Restructuring rural settlements based on subjective well-being (SWB): A case study in Hubei province,central China

Subjective well-being (SWB) has long been neglected in the process of rural settlements restructuring. In order to explore the possibility of integrating SWB in rural settlements restructuring, this paper verifies two hypotheses. The first hypothesis postulates that SWB is positively correlated with accessibility to facilities and services at a village scale. The second one suggests that SWB is positively related to the personal satisfaction level of demands in daily life at an individual scale. Verification of these hypotheses indicates the application of SWB into rural settlements restructuring and planning. This study uses self-reported SWB from a questionnaire-based survey to examine its correlates. Objective well-being (OWB) of every village was derived through comprehensive evaluation. The villages of the study area were classified into four categories based on OWB, namely, key, sub-key, general, and marginal villages. We calculated the spatial accessibility of key, sub-key, and general villages from land-cover types, transportation, vehicle choice and commuting time, given that well-developed villages are often equipped with good facilities and services. The correlations between SWB and OWB and between SWB and spatial accessibility were tested and compared using crosstabs analysis and chi-square test. The drivers of SWB were identified using an ordinary least squares regression model. Results show that SWB is more positively correlated to the spatial accessibility of developed villages than to the villages themselves in the context of meeting residents’ daily needs. Results also show positive relations between SWB and the satisfied level of local peoples’ daily activities including working, shopping, seeking medical care and visiting relatives or friends. Thus, we proposed the relocation of rural settlements with poor access to main villages to good service areas. The proposed restructuring method combines SWB and OWB, and aims at increasing the quality of life of rural residents. This study contributes to the understanding of rural SWB and proposes a new perspective on restructuring rural settlements.     

杭州乡村旅游地空间布局特征与优化路径研究

[目的]为了解杭州市乡村旅游地的空间分布情况及其发展规律,以期为制定其发展策略及优化空间发展格局提供一定借鉴。[方法]以杭州市28处重要乡村旅游地为研究对象,根据收集到的杭州市乡村旅游地的相关资料,运用旅游地理学及Arc GIS、Google Earth空间分析工具,采用最邻近指数、地理集中指数、基尼系数、通达度指数、紧密度指数对杭州市乡村旅游地的空间分布特征进行分析。[结果](1)最邻近指数R=0.651,杭州乡村旅游地在全市范围内呈集聚型分布;(2)从区(县)尺度来看,乡村旅游地的集聚分布较为明显,主要分布在萧山、余杭;基尼系数G=0.804,杭州市乡村旅游地在杭州13个区(县)中的分布较为集中,地区间发展不均衡;(3)平均通达度指数为74.05km,整体通达度状况良好;(4)紧密度指数C=0.55,表明紧密程度处于一般水平。[结论]根据分析结果提出了优化路径,促进其良好均衡发展,形成良好的空间分布格局,并为同类乡村旅游地建设和发展提供借鉴。     

Synergies between Farming and Rural Tourism: Evidence from Flanders

Support for rural development and agri-environment measures is often defended on the basis of the contribution of farming to the attractiveness of rural areas and the growing rural tourism sector. Farmers may benefit from the presence of tourism by offering accommodation or selling farm products to tourists. We analyse rural tourism data for Flanders to determine whether agricultural amenities contribute to the price rural tourists are willing to pay for lodging at a farm. We find that farming practices do indeed influence the attractiveness of an area for tourism and have an impact on the prices that can be charged for accommodation. Amenities from agriculture such as permanent grassland have a positive influence on rental prices. However, the presence of intensive agricultural and livestock farming and associated polluting activities decrease the attractiveness of rural regions for tourism. Farm tourism is found to make an important contribution to the farm income and economy of a rural region. Farm tourism constituted more than 30 per cent of the farm income of certain farms. Overall, our findings support the idea of major synergies between farming and rural tourism. Strengthening this relationship may therefore be a good strategy for countryside management and rural development.     

Fluid milk consumption in urban Qingdao,China*

This study relates the social‐demographic characteristics of urban Chinese consumers to their consumption of fluid milk. A Tobit model is estimated drawing on individual consumer survey data collected in urban Qingdao in China in 2005. The major results of this study indicate that fluid milk consumption in urban Qingdao is much higher compared to China's national level. The effect of increased income on milk consumption is positive, as expected. The expansion of modern food retailers also appears to play a positive role by facilitating consumers’ fluid milk consumption and influencing their food shopping patterns. The young and old consume significantly more fluid milk than the middle‐aged. Health consciousness of the elderly and the openness of youth to new foods appear to be fuelling these consumption patterns. If the findings of this study apply to other urban regions in China, then as urbanisation continues so also will the trend of increasing fluid milk consumption in China.     

