n = 20,375; age=13.22), with data collected from self-reported demographic questionnaires (to assess free time allocation), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (to assess mental health), and a standardized math test (to measure academic performance). We utilized a multivariate OLS regression model to examine associations between free time allocation and adolescent outcomes, controlling for individual and family characteristics. Results: Our sample's screen time and outdoor time both averaged around 1 hour. About 10% of the sample adolescents reported behavioral difficulties, while a similar percentage (11%) reported abnormal prosocial behaviors. Adolescents with higher levels of screen time (> 2 hours) were 3 percentage points more likely to have higher levels of behavioral difficulties (p< 0.001), indicating that excessive screen time was associated with worse mental health. Meanwhile, outdoor time was associated with better mental health, and positive correlations were observed at all levels of outdoor time (compared to no outdoor time, decreasing the likelihood of higher levels of behavioral difficulties by between 3 and 4 percentage points and of lower prosocial scores by between 6 and 8 percentage points; all p's< 0.001). For academic performance, average daily screen times of up to 1 hour and 1– 2 hours were both positively associated with standardized math scores (0.08 SD, p< 0.001; 0.07 SD, p< 0.01, respectively), whereas there were no significant associations between outdoor time and academic performance. Conclusion: Using a large sample size, this study was the first to examine the association between adolescent free time allocation with mental health and academic performance, providing initial insights into how rural Chinese adolescents can optimize their free time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether and how foreign institutional donors play a monitoring role in the nonprofit sector. By analyzing 2567 Chinese nonprofit foundations from 2005 to 2014, we find that foundations with foreign institutional donors are associated with higher quality reporting. The effect is more pronounced for nonprofit foundations without established monitors in the form of large domestic donors, sophisticated donors, or national government oversight. These findings suggest that foreign institutional donors are indeed good monitors. Our results are robust to a myriad of alternative specifications and make important first steps in understanding the impact of foreign institutional donors in international giving, especially in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a recent line of research highlighting trust as an important determinant of residents' happiness in Western countries, empirical evidence regarding the strength of these linkages in the developing world needs to be more comprehensive and conclusive. This paper contributes to this literature by performing a deeper examination into the trust-based explanation of happiness and, particularly, exploring the mediating role of social capital in rural China, where rapid economic growth coexists with gradual and fundamental social changes. Using data from the nationally representative cross-sectional Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) in 2012, 2013, and 2015, we indicate that trust positively affects the happiness of rural residents and social capital. Our findings support the role of social capital in mediating happiness prediction. Furthermore, additional tests suggest heterogeneous social capital for different ages and degrees of regional market competition. Specifically, the mediating effect of social capital on rural residents over 30 years old (inclusive) and living in high-market competition areas is significant. These findings provide a valuable direction for the government that producing an environment that enhances social networks and facilitates the exchange of social support holds promise for improving the life satisfaction of the rural Chinese population. Trust can significantly improve rural residents' happiness through increasing social capital. The government should effectively manage the rural social trust crisis and help rural residents build social capital in multiple ways, improving the life satisfaction of rural residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional Production-Based Accounting (PBA) principle does not consider the embodied carbon emissions in export and import trade. A multiregional input–output (MRIO) model is constructed to estimate the embodied carbon dioxide emissions of 41 countries and regions worldwide, based on the PBA and shared responsibility approach in this paper. The results indicate that the embodied carbon emissions in 2018 in China's export trade were 1326 million tons higher than that of import trade. China, India, and the USA have a different carbon coefficient in the 35 sectors, but electricity, gas, and water supply sectors are the largest coefficient for them. A reduction in carbon emission coefficient would contribute to a decrease in imports and exports. Through the empirical analysis of the embodied carbon emissions in China's import and export trade, it can be seen that China is a major producer of carbon emissions, not a consumer country, and has taken more carbon emissions responsibility for the world. The developed countries should take more shared carbon emission responsibility than the PBA. And it is more reasonable and impartial to assign developed and developing countries carbon emissions responsibility in the light of the shared responsibility