The trade-offs between economic efficiency and job creation in olive grove smallholdings

Cooperation among farmers is an effective alternative to reduce production costs in smallholdings of traditional olive groves and increase their low profitability. However, an increase in efficiency reduces working hours and the labour required for the management of farms. This fact can lead to negative effects in rural areas, especially considering the importance of the social aspect of the crop. Therefore, to contribute to the global discussion on the transition towards more sustainable farming, it is important to know, ex ante, what level of employment is generated by olive groves and what could be lost under more competitive and efficient scenarios. The purpose of the work is to quantify the expected impact on employment by the implementation of cooperative management methods in order to generate true and accurate information that can be used in the design of future policies that aim to increase the economic profitability of small olive farms. The results make clear that this way of managing farms, by increasing the efficiency of agricultural work, has a significant negative impact on employment. However, this management formula does encourage the professionalisation of the sector by generating quality employment, in addition to contributing to the preservation of small farms and the socio-cultural and territorial benefits they generate.     

Rural Residential Land Transition in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region: Spatial-Temporal Patterns and Policy Implications

Rural residential land transition (RRLT) dominates rural land use transition. Therefore, analysing the laws of transition and differentiation of land use is not only the basis for the differential management of rural residential areas but key to the sustainable use of rural land. This study constructs a conceptual model of RRLT using multi-period remote sensing monitoring data based on a comprehensive index method, ArcGIS, and FRAGSTATS landscape pattern analysis, among others. It also analyses the characteristics of the transition extent, transition trend, transition morphology, and transition intensity of rural residential land in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region from 1980 to 2018. The results show that, from a vertical comparison of long time series, the transition extent is characterised by a process of ‘slow growth—expanding start—fast expansion—slowing down’; the transition trend is characterised by an increase in the amount of cultivated land occupied by rural residential land, followed by a large number of rural residential land is reclaimed as cultivated land; the transition morphology is characterised by an increase in mean patch size and degree of irregularity, as well as aggregation; and the transition intensity is characterised by fluctuations in the process of ‘small-scale reduction—small-scale growth—substantial growth—small-scale growth and reduction’. A horizontal comparison of counties in the BTH region reveals a long-lasting and active growth trend in transition extent and transition intensity in the Beijing-Tianjin region, and a gradually slowing trend in the areas around the region. The transition morphology features of the northwest Hebei region are more prominent, and show that the scale of rural settlements is small, the plaques fragmented and irregular, and the layout more scattered. The BTH region should formulate a differentiated transition direction for rural residential areas based on the different functional areas, and play into the agglomeration, scale, and synergy effects of urban agglomerations. It should also coordinate and improve the human–land relationship in rural areas, and construct an orderly and densely distributed pattern of urban and rural spatial development with a reasonable layout and complementary functions.     

湘鄂赣特困山区乡村振兴路径探析

［目的］湘鄂赣山区是重要的革命老区，也是连片特困地区。根据党和政府精准脱贫要求，把握现状，明确目标，实现湘鄂赣特困山区精准脱贫攻坚与乡村振兴的相结合。［方法］运用实证分析法，分析湘鄂赣山区的致贫与发展因素，创新因山致富路径，实现山区乡村振兴目标。［结果］截止“十三五”，初步构建特色支柱产业体系； 全面解决无电人口用电问题； 推进农村主要道路硬化，不断提高山区农村防灾抗灾能力，农村的居住条件得到显著改善； 实现山区基础教育、公共卫生和基本医疗服务更加均等； 农村公共文化服务体系逐步健全，农村社会保障和服务水平进一步提升。［结论］扬其优势，补其短板。坚定绿色发展，把后发优势做成强劲发展优势； 坚持创新发展，把短腿产业做成产业链条； 坚持特色发展，把山区特色产品做成致富产业； 坚持长远发展，把薄弱基础变成坚实基础，如期全面建成小康社会。     

