Prospects of basket production in promoting sustainable rural livelihoods in the Okavango Delta,Botswana

This paper uses the concept of sustainable rural livelihoods and income diversification to assess the role that basket making as a cultural tourism activity can play in improving rural livelihoods in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Using both primary and secondary data sources, this paper points out that shocks and natural causes such as drought, disease and changing flood levels in the Okavango River, particularly the drying of the Thaoge (one of the distributaries of the Okavango), have contributed to a decline in livestock and crop yields and increased poverty levels in the region. Therefore, alternative livelihood options that can diversify rural incomes from agricultural production need to be identified. This paper argues that basket making has the potential to diversify rural incomes and improve livelihoods in the Okavango. Baskets are a cultural tourism product that can raise income earning and employment opportunities for rural residents in the Okavango. For this to be successful, basket making will need to be developed as part of cultural tourism. A sustainable cultural tourism sector where baskets are key products requires the sustainable use of natural resources used for basket making. These resources are at present overharvested and are threatened with depletion. There is also a need to promote the empowerment of basket weavers particularly in entrepreneurship and managerial skills in the tourism business, attract young and educated people and promote the preservation of traditional basket making skills, which are important in the development of cultural tourism. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

关于西部地区缓解城乡就业矛盾对策探讨

随着西部大开发战略的提出,西部迎来了经济发展的机遇和挑战。西部有丰富的人力和资源优势,但由于生产力水平低,人口、资源和环境矛盾突出,城乡就业问题异常严重,成为西部地区社会、经济、文化落后的重要原因。缓解城乡就业是推动西部地区经济腾飞,促进人口、资源和环境协调发展的关键。     

可行性能力：农村妇女的贫困与反贫匪——基于广水市C乡的实证研究

农村妇女面临着经济上贫困化和政治上边缘化,如何实现农村贫困妇女的反贫困,使她们自身和家庭的生存条件有所改善,实现她们的生存权和发展权。有关学者已从社会性别、公共政策、小额信贷、地权、法律、教育等视角进行研究,文章的着力点在提升农村妇女反贫困的可行性能力的研究上,从分析农村妇女贫困的现状和原因入手,阐明了从可行性能力视角进行切入的必要性。     

关于加快贫困国有林场脱贫步伐的建议

在对全国4507处国有林场全面摸底调查的基础上,指出全国目前有3700个林场属贫困林场。这些林场存在基础设施极为薄弱,生产生活条件极为艰苦、经济十分危困等问题。提出了实施规模扶贫、创新脱贫模式等推进改革创新的思路。     

论退耕还林与减缓山区贫困的关系

现有扶贫开发模式以改善贫困地区生产条件和开发资源为导向,但是对生态较为脆弱的大多数贫困山区来讲,若不考虑社区生态系统的保护,开发式扶贫有可能导致越扶越贫。本文在分析山区贫困的一般特征基础上,通过对有关环境与贫困相互关系的理论认识,结合正在推进的退耕还林工程实践,提出林业扶贫是减缓山区贫困的有效途径,指出应从落实山区林权制度、建立生态移民制度、改善农业补贴制度以及强化山区扶贫管理体制等方面创新山区扶贫开发模式。     

黑龙江省森工林区贫困问题研究

分析了黑龙江森工林区贫困状况,指出其贫困程度不仅高于黑龙江省的平均水平,甚至比农民还要贫困。本研究概括了黑龙江森工林区贫困特征,剖析了林区贫困成因,有针对性的提出了林区反贫困的对策:即深化林区体制改革,树立林区新的文化理念和价值观,发展林区特色产业、拓宽林区脱贫致富的途径,改善林区生产条件、增强自我发展能力,完善林区社会保障制度、帮助弱势群体脱贫。     

On the Targeting of the Employment Guarantee Scheme in the Indian State of Maharashtra

Contrary to a widely held view, the targeting of the Employment Guarantee Scheme in the Indian state of Maharashtra was unsatisfactory and worsened over the period 1979–89. Among the participants, from a large group the non-poor became the majority. Some of them were in fact (moderately) affluent. The share of female participants – especially of poor female participants – also diminished. As a result, the overall share of poor in EGS earnings fell sharply. Although a greater targeting accuracy does not necessarily imply a greater poverty impact for a given outlay, some improvements in the design and implementation of this scheme are likely to enhance both. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

湘西武陵山贫困地区脱贫与发展

湘西武陵山贫困地区是国家重点扶持的18个集中连片贫困地区之一和少数民族聚居区,加快这一地区脱贫与发展,对缩小这一地区与全国的差距,保障国民经济可持续发展,实现国家的长治久安有重要意义.本文从分析这一地区贫困现状入手,研究了贫困的原因和面临的机遇与挑战,提出了加快脱贫与发展的规划设想与对策.     

加快小城镇建设：贫困县脱贫致富之路：以隆回县为例

本探讨了隆回县贫困的原因;认为加快小城镇建设,提高城镇化水平是隆回县脱贫致富奔小康的根本措施;分析了隆回县农村城市化与小城镇建设的现状特点和发展条件;提出隆回县加速农村城市化和小城镇建设与发展的对策建议。     

Patterns of Economic Development and the Formation of Clubs

This study investigates the sources of heterogeneity across a worldwide set of countries. Unspecified ex ante and unanticipated cultural (Protestant versus Catholic), geographical (continents), and institutional (OECD versus non-OECD) clubs emerge endogenously and naturally as homogeneous classes on the basis of their economic structure. The dynamics both within and across the identified groups of countries are consistent with multiple equilibrium-growth models proposed by, for instance, Azariadis and Drazen (1990), therefore strengthening the viability of the convergence club hypothesis. In particular, higher stages of development are, on average, non linearly associated with higher stages of growth.