Social networks and electronic commerce in China∗

Communications technologies that make up the emerging global information infrastructure have the power to regulate online behavior. Social networks in Chinese society have survived the growth of formal legal institutions and liberalization of China's economy, but it is not clear whether they can survive the regulatory pressures created by global information technology networks. The spread of electronic commerce technologies in China may strengthen legal institutions and open local markets to international competition, but is likely to be resisted by all the same interests that resist those changes in other contexts. The Chinese response to the spread of electronic commerce might take several forms: assimilation; marginalization; or localization of new forms of commercial activity that rely on new technologies.     

Impact of Globalization on Economic Disparity：Comparisons between Southeast Asia and China

This paper studies the issue of develop ment disparity and its relationship to the effect ofglobalization by comparing the cases of selected South-east Asian countries and China.Policy recommenda-tions are made based on our analysis.     

Non-Agricultural Activities and Income Distribution in Rural Java∗

This paper addresses two problems relating to non-agricultural employment in rural Java, First, four possible determinants of non-agricultural income at the village level are examined: agricultural income, agricultural density, land distribution and location. Of these, the first two appear most significant. Second, the relationship between non-agricultural activities and rural income distribution is evaluated. In relative terms, income from non-agricultural activities is most important for landless and small farm households, although in absolute terms, large farmers derive sizeable income from this source. The evidence is that non-agricultural income serves to moderate income differences within villages.

     

Guidelines for services and amenities in developing communities∗

Urban development in Southern Africa has reflected western values and standards relating to health, safety, order, amenity, convenience and general welfare, and only incidentally to efficiency and economy. This article describes a project which relates to different value systems, and has different objectives. It highlights the imperatives for change, namely population growth, urbanisation and declining per capita GDP growth. In this milieu, the objective of affordability becomes paramount Standards are related to resources and are based on consultation with the developing community.

The article describes four key elements in the ‘Guidelines for Services and amenities’ being prepared by the CSIR for the Department of Development Aid, namely stormwater management, public transport, road layout and development density. It concludes by cautioning against development policies which deny or misunderstand the economic forces which drive the process of urbanisation.     

Urban Infrastructure Financing and Delivery in India and China

I. Introduction When Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh announced in 2005 that Mumbai will be like Shanghai for India, a trigger was fired. Little did he know that his statement would be taken out of context and interpreted differently than what he had meant. Since then, the term “Shanghaing Mumbai” has caught on in the city development discussions in India.The Chief Minister of Maharashtra said that he would do his best to fulfil the dream of making Mumbai into a World Class Ci…     

Prospects and Analysis of FDI in China

I. The General Picture of FDI1. The amount of FDI used in practice and incontract all increased significantlyIn 2004, China approved the establishment of 43,661 foreign-funded enterprises, 6.29 percentmore than in 2003. The contractual amount of FDI was US$153.479 billion, 33.38 percentmore than in 2003 and the amount actually used reached US$60.63 billion, rising by 13.32percent. By the end of the year, the total number of foreign-funded enterprises in Chinacame to 508,938. The contra…     

Rural Taxation and Government Regulations in China

I. IntroductionIn recent years, the problem of rural taxation in China, especially increasing informal local charges on peasants, has become more acute. The central government has been aware of the problem for a decade, and has been taking various steps to alleviate the problem. Yet, to date, these actions have met with limited success. In 2002, after a difficult decision-making process, the central government decided to     

Is Globalization Reducing Poverty and Inequality?

Over the past 20 years or so India, China, and the rest of East Asia, experienced fast economic growth and falls in the poverty rate, Latin America stagnated, the former Soviet Union, Central and Eastern Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa regressed. But what are the net trends? The neoliberal argument says that world poverty and income inequality fell over the past two decades for the first time in more than a century and a half, thanks to the rising density of economic integration across national borders. The evidence therefore confirms that globalization in the context of the world economic regime in place since the end of Bretton Woods generates more “mutual benefit” than “conflicting interests.” This paper questions the empirical basis of the neoliberal argument.     

Health and development∗

The linkage between development and health is clearly spelt out in the definition of primary health care by the World Health Organisation. There is a widespread and growing disillusionment with the traditional Western approach to health care which fails to meet the real demands of the Third World situation.

This paper looks briefly at conditions in the developing world and the strategy proposed by the W H O to attempt to meet the objective of health for all by the year 2000 and refers to the South African situation.     

Capital Utilisation in Indonesian Medium and Large Scale Manufacturing∗

This article presents the main results of a survey of the utilisation of existing productive capacity in the Indonesian manufacturing sector. It was found that although prevailing levels of capital utilisation in Indonesian manufacturing do not appear to be out of line with levels observed in other developing countries, there is scope for improvement in some sectors. The paper suggests some policy reforms which would improve the competitive environment for Indonesian manufacturing and increase the price ratio of capital to labour, thus promoting more intensive capital utilisation in the manufacturing sector.

     

Information and Price Setting in a Rural Javanese Market∗

The paper examines the thesis established by Geertz and Dewey that Javanese rural trading practices, although well suited to the pasar marketing system, are maladaptive to larger scale trade. Focusing on a chilli marketing depot in Java the paper outlines the network of trading links which stretch from farmer to end-market, as well as the mechanisms of price setting and credit arrangements. The conclusions reached are that the volume and value of goods handled at this level are considerable and that both price setting and commercial relationships are largely stable. Constraints on entrepreneurial activity are attributed not to a Javanese peasant ethos of “shared poverty” but to lack of capital, dispersed markets, perishable goods and discontinuous information on supply of produce and current market prices.