农机补贴的收入分配效应：效率、公平，抑或兼而有之*

农机补贴是具有门槛效应的效率增益政策，通常效率与公平如鱼和熊掌不可兼得。本文通过理论模型分析了农机补贴对农业生产及农村劳动力转移的影响；并通过工具变量法和中介变量法研究了农机补贴的收入分配效应及其作用机制。研究发现，农机补贴显著降低了农户收入的基尼系数，提高了收入分配公平性；其作用机制是农机补贴提升了农业生产效率，促进了农村劳动力转移，提高了打工收入，尤其是相对贫困农户，溢出效应对冲了门槛效应，使得农机补贴的收入分配效应兼具了效率和公平。     

“刘易斯拐点”是否来临--基于四次农村社会调查资料的分析

本文利用2007—2013年间的四次农村社会调查资料,对农村劳动力及外出劳动力规模和结构变动趋势、农村外出劳动力工资价格和农业劳动力收入变动趋势等进行了统计分析。结果表明：农村劳动力规模下降和老化趋势明显,外出劳动力占农村劳动力总数的比例不断下降且回流比例不断提高,在外出劳动力工资价格大幅持续上涨的同时,农业劳动力收入水平也有了较大幅度的提高。这些条件基本可以印证我国已进入“刘易斯拐点”的判断。     

服务贸易开放与我国居民收入差距——基于不同组成部分的比较研究

我国居民的收入差距尤其是城乡收入差距,自从改革开放以来在不断扩大,与此同时服务贸易开放度也在不断扩大。利用我国1982—2010年的年度数据,通过引入多个控制变量,采用多元回归模型对不同服务贸易组成部分对我国城乡居民收入差距的影响进行实证检验,结果表明旅游服务、其他商业服务贸易具有缩小我国城乡居民收入差距的效应,而交通运输服务具有扩大我国城乡居民收入差距的效应。今后应进一步通过简化审批、减少垄断来扩大服务业的开放,大力发展服务贸易来抵消部分货物贸易对城乡居民收入差距产生的不利影响。     

农村居民幸福指数研究及路径选择——以山东省为例

立足"中国梦",按照社会主义新农村建设和2013年中央一号文件的内涵与要求,把握我国新农村建设的原则、目标和重点内容,以山东省的济南、青岛和菏泽三个农村地区为中心进行考察,基于主成分分析法研究三个地区的幸福指数,研究发现:提高农村居民幸福感的四条路径为增加农民收入、加快经济合理调整、注重人文环境、自然环境建设和提高政府信用水平。     

我国新型农村社会养老保险制度改革探讨

“新农保”缘起于2002年,是农村社会经济发展的必然要求,也是解决农村人口老龄化问题的根本出路,更是统筹城乡发展的现实需要,但该制度在建立过程中存在资金相对缺乏、制度衔接困难、法律法规不完善、基金管理机制不健全等问题,应进一步加强法制建设、实施法律保障,优化制度设计、解决制度碎片化问题,加强政府财政投入力度、夯实物质基础,改进管理方式、提升养老金增值水平。     

普惠金融视角下可持续的农村信用体系建设路径探索与研究--以亳州市利辛县为例

普惠金融的核心内涵是让社会各阶层,特别是弱势群体和低收入人群能拥有享受各种金融服务的机会。以亳州市利辛县农村信用体系建设在发展普惠金融、支持金融扶贫中的效用为着力点,阐述信用体系对于优化信贷分配、减少信贷歧视和不公、解决贫困和社会公平的意义,分析其中存在的困难,并有针对性地提出普惠金融中农村信用体系建设的路径和方向。     

以龙江观光型乡村游为契机提升特色农产品营销力

近年,国内旅游业的乘数效应日益凸显,乡村旅游业也正逐步成为破解"三农"问题和建设美丽乡村的重要着力点。本文以龙江观光型乡村旅游中特色农产品购买者为分析对象,借助多元统计分析工具对影响游客购买行为的主要因素进行探讨,在深入剖析游客购买行为与影响因素的相关性后,提出了提升黑龙江特色农产品营销力的策略。