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The inclusive development strategy proposed by the Chinese government embraces social inclusion for older people. In line with most developing countries, China's policy on social inclusion for older people focuses almost exclusively on material security in the form of pensions. This paper examines the impact of pensions on social inclusion for older people across four dimensions: family interaction, social support, social participation and self-assessment using data from the 2014 China Longitudinal Ageing Social Survey. The results demonstrate that pensions improve dramatically the relationships between older adults and their family members and friends, and therefore their social inclusion in the life world. The exception is social participation which seems to be immune to material income effects. However, the stratified pension system in China generates complex and hierarchical effects on social inclusion among different sub-groups. Social inclusion among older people with high exclusion risks but low pensions is very sensitive to pension levels. Conversely, most pensions are distributed to those with the lowest exclusion risks as a result of the disappearance of their impact on social inclusion. We argue that future social inclusion policies for older people in China should focus first on achieving greater equality in pensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owen focuses on Su Shi's crediting the rain to the "Maker of Things" ( ) rather than to the emperor or to Su Shi as his official representative. By focusing on possession and ownership while minimizing the Northern Song literati social conscience, Owen misses some of Ouyang Xiu's and Su Shi's points. This is the path taken by both Ouyang Xiu and Su Shi in their essays on Ouyang Xiu's late-life moniker, "Retired Layman of Six Ones" (Chapter 1), for example. 8 For one older essay that adopts a similar approach to Ouyang's writing, see Xianda Lian, "The Old Drunkard Who Finds Joy in His Own Joy - Elitist Ideas in Ouyang Xiu's Informal Writings", Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews CLEAR 23 (2001):), 1-29. [Extracted from the article]

In rapidly urbanising China, a high number of elderly people, the so-called 'laopiao', float to cities where their sons or daughters live to look after their children and grandchildren. Laopiao in urban China are thought to suffer poor mental health owing to their floating status. This study explores the inter-relationship among social capital, the built environment and mental health in urban China. Using a recent survey conducted in Nanjing (N = 591), structural equation modelling was performed to compare the local elderly people and the laopiao. Results showed that mental health determinants are dissimilar between the two groups of elderly people. Bonding social capital promotes mental health in both groups, while bridging and linking social capital only contributes to the mental health of the laopiao. Also, access to public transportation is positively correlated with mental health in both groups. Furthermore, lower street network density and better access to parks enhance the mental health of the local elderly people, while higher street network density and more open space within a community enhance the mental health of the laopiao. Our findings suggest that different policy measures should be implemented for different groups of elderly people in urban China to improve their mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social welfare of ethnic minorities is a contested subject with a deep politicalised history in contemporary China. This article uses a new large dataset solely looking at ethnic minorities in China, to analyse the impact and outcomes that new urban social and welfare schemes – with notable attention to the basic medical insurance, and the minimum livelihood guarantee allowance (dibao) – have on the livelihoods of minorities. The data suggests that, contrary to the pro-minority rhetoric of the state, minority participation in social welfare programmes is predicated on the incentive set of local government officials. These findings have strong implications for constructing future social welfare policies, and for understanding their potential differential impact on ethnic minority cohorts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the ways that the concept of relational autonomy plays a large and complicated role in medical ethics. A discussion of the different forms of autonomy which can be seen in medicine and of several feminist views of autonomy is presented. Cross cultural differences related to autonomy are examined. The relationship between the need for autonomy and multiculturalism is discussed.

Adopting a dynamic view of guanxi, we investigated how the closeness in Chinese coworker relationship changes as a function of interpersonal incidents, exploring factors such as the prior closeness level as well as the valence and job relevance of the incident. Two studies of PRC managers probed the content and dynamics of their coworker relationships. Results indicate that such relationships mix affective and instrumental ties. A key finding about changes is that the increase in closeness created by positive incidents was greater when the prior relationship was distant, and the decrease created by negative incidents was greater when the prior relationship was close. The implications of these findings for theory development and future guanxi research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes guanxi, or interpersonal relationships, in the context of post revolution China's urban job allocation. Bureaucratic allocation of labor in China on the basis of Maoist ideology that labor is a national resource; China's social structure; Direct versus indirect state job assignment; Use of personal contacts to exchange indebtedness.