A ranking of shopping centres using multiple branch numbers

Summary

The paper presents a new ranking of shopping centres in Great Britain based on the number of branches of durable multiple retailers found in each centre. The results are used to derive a functional retail hierarchy. There is found to be a clear distinction between Regional Centres containing stores and smaller District centres. A comparison with the 1971 Census of Distribution shows patterns of growth and decline. In urban areas with weak or split centres, the main centre was found to have risen in rank while the surrounding minor centres had lost rank.     

价值、问题与对策:乡村振兴视域下的农村基层党建

实施乡村振兴战略离不开党的全面领导。做好农村基层党建工作,是激发乡村振兴内生动力、提升乡村治理现代化水平、巩固党的农村执政基础的重要保障。文章基于对鲁西南部分农村地区的考察,认为当前一些农村的基层党建工作仍然面临着部分党员受教育程度较低、青年人才扎根难、党员管理不到位、制度建设不匹配等制约因素,并提出推进农村基层党建工作的建议:加强党员干部教育管理,激发党员干部内生动力;营造干事创业良好氛围,激发党员干部创新活力;加强基层组织队伍建设,提升农村基层党组织吸引力;完善制度体系建设,为乡村振兴提供长效保障。     

The Impact of Sustainability Aspects in the Meat Sector: A Cluster Analysis Based on Consumer Attitudes and Store Format Choice

Several consumer studies have shown considerable market potential for sustainable meat products, however, their markets shares are still marginal. In Germany, the sustainable aspects “organic,” “local origin,” and “animal welfare” are of special interest. To obtain a precise overview of potential target groups for these meat categories and their choice of store format, 620 German consumers were surveyed on their attitudes toward sustainable meat production and their shopping behavior. First, target groups based on consumers’ attitudes were identified by cluster analysis, taking into account possible overlaps. Consumers were also clustered by their store format choice and their preferred type of meat packaging. A cross tabulation of the results then provided insights into which store format and type of meat packaging is preferred by the target groups for sustainable meat products. Due to overlaps found in the target groups, the existence of important subgroups was shown. Amongst the target groups, only a slight preference for unpackaged meat products was found. Basically, the offer of sustainable meat products appears of interest for all store formats, with particular emphasis on supermarkets. The results of this study can support producers and retailers developing new and tailored marketing strategies for sustainable meat products.     

宅基地多功能识别及其空间分异研究 ——基于嘉兴、义乌、泰顺的典型村域分析

研究目的:基于宅基地多功能识别结果,构建多功能量化评价体系,揭示不同地区不同区位宅基地功能分异规律。研究方法:基于可达性划分宅基地类型,构建基于宅基地利用的多功能量化评价体系,引入产业区位熵测算宅基地功能优势度。研究结果:(1)生产功能以嘉兴城中村、义乌城中村及近郊具有突出优势;(2)资产功能呈现城中村近郊远郊边远的分异特征;(3)生态功能呈现出山区平原丘陵盆地和城中村近郊远郊边远的分异规律;(4)心理功能与保障功能未呈现显著性差异。研究结论:不同区位宅基地功能结构具有显著差异,在宅基地退出时应对其进行差别定价与补偿。     

Corporate real estate,stock market valuation and the reputational effects of eco-certification

Improving the energy efficiency of retail stores has become an important strategy for retailers. However, why do some retailers obtain Energy Star certification for their stores while others do not? We argue that retailers pursue this certification to capture reputational benefits of the Energy Star label when their stock market valuation is low. Using longitudinal data for US retailers (grocery and department stores) over the period of 2002 to 2014, we find that stock market valuation measured by Tobin’s Q explains (1) the likelihood of a retailer obtaining Energy Star certification and (2) the share of Energy Star-certified stores in a retailer’s portfolio. Operating expenses on the other hand do not appear to drive the decision to obtain Energy Star certification. Our results also suggest that the motivations of retailers to obtain LEED and Energy Star certification differ.     

