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While earthquakes are considered one of the most prevalent natural disasters in China, there is limited empirical evidence regarding the long-term effects of earthquakes on energy poverty. Using data from China Family Panel Studies and China's historical earthquake catalog, this study investigates the long-term effects of earthquake intensity on energy poverty among households in China, and analyzes the long-term effects over different time spans. Our findings indicate that, higher earthquake intensities have an overall worsening long-term impact on energy poverty. When segmented into different time spans, households in regions with higher earthquake intensities are less likely to fall into energy poverty over the past 20 years and the past 20 to 50 years, whereas more likely to be energy poor over the longer time span. Moreover, we uncover that public infrastructure, government assistance, and mental well-being serve as channels through which earthquakes affect household energy poverty, with divergent effects over different time spans. In addition, we observe nonlinear evidence of earthquake intensity's long-term impact on energy poverty, and the long-term impacts are heterogeneous across different regions, as well as households with different registration statuses and household fuel types. These insights can inform policy interventions aimed at alleviating long-term energy poverty in areas affected by natural disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior to China's reform, the poverty count surpassed that of the whole African continent. However, within five years, the Chinese could reverse this narrative. Between 1980 and 2020, China lifted a staggering 800 million citizens out of poverty. By February 2021, the Chinese declared that the war on 'absolute poverty' had been won when measured using the standard equivalence of $2.30 a day per person. In consonance with the Chinese feat on poverty, the study examines the strategy adopted in defeating poverty and highlights fundamental lessons that rural developmental stakeholders in South Africa may embrace in achieving a similar feat. To achieve this aim, the study adopted a literature review alongside a desktop analysis in deducing critical lessons from the Chinese war on poverty that may apply to rural developmental stakeholders in South Africa. Hence, an extensive assemblage of earlier studies on Chinese poverty alleviation strategies was looked into systematically. The study highlights potential challenges the South African rural developmental stakeholders may face in an attempt to replicate the Chinese stratagem. The study thus concludes with practical steps rural developmental stakeholders in South Africa may adopt to create viable rural spaces devoid of egregious forms of poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introducing the concept of viability, this study clarifies that the key to solving the poverty problem is to provide external assistance to nonviable residents. The study then proposes a simple model and explains that 1) although private market mechanisms are efficient for economic growth, public market mechanisms mobilizing societal resources are necessary and effective for poverty eradication; and 2) strong state capacity, competent leadership, and high social trust and support will benefit poverty eradication. The concept of viability and the model was further applied to compare the war on poverty in the US and the poverty alleviation plan in China in the following aspects: background and top design, public versus private market mechanism, leadership, social trust, and achievement. In addition, a cross-country investigation was conducted to obtain preliminary empirical evidence. The findings in this study support the concept and the model, which inspired us to provide some discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As China's economy is rapidly changing from a planned to a capitalist economy, many families find themselves financially struggling. In some cases, conflicting values and attitudes may contribute to mental health challenges such as depression that would lead to further feelings of helplessness and immobilization. Using a random sample of 1006 low-income households from Pudong District of Shanghai, China, this study aims to examine the relationships between household assets, beliefs about government as the primary way to improve economic circumstances and self-reported depressive symptoms. In addition, this study investigates the mediation effects of beliefs that government is the best change agent for improved life circumstances on the relationship between household assets and depression. We found those who indicated that government was the main means for attaining a better life had significantly higher depression levels whereas higher numbers of household assets were associated with lower depression levels. We also found that viewing government as the most important change agent only partially mediated the relationship between household assets and depression (p <.001). Findings from this study support anti-poverty policies and social work related practice initiatives aimed at assisting low income families in China, in particular the need to address psychological as well as economic needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voluntary resettlement, typically framed by the principle of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), has emerged as a preferred alternative to the heavily criticized forced resettlement approach, but there are growing concerns over whether those “voluntary” programs are genuinely voluntary. In China, the government maintains that its poverty alleviation resettlement (PAR) program is a successful example of voluntary resettlement. Under this national anti-poverty initiative, millions of people living in the poorest parts of the country have been resettled “voluntarily”. However, few studies have critically examined this claim. In this study, we collected empirical evidence through a survey of PAR resettlers. Drawing on a large and representative household survey (1723 resettlers from 30 different PAR projects) and 142 qualitative interviews, we report inconclusive and conflicting findings. On the one hand, the respondents strongly expressed that they willingly participated in resettlement. The perception of willingness was especially high among those who were younger, wealthier, and had off-farm employment. Furthermore, the consent to relocate was mostly free and driven by a desire to improve the quality of life. On the other hand, we observed that consent was not fully informed due to inadequate consultation. The villagers were not given detailed information about the resettlement or time to consider the implications. To ensure genuinely voluntary resettlement and to enhance the effectiveness of the program in poverty alleviation, the government needs to improve the consultation process, offer more targeted assistance to poor households, and provide better post-resettlement support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]