PROSPECTS FOR ‘CLOSING THE GAP’ IN SOCIOECONOMIC OUTCOMES FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS?

Practical reconciliation' and more recently 'closing the gap' have been put forward as frameworks on which to base and evaluate policies to address Indigenous disadvantage. This paper analyses national-level census-based data to examine trends in Indigenous wellbeing since 1971. There has been steady improvement in most socioeconomic outcomes in the last 35 years; a finding at odds with the current discourse of failure. Evidence of convergence between Indigenous and non-Indigenous outcomes, however, is not consistent. For some outcomes, relatively rapid convergence is predicted (within 25 years), but for the majority of outcomes, convergence is unlikely to occur within a generation, if at all.     

Debt and household finance: evidence from the Financial Diaries

The Financial Diaries data-set is a unique, new set of year-long daily income, expense and financial transactions for households from three different areas of South Africa. These data show that over-indebted households (those that spend 20 per cent or more of their gross monthly income on debt) do not fit one homogeneous profile. Formal debt tends to be responsible for over-indebtedness in the urban areas, while in the rural areas the cause tends to be informal debt. In the urban areas high indebtedness is more prevalent among medium-income and high-income households, whereas in the rural areas it occurs at all income levels. High indebtedness in grant-dependent rural households tends to be persistent, whereas in wage-dependent urban households it is often short-lived. These findings present a new financial picture of poor rural populations that is unlikely to be touched by recent policy measures to address over-indebtedness.     

Structural Change and Industrial Relations During the Soeharto Period an Approaching Crisis?

This paper examines the evolution of the Indonesian industrial relations system and labour welfare in the New Order period, giving special attention to labour policies and unrest in the 1980s and early 1990s. The tightly controlled industrial relations system which emerged after 1965 is contrasted with the labour activism of the Sukarno era. It is argued that the greater de facto freedoms granted to industrial labour in recent years are an inevitable outcome of growing political openness, concentration of industrial labour around Jakarta and the vulnerability of new industries to domestic and international criticism of labour conditions. It is also contended that intensified labour action is unlikely to bring about a general improvement in worker welfare, although it can overcome some of the worst abuses of labour laws.     

Land tenure and rural development: Some issues relating to the Ciskei/Transkei region∗

Politicians, planners and development agencies in areas such as Ciskei and Transkei are debating and planning for land tenure reform on the assumption that it holds the key to successful agricultural and rural development. This paper considers various land reform options available to planners working in the rural areas of Ciskei and Transkei, and argues that land tenure reform on its own is unlikely to foster agricultural development. Other constraints such as inadequate access to capital, to infrastructure and to agricultural services must also be overcome if agricultural development is to be achieved. The author makes several suggestions as to how general rural development may be promoted in the interim period while the more significant constraints mentioned above are being confronted.     

The impact of data snooping on the testing of technical analysis: An empirical study of Asian stock markets

The primary aim of this study is to investigate the validity and predictability of technical analysis in eight Asian equity markets. We employ the bootstrap tests of White (2000) and Hansen (2005) to determine whether any superior trading rule is found to exist amongst the ‘universe’ of technical trading rules identified by Sullivan et al. (1999). We use these powerful bootstrap tests to ascertain the profitability of technical analysis, along with two institutional adjustments for non-synchronous trading and transaction costs. The empirical results indicate that these three elements, data snooping, non-synchronous trading and transaction costs, have significant impact on the overall performance of technical analysis; indeed, the results for these eight Asian stock markets support the efficient market hypothesis, demonstrating that the generation of economic profits through the use of technical analysis is extremely unlikely with these particular markets.     

School effectiveness in Zambia: The origins of differences between rural and urban outcomes

Surveys have shown that Zambian urban residents have significantly higher schooling attainment rates than rural residents and are more likely to be literate. To address this inequality in education outcomes it is important to understand to what extent this is a result of a resource gap (for example, differences in teachers or textbooks) or different returns on resources (for example, an additional teacher makes more of a difference in urban areas). To explore this idea this study performed an Oaxaca decomposition on the SACMEQ II data set for Zambia. The results showed that the rural–urban gap was attributable both to differences in the presence of resources (55% of the gap) and differences in the returns on resources (45% of the gap). Since returns on resources are considerably lower in rural areas, additional resource investment alone is unlikely to close the gap between rural and urban schooling outcomes.     