method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty-stricken areas in China have the dual task of alleviating poverty and safeguarding national ecological security. Based on statistical surveys and satellite remote sensing data, we construct a staggered difference-in-difference model to empirically analyze the dual impact of poverty alleviation on the economic development and eco-environment of poverty-stricken areas. This study also examines viable pathways for economic development in poor areas in the context of ecological conservation. The results show that the poverty eradication campaign under the leadership of the Communist Party of China has significantly improved the rate of economic growth in poverty-stricken areas while also significantly improving the quality of the local eco-environment. Further analysis shows that ecological projects and ecological compensation make the greatest contribution to promoting the conversion of ecological resources into economic output in poverty-stricken areas. China's successful experience in green poverty alleviation can not only provide important policy enlightenment for the nation's continuation of its comprehensive revitalization drive in rural areas, but also provide new options for other developing countries to achieve their green take-off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing openness contributes to economic growth in developing countries, but the endogeneity problem impedes drawing this conclusion. This paper uses the constructed trade share to circumvent the effects of endogeneity according to a method proposed by Frankel and Romer. The results demonstrate that increasing openness has a positive impact on provinces' GDP and GDP per capita. In addition, an increase in lagged openness is beneficial for present economic growth, and even openness gained many years ago, which is measured by the number of treaty ports, makes a difference in present economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Public–private partnerships (PPPs) have emerged in developing countries, such as China, as a ubiquitous means by which government procures needed infrastructure. In this regard, they have been much studied. However, due to their long concession period, running into decades, few have run their full course into the transfer phase (TP) in which the PPP concession reverts from the private entity back to the public. In China, this is about to change as many PPPs approach their TP. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to comprehensively investigate the TP of PPPs in China. Design/methodology/approach: A three-part methodology was undertaken to achieve the research purpose. Extensive literature review was first conducted to analyze the status quo of the transfer management regime in China, followed by the identification of critical challenges and the exploration of solutions via studying the TP of the Chengdu No. 6 Water Plant B Project – the first PPP in China's water sector to reach the TP. Research procedures and outcomes were hierarchically visualized by using Integration DEFinition language 0 (IDEF0) method. Findings: The current transfer management regime of PPPs in China's water sector is deficient in many aspects. Based on the insight into the practice, a generic transfer process model with hierarchical structure process and sub-processes serving as a dynamic framework transfer model with self-evolving nature is developed to facilitate the successful transfer of the PPP utility. Originality/value: To the authors' best knowledge, this is the first attempt to systematically probe the TP of PPPs. Hopefully, the findings of this paper are to instruct government and PPP practitioners alike on mechanisms for smoothing the TP of further PPP projects ending their concession period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contends that China higher education has become one of the most attractive academic hubs for citizens of developing and developed nations. Empirical evidences show that the opening up policy and the spread of Confucius institutes in the world support China higher education breakthrough. More importantly linguistic tolerance that is practiced during the selection process of international students and officials to undertake short or long exchange programs in Chinese institutions may account for the rapid internationalization of China higher education. The researcher has used content analysis of grants and scholarship offers to Chinese universities, related policy papers and statements to discover that the Chinese government gives a place of choice to students and workers of developing countries through the medium of many English-taught programs at bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels. In addition, the researcher has used the interview to collect some data from scholarship awardees. This was done in a bid to find out their impressions about English language requirements to be fulfilled by candidates for the award of various scholarships and short training programs in Chinese universities. The analysis of interviewees' verbatim strongly supports the claim that China higher education attracts more talents thanks to more tolerant and flexible linguistic requirements applied during the selection process. Owing to this new vision of higher education in China, it is recommended that more top ranking universities in the West, which use English as foreign or second language, must emulate China example and offer more flexible linguistic requirements for Englishtaught programs to talents from developing nations. This will undoubtedly foster academic