Direct Market Retailer Perceptions of State-Sponsored Marketing Programs

Direct market retailers were surveyed to evaluate their participation and opinions of the Jersey Fresh state marketing program. Other states interested in establishing a similar marketing program could target retailers who are most likely to participate in such a program. Specifically, the study results suggest that retailers with outlets in urban areas or with retail outlets open for more than eight months during the year would be more likely to participate. Retailers who used other logos to identify their fresh produce were more likely to intend to use state promotional logos in the future. A successful approach to recruiting these retailers might be to form partnerships with local cooperative organizations which label and market produce from many growers collectively.     

The impact of customer ratings on consumer choice of fresh produce: A stated preference experiment approach

The importance of customer ratings or reviews in online shopping has been recognized in the previous literature; however, few have studied how online customer rating scores affect consumers’ fresh produce purchases and its importance relative to other fresh produce attributes. The quality of fresh produce demonstrates high uncertainty and variation; therefore, the impact of user-generated content such as customer rating scores on the choice of fresh produce may be more complex than on other product categories. Moreover, previous studies on customer ratings have not examined the price premium that retailers can obtain based on better ratings of fresh produce. Using a stated preference approach (i.e., choice experiment), this study measures the willingness to pay for a higher customer rating score and explores its relative importance to other popular fresh produce attributes (i.e., organic, place of origin, and shelf life). The results show that customer rating is the second most important attribute after the place of origin and is more important than production methods (e.g., organic and naturally grown) for fresh strawberry purchases. Also, rating scores demonstrate a diminishing marginal impact on consumer willingness to pay. Younger consumers and households with children are willing to pay more for fresh produce with high ratings than those with low ratings.     

甘肃省乡村旅游示范村与A级旅游景区空间协同发展研究

[目的]文章旨在探讨甘肃省乡村旅游示范村与A级旅游景区的空间协同关系及其发展现状,从交通和旅游经济发展要素两个方面发现问题,并提出空间协同发展的优化措施,以期为本地区旅游业的高质量发展提供一种新思路和新路径。[方法]文章以甘肃省206个乡村旅游示范村和358个A级旅游景区为研究对象,首先分析了乡村旅游示范村与A级旅游景区的空间协同发展的意义与机理;其次从数量空间、质量空间和空间耦合协调度3个维度分析了二者的空间协同关系;最后运用ArcGIS软件从交通可达性和旅游经济发展要素两方面分析了甘肃省乡村旅游示范村与A级旅游景区协同发展的现状并提出优化措施。[结果]（1）甘肃省乡村旅游示范村与A级旅游景区数量空间关联显著,质量空间关联属于优质协调水平,空间耦合协调水平表现为良好协调。（2）甘肃省14个市州乡村旅游示范村的交通可达性低于A级旅游景区。（3）甘肃省旅游经济要素点整体密度值较低,南北分布差异显著。[结论]（1）加快区域内游客集散中心建设。（2）在旅游资源拟合程度较好的区域发展高等级道路。（3）在乡村旅游示范村和A级旅游景区拟合较好的区域,加强旅游基础设施建设。     

农村宅基地退出补偿的经济学分析

[目的]农村宅基地退出补偿标准的确定及其利益分配是宅基地能否顺利退出的关键。[方法]基于福利经济学分配论和补偿原理建立宅基地价值生产函数,运用比较研究法、模型分析法通过计算各生产要素的边际贡献率确定各相关权利主体的退出补偿范围;权衡宅基地退出过程中投资成本与未来收益,以优化宅基地增值收益分配方案,为宅基地退出公平补偿提供科学的理论依据。[结果]理论上农户的最低补偿额应大于农户退出宅基地的机会成本,最高补偿额不高于宅基地价值生产函数中农户应分得的宅基地价值与农户退出后的投资风险成本之和;村集体的补偿额应为宅基地价值生产函数中村集体应分得的宅基地价值;地方政府的退出补偿额应不超过所享受的外部性价值。[结论]基于宅基地价值生产函数确定的各相关权利主体退出补偿范围,从定量角度为宅基地退出公平补偿提供科学的理论依据,同时顺应了通过市场机制对退出权利主体进行补偿的改革方向。     

Relationships among sustainability dimensions: evidence from an Alpine area case study using Dominance-based Rough Set Approach

The study provides a useful tool to enable local decision makers to define territorial sustainable policies. For this purpose, using selected indicators, we analyse, at the municipal level, the behaviour of and interactions among the socio-demographic, environmental, economic, and accessibility dimensions in two northern Italian provinces in the Alpine Chain (NUTS3), which are identified by the EU as predominantly rural areas. We adopt the dominance-based rough set approach, which allows for the discovery of hidden patterns among the data by means of the generation of decision rules. The population variation over time and number of foreign citizens are the decision attributes considered together with condition attributes belonging to the socio-demographic, environmental, economic, and accessibility dimensions. Our selected areas (rural, mountainous, and peripheral) present various facets at the sustainability level, largely due to their complexity, which was confirmed by the rules we found. Moreover, the socio-demographic and accessibility attributes are more commonly present in the rules and a low interaction characterizes the four dimensions. Finally, economic growth is often at odds with environmental sustainability.     

Using Q-methodology to identify rural women’s viewpoint on succession of family farms

In the world, the majority of farms are family-based. However, migration of young people from rural to urban areas, and a lack of farm successors negatively impact on the continuity of family farming. The pattern of migration is unbalanced in terms of gender: women are more likely to leave rural areas than men, which has negative consequences for rural development. The objective of this study was to identify rural women’s viewpoint about the elements that would facilitate them to eventually take over the family farm. Q-methodology was used to identify rural women’s viewpoints. Data were collected individually from 28 women, face-to-face with each woman, using a transportable board game to enable friendlier dynamics. Our findings showed five women’s viewpoints: rural attractiveness, family support, recognition, working and living conditions, and financial autonomy. The identification of these different viewpoints could provide insights that can be used to design public and private interventions aimed to favor female heirs to take over the family farm.     

从资源环境经济学角度考察土地征用补偿价格构成

根据资源环境经济总价值理论 ,阐述了农地资源的功能特征以及相应的价值构成 ,认为随着农地被征用 ,原有的许多功能和价值构成将消失或者随着土地产权的转移而被新的土地使用者所享有。根据受益者付费的原则 ,土地征用补偿价格应该由征用土地后的使用者支付 ,包括土地资源的使用价值和非使用价值的全部价值 ,被补偿的对象既包括农村土地所有者 ,也包括因农地征用后的其他利益受损者。     

武汉市征地过程中的土地增值测算

研究目的：分析征地过程中土地增值及其来源,为合理分配土地增值收益,保障农民权益提供理论依据。研究方法：实证研究。研究结果：在征地过程中,武汉市各区域的土地增值及分配差异明显,主城区的土地增值额、自然增值额和人工增值额均高于近郊区;除江夏区,其他区域的农民和农村集体经济组织参与了土地增值的收益分配,而江夏区农民和农村集体经济组织仅得到原农业用途的补偿。研究结论：规范的土地市场与完善的政府职能有利于消除市场失灵和政府失灵导致的扭曲土地价值增值;明确土地增值来源,有利于土地增值收益在农民、农村集体经济组织、各级政府和开发商中的合理分配。     

The impacts of cross-border tourists on local retail property market: an empirical analysis of Hong Kong

Hong Kong as a small city has witnessed a drastic change in the number of short-stay and same-day tourists from Mainland China ever since the relaxation of the tourism policy began in the early 2000’s. This study examines the impacts on the prices of retail space attributed to the substantial increase of cross-border shoppers. Based on a comprehensive retail property transaction records in Hong Kong and a semi-log regression model, our study confirms a positive impact of the number of cross-border shoppers on retail property prices, especially on the value of newer and larger-sized street-level retail shops. Moreover, we find that the effects brought on the retail property market are city-wide and not limited to specific districts which are relatively closer to the border with Shenzhen and with a higher degree of accessibility by these cross-border shoppers. This paper is limited by a number of assumptions including travel distance of the shoppers from Shenzhen. Nevertheless, with an increase in personal travels by the affluent Mainland Chinese citizens who usually spend a lot on shopping outside China, future studies can be made in other North American or European cities for comparison.     

Power and Conflict in Jordanian Food Distribution Channels

The purpose of this study is to examine power and conflict relationshios in food distribution channels in Jordan. A random sample of 178 food retailers has been selected from three major cities in Jordan. The results of the analyses indicate that food retailers attribute more power to those wholesalers who provide high quality assistances (noncoercive power sources) and who are perceived as more likely to use punishments (coercive power sources). Also, the food retailers who perceive their wholesalers as likely to use coercive sources and/or provide assistances (noncoercive sources) have more conflict with those wholesalers. The relationships between the actual use of power and both attributed power and conflict were found to be positive.