吉林省农产品电商平台发展问题及提升策略研究——以吉林人参电商平台为例

人参作为吉林省的优势特色农产品，广泛分布于吉林省内各乡镇产区，其中白山地区为主产区。认识吉林人参电商平台发展现状并采取有针对性的改进策略，对吉林经济尤其是农业经济的发展具有重要意义。为此，在探讨吉林人参电商平台发展现状的基础上，对吉林人参电商运营情况进行深入调查，探索吉林人参电商平台现有问题并提出改进策略。     

Labour market dimensions of poverty in Indonesia

This paper focuses on labour market issues relevant to poverty alleviation. Patterns of participation, unemployment and employment are examined among the poor compared with the non-poor in general, among urban and rural households, and among various socio-demographic groups. Using data from the 2002 National Socio-Economic Survey, the paper finds that low participation in the workforce and high unemployment, while important, are less closely related to poverty status than expected, especially among spouses of household heads. However, sector of employment and underemployment are closely associated with poverty, especially for those in informal jobs in urban areas; in rural areas, the poor are heavily concentrated in agriculture. Among the poor, young people and females are more likely to be underemployed and to work in agriculture than prime-age workers. The data suggest that labour market policies that tend to protect those in formal sector employment are unlikely to reduce poverty much, if at all.     

When ‘community’ is not enough: Managing common property natural resources in rural South Africa

Common property natural resource management (NRM) informer ‘bantustan’ rural areas can provide important pointers for current and future land reform and local government policy. Using Tyefu Location in the Eastern Cape as a case study, this article outlines three of the constraints that currently fashionable ‘community‐based’ NRM models are likely to face in coordinating the use of common property resources in these areas. These three constraints are first, the entrenched socio‐economic differentiation that results in local people having varied, but generally weak incentives for contributing to collective action resource management. Second, are the high levels of institutional contestation that exist in these areas and third, the fact that the ‘fuzziness’ of existing NRM regimes allows for maximum flexibility in resource use, with the result that most rural (and urban‐based) people are unlikely to support the introduction of more formalised NRM regimes.     

在中国农村地区发展投资银行的必要性分析

资金短缺一直是中国农村经济发展的障碍，投资银行进入农村地区，一方面可以拓宽农村的融资渠道，另一方面可以完善农村的金融体系，从而促进农村经济的发展。文章从中国农村经济的发展、金融需求主体、金融体系的完善等三个。方面的需要分析了在在中国农村地区发展投资银行的必要性。     

How corruption diminishes the effectiveness of public spending on education in Indonesia

This paper takes advantage of a regional corruption measure to assess the impact of corruption on the effectiveness of public spending in the education sector in Indonesia, one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Two sets of outcomes are considered: school enrolment rates and school performance in national examinations. Public spending appears to have a negligible effect on school enrolment in highly corrupt regions, but a statistically significant, positive and relatively large effect in less corrupt regions. In contrast, public spending has no significant effect on school performance. The main lesson from this paper is that pouring more public funds into the education system is unlikely to bring about improvement unless it is accompanied by efforts to improve governance in the sector.     

Bangladesh's trade and economic relations with the socialist countries

After her independence in 1971, the economic relations between Bangladesh and the European socialist countries developed to a greater extent than before. But the socialist countries still remain relatively small trading partners of Bangladesh. Their share in the total aid received by the heavily aid-dependent Bangladesh has also not been very great. It is not possible to arrive at any precise estimate of the terms of trade and aid between Bangladesh and the socialist countries, but some rudimentary measurements show that they are unlikely to have been very different from those between Bangladesh and the rest of the world.     

Does Balance Among Areas of Institutional Quality Matter for Economic Growth?

Countries with better institutions, as measured by the Economic Freedom of the World index, have greater prosperity, growth, and well-being. However, the previous literature has ignored interrelationships among the subareas, instead implicitly assuming substitutability and independence. We hypothesize that when some areas are weak, better scores in other areas are not a simple substitute. We find that including a simple measure of the within-country standard deviation among coexisting area scores results in a meaningfully significant improvement in the empirical growth specifications. Based on our findings, this should become routine practice in future empirical work. We also explore interactions among areas and find ones with legal system and property rights most important to include. These findings suggest a need to reconsider the implicit assumption of independence among area scores, as well as a balanced approach to institutional reform in practice. Improving the worst areas is more beneficial to growth.     

Women and empowerment through the ‘economy of affection’ in KwaZulu‐Natal: Its significance for sustainable development

This article is an attempt to demonstrate how, in the absence of infrastructural requirements for development in the rural areas, the interpersonal relationships of women articulated through their households, kinship networks and community structures serve as indispensable mechanisms for their survival. These mechanisms are seen as part of an indigenous socio‐economic framework that is referred to here as the ‘economy of affection’. This framework is presented, through ethnographic data, as a means of facilitating moral, social and economic support among the indigent rural people in KwaZulu‐Natal. Taking cognisance of local organisational forms and resources is the best possible way to reconstruct South Africa's vast hinterland against the background of a history of development patterns, where rhetoric has played a more important role than actual substantive contributions to development of the rural poor, and where capital investments, technology and expertise of a post‐industrial nature are unlikely to spread.     

Low price conspiracy: Trade regulation and the case of Japanese electronics

Conclusion The analysis of low price conspiracy suggests that even if it were legal, it requires very special and uncommon conditions. Such conditions were not present in the U.S. television industry, and the Supreme Court correctly concluded that the evidence did not support the existence of a low price conspiracy involving Japanese television manufacturers. The Court indicated that persuasive actual cost evidence must be presented to overcome economic logic that predation is very unlikely. Predation can still be shown but the standard of proof is high. After all allegations of low price conspiracy may be more likely to limit competition than any actual low price conspiracy itself.     