     

Rising Poverty and Its Causes in Urban China

Ⅰ. IntroductionPoverty has generally been perceived as a ruralphenomenon in China. However, urban poverty hasbecome a vital issue since 1995 with the re-structuringof public-owned enterprises. Even officiall statisticsconfirm that the total number of unemployed workersplus xiagang(laid-off)workers reached a figure of some     

Correlation between Employment and Income Distribution in China

I. General Correlation between Employmentand Income Distribution in ChinaBy the general rules of the market economy, the size of employment and the wage levelshould be expanded and raised with economic growth. The wage level should move in theopposite direction from the changes in the size of employment, and the total payroll shouldmove in the same direction with the size of employment when there is little change in thetotal payroll.Correlation between Employment and Income Distribution in…     

Rural Electrification in China： History and Institution

I. Introduction Prior to 2002 there was a rural electricity administrative system at the county level andbelow, which was separated from the urban (or state) electricity system. In 1949 when the People’s Republic was founded, there were only 33 small hydropower stations in rural China, with a total installed capacity of 3.63 MW, and total electricity consumption in rural areas was 20 million kWh. Since 1949, rural electrification has made considerable progress and contributed a lot to the …     

Energy Restructuring in China： Retrospects and Prospects

Thirty years have passed since China first adopted the policy of reform and opening up to the outside. Reviewing and appraising the advantages and disadvantages of the government＇s energy restructuring policy in the intervening years is of great importance to the consideration of future reform and opening-up efforts in this industry. Energy production and supply have been a major part of the national economic restructuring. In this paper, the author proceeds from three angles to review and assess the reform and opening-up efforts in the energy industry, and suggests some direction and priorities for its restrueturing in the future.     

Evaluation of hotboxes in rural and peri‐urban areas∗

A hotbox, or wonderbox as it is commonly known, is a simple time, energy and money saving device for cooking. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of wonderboxes on cooking patterns and household energy consumption in rural and peri— urban areas, and to make recommendations about the design of wonderboxes and about dissemination strategies. The research consisted mainly of questionnaires and interviews. In addition, practical experience was obtained in establishing a small wonderbox‐making enterprise.

The fuel most commonly used in conjunction with a wonderbox is paraffin, and in some cases possession of a wonderbox facilitated the transition from firewood to paraffin. There is little doubt that wonderboxes reduce energy consumption, but data on energy savings are inconsistent. It appears, however, that a wonderbox will recover its cost (usually about R12 in 1987) in less than six months.

While users of wonderboxes are appreciative of their fuel‐saving capabilities, the primary motivation in buying a wonderbox is usually convenience, time‐saving and the ability to leave food cooking while away at work. In fact, there were three times as many women in paid employment in the sample of wonderbox users, compared to non‐users.

Wonderboxes are apparently not perceived as being an inferior technology, which is often a problem with appropriate technology. They are rather seen in the context of advancement the transition from subsistence to wage employment, from noncommercial to commercial fuels, from drudgery to time‐saving. In promoting wonderboxes, this perception should be given as much or more emphasis than energy‐saving, and the drab appearance of the box should be changed.

While possession of a wonderbox has sometimes introduced changes in the pattern of food preparation and fuel use, it does not impose an inflexible and unfamiliar domestic regime on the household, which might have made wonderboxes unacceptable.

Many people are unaware of wonderboxes and their advantages, and this lack of knowledge is a constraint on dissemination. However, it is suggested in this report that the most serious constraint is that wonderboxes are unavailable except through a few, mainly non‐commercial, outlets. Two possible solutions to the problem of distribution should be investigated. The first is to make use of existing wholesale and retail networks. The second is the establishment of several small scattered wonderbox‐making enterprises in rural and peri‐urban areas, assisted by a central service organisation.     

Concentration in Indonesian Manufacturing∗

This paper reports new data on patterns and trends in concentration in Indonesian manufacturing from 1975 to 1983. Seller concentration is found to be remarkably high, exceeding that of most other sizeable developing countries for which data are available. Manufacturing activity is heavily concentrated around Jakarta and neighbouring areas and in East Java; moreover, the six most industrialised provinces account for well over 80% of industrial output. In terms of ownership, private (domestic) firms are by far the most important group, and their share has been expanding. For various reasons, the significance of these firms is overstated in the statistics.

     

How Can Developing Countries Benefit from Globalization: The Case of China

With the development of globalization and theemergence of the problems during the courseof globalization,the disputes on the benefits of global-ization are becoming more and more fierce.The dis-pute is focused on the question of whether developingcountries can benefit from globalization.The Latin     

Distribution and Permanent Cyclical Fluctuation of Growth in China

Combing the consumer utility function with technology choice and the firm＇s profit maximization function, this paper establishes a model, then basing on the firm＇s behavior in the capital marketing, the equilibrium can be reached. So the phenomenon of permanent cyclical fluctuation of growth can be presented in this model. The reason, basing on the model, is the inharmonious proportion that is distributed to the labor and investor. The empirical research in China proves the hypothesis. At last, economic policies for escaping from permanent cyclical fluctuation have been put forward.