mobility and inclusive development of the world in this new era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper challenges the viewpoint that fiscal revenue concentration ratio in China is too high. First, this paper estimates China's nominal and real fiscal revenue concentration ratios at both budgetary and full‐calibre levels, and makes an international comparison using all available data of the IMF's GFS database for both developed and developing countries, revealing five stylised facts that expresses serious doubts about the statement that fiscal revenue concentration ratio in China is too high. Second, the paper proposes four indicators to measure asymmetric degree of China's central fiscal revenue concentration ratio and expenditure concentration ratio to identify whether fiscal revenue concentration ratio in China is too high. The results show that: (i) central fiscal revenue concentration ratio is lower and (ii) compared with asymmetric degree of China's central budgetary fiscal revenue concentration ratio and expenditure concentration ratio, asymmetric degree of China's central full‐calibre fiscal revenue concentration ratio and expenditure concentration ratio is more serious, indicating that the central full‐calibre revenue concentration ratio is much lower. Therefore, this paper not only disproves the view that China's fiscal revenue concentration ratio is too high, but also shows that China's fiscal revenue concentration ratio, especially at a full‐calibre level, is much lower. Further international comparison shows that asymmetric degree of China's central fiscal revenue concentration ratio and expenditure concentration ratio is ranked third in the world, and Chinese central government has the lowest ability to undertake full‐calibre fiscal expenditure among the world's countries. Finally, following the State Council's guidance on properly increasing central authority, the paper argues that it is necessary for the central government to improve central fiscal revenue concentration ratio, especially at the full‐calibre level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – After the official definition of Open Educational Resources (OER) at the Forum on Open Courseware for Higher Education in Developing Countries in 2002, the concept was soon introduced to China and popularised among scholars, practitioners, and educators. After ten years of proliferation, it is important to explore the landscape of Chinese OER research. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This paper adopts social network analysis (SNA) to analyse the network defining the citations of 133 OER journal articles published in China. Findings – The findings illustrate that the academic circle of OER in China is small, which leads to restricted innovation. Most publications are produced by researchers working at comprehensive universities and normal universities (teachers colleges). Research limitations/implications – In these universities, a number of active OER researchers are emerging, but no OER research team can be identified from their citation networks. Currently, most OER research is still descriptive research, and only few case studies are being to gradually be conducted. Practical implications – As the Chinese OER research is still in the initial stage, more research projects in OER need to be explored to construct higher quality and more influential open content to achieve deep openness. Originality/value – In the literature, no one has adopted the SNA to analyse the citation network of Chinese OER research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, China is facing problems such as the decline of fertility rate, gender imbalance, serious aging, and the reduction of youth and working population, which will have an adverse impact on the long-term development of social economy. Based on the literature review, combined with China's financial family data, combined with the innovative calculation model of the correlation between rural family fertility willingness and labor original equipment manufacturing (OEM) industrial development, through the empirical analysis of rural families, this paper investigates the relationship between fertility willingness and the development and endogeneity of labor OEM industry and finds that female labor participation has a significant negative impact on the number of children in rural families. Spouse labor participation has a negative effect on the number of children in rural families. The regression coefficient of women's willingness to have two children for career development is significant and negative ( c 1 =-0.181, P =-0.003 < 0.01), and that of women's family status is significant and negative ( c =0.031 < 0.01). The relative opportunity cost of birth of individual operators is more concentrated in the range of 50%-80%. The results show that the development of labor OEM industry is significantly influenced by the fertility willingness of rural families. This paper concludes that differentiated policies and measures should be taken according to the type of industrial promotion.1 =-0.998, P =0.031 < 0.01). The relative opportunity cost of birth of individual operators is more concentrated in the range of 50%-80%. The results show that the development of labor OEM industry is significantly influenced by the fertility willingness of rural families. This paper concludes that differentiated policies and measures should be taken according to the type of industrial promotion., Competing Interests: The author does not have any possible conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Liangshan Li.)