安徽省乡村旅游扶贫效率研究——基于安徽省16个地市的数据

基于安徽省16个地市的面板数据,运用SBM-DEA模型与ML指数综合测算乡村旅游的扶贫效率.研究发现:整体上,安徽省乡村旅游扶贫效率损失严重,随着乡村旅游的发展,其扶贫效果大幅度降低,全域旅游在乡村旅游扶贫中发挥着重要作用;各地区间发展极不平衡,旅游扶贫效果在贫困地区显著,在发达地区几乎无效.具体而言,纯技术效率呈下降趋势,乡村旅游发展缺乏经营管理技术的引进与创新,在贫困地区属于学习与扩散阶段,在发达地区停滞不前;规模效率呈快速上升趋势,规模集聚效应逐渐增强,具有规模扩张但效率低下的发展态势;相比较而言,规模效率整体上高于纯技术效率,综合效率的提升主要依赖于规模效率的提升.因此,应加大政府支持力度,大力发展乡村旅游,注重乡村全域旅游的推广;积极搭建开放平台,促进乡村旅游发展规划能力与经营管理能力的提升;优化要素投入规模、创新要素配置方式,更好地发挥规模集聚效应;积极推进区域性乡村旅游协作的建立,注重乡村旅游扶贫的协同发展.     

“站-城”融合视角下的大城市中心城区高铁设站分析

城市社会和经济的不断发展对城市运行效率提出了更高的要求。当前高铁的快速发展不仅加强了城市间的交通联系,也促进了城市与区域的经济发展。尤其在大都市区乃至城市群内部高铁出行日常化、公交化的背景下,城市内高铁站点的选址对于提升城市效率往往有重大影响。文章通过对我国历史上铁路站点的选址进行了回顾,分析了历史条件下的高铁站点选址远郊的现实原因和当前存在的问题。同时,结合目前城市发展和高铁出行不断增加的现状,讨论了大城市中心城区建设高铁站点的必要性,并以新经济地理学理论为基础,分别从"站"和"城"两维度对中心城区高铁设站的效益(交通网络效益和经济集聚效益)进行分析,结合对重庆北站和重庆西站为实证案例的成本分析,探讨"站-城"融合视角下的中心城区高铁设站的可行性。     

Impact of population planning on the size distribution of income: a theoretical and methodological framework

Widespread population problems exist in developing countries (LDCs). It is believed that excessive population growth may have a negative effect on improvement in the standard of living and eventually on the country's production capabilities (GNP). In an attempt to stimulate production, LDCs have developed family planning programmes to decrease the rate of population growth. However, many of the family planning programmes have failed in their aims of substantially reducing the rates. A few studies conducted in Pakistan have revealed the widespread use of family planning in urbanized areas. This study supports the claim that urbanization and the practice of family planning are positively related - variables such as education and religion figure prominently in the study. Several studies have been developed to examine the relationship between income distribution and various demographic aspects. These are broken down into: Type 1 studies, which deal with the effect that income has on socioeconomic and demographic and geographic factors; Type 2 studies, which deal with the theory that income has an effect on fertility; and Type 3 studies, which deal with interdependence between income and fertility variables. Income does have an effect on decisions to use contraception, despite government sponsored programmes. Recommendations made for improving the work of government sponsored programmes include: increasing educational opportunities for men and women in both urban and rural areas; providing job opportunities for women in non-agricultural areas; redistributing income from rich to poor; and the improvement of health and nutritional facilities.     

地理标志农产品对城乡收入差距的影响研究——基于全国30个省份面板数据的实证分析

在剔除三部门重合地理标志农产品后，基于2010—2018年中国30个省份的面板数据，构建空间杜宾模型和面板门槛回归模型，实证研究地理标志农产品对城乡收入差距影响的空间溢出效应和非线性影响。研究结果显示，城乡收入差距的空间集聚特征明显，且具有显著的正向空间自相关性；地理标志农产品能够抑制本省域及邻近省域城乡收入差距的扩大；随着经济发展水平的提高、交通基础设施水平的提升，地理标志农产品缩小城乡收入差距的作用逐渐增强。     

后现代农业:包容性增长理念下中国现代农业发展的新趋势

现代农业在获得巨大发展的同时,也产生了诸如土地资源和生态环境破坏严重、人类安全健康突出、农村与城市发展失衡等问题。文章认为,未来时期以追求人、经济、社会、生态协调可持续发展的后现代农业是我国农业发展的导向,应坚持农业生产与环境保护并重;创新农业生产经营模式,同步促进农业发展、扩大就业和民生改善;加强农村教育建设,推进农业产业水平提高和农村与城市的协调发展。