Financing rural development for a harmonious society in China : recent reforms in public finance and their prospects

The Government of China has placed strong emphasis on addressing problems related to agriculture, farmers, and rural society, with the development of a"new socialist countryside"designated as a top priority for the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2006-2010). The financing of public services in rural areas will be a key determinant of the Plan's success. This report analyzes the performance of the intergovernmental fiscal system - the financing of rural development through counties, townships, and villages - and the impact of recent reforms. The authors show that achieving the government's objectives will require channeling substantial new resources to rural areas. In addition, ensuring the effective transfer of resources and their efficient utilization will require fundamental reforms to a wide range of public institutions, including budget and planning processes, personnel management systems, and the organization of government agencies. The authors argue that a comprehensive reform strategy is needed to address fundamental vertical and horizontal imbalances in the intergovernmental fiscal system The reforms must reach beyond the fiscal system to build improved accountability mechanisms to improve public service delivery at the grassroots level. And, given China's size and diversity, reform efforts must focus on improving incentive structures at the county, township, and village levels.Public Sector Economics&Finance,Access to Finance,Banks&Banking Reform,Debt Markets,

Ecosystem Service and Land-Use Changes in Asia

This book highlights the role of research in Ecosystem Services and Land Use Changes in Asia. The contributions include case studies that explore the impacts of direct and indirect drivers affecting provision of ecosystem services in Asian countries, including China, India, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Findings from these empirical studies contribute to developing sustainability in Asia at both local and regional scales

Does urbanization have spatial spillover effect on poverty reduction: empirical evidence from rural China

In light of a scarcity of research on the spatial effects of urbanization on poverty reduction, this study uses panel data on 30 provinces in China from 2009 to 2019 to construct a system of indices to assess poverty that spans the four dimensions of the economy, education, health, and living. We use the spatial autocorrelation test and the spatial Durbin model (SDM) to analyze the spatial effects of urbanization on poverty reduction in these different dimensions. The main conclusions are as follows: (a) China’s urbanization has the characteristics of spatial aggregation and a spatial spillover effect. (b) Different dimensions of poverty had the attributes of spatial agglomeration, and Moran’s index of a reduction in economic poverty was the highest. Under the SDM, the different dimensions of poverty also showed a significant positive spatial correlation. (c) Urbanization has a significant effect on poverty reduction along the dimensions of the economy, education, and living, but has little effect on reducing health poverty. It has a spatial spillover effect on poverty reduction in economic and living contexts. (d) There were spatial differences in the effect of urbanization on relieving economic and living-related poverty

Regional-based strategies for municipality carbon mitigation: a case study of Chongqing in China

Different CO carbon mitigation strategies are required due to the uneven development of regions. In China, the western region is rich in natural resources, but its industrial technology is not as advanced as other regions. In addition, a few studies have attempted to explore the CO carbon mitigation strategies for a municipality of this region. In terms of modeling, the current studies often focus on the low-carbon potentials at the country, province, city and sector levels, while the carbon flows and their integration in neighboring regions are not well studied. In this paper, to explore the impact of regional-difference factors on CO reduction, we propose regional-based CO mitigation for a municipality and use Chongqing as a case study. In our methodology, the hierarchical structure analysis is conducted to identify the primary contradictions of regional CO emissions. Then, using system dynamics, CO emission systems of major industries, including cement, power and transportation, are modeled. Through simulations of baseline and low-carbon scenarios, key influencing factors in each industry are analyzed. They are then generalized to identify the important aspects of CO emission reduction for this region. Finally, the low-carbon development strategy covering three sub-pathways, i.e., the industrial system, energy structure and socio development is discussed to help the local government for policy-making

Ecosystem services, sustainable rural development and protected áreas

Enhancing social and economic development while preserving nature is one of the major challenges for humankind in the current century. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment showed an alarming degradation of ecosystems and exacerbated poverty for many groups of people across the world due to unprecedented changes in ecosystems caused by human activities in the 20th century. Sustainable Rural Development is key to maintaining active local communities in rural and semi-natural areas, avoiding depopulation, and preserving high-ecological-value sites, including protected areas. Establishing protected areas is the most common strategy to preserve biodiversity around the world with the advantage of promoting the supply of ecosystem services. However, depending how it affects economic opportunities and the access to natural resources, it can either attract or repel human settlements. The convergence of development and conservation requires decision-making processes capable of aligning the needs and expectations of rural communities and the goals of biodiversity conservation. The articles compiled in this Special Issue (nine research papers and two review papers) make important contributions to this challenge from different approaches, disciplines and regions in the world.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The art of neighbouring

Over the past decades, living in proximity to an increasingly powerful China has gained new meanings. 'Rising China'- the nation, the notion, and the buzzword-sparks dreams and triggers fears. Borders that were closed during the Cold War era have again become zones of contact and exchange. Old trade routes are revived, new economic corridors established, and remote border towns turned into special zones. Tales of entrepreneurial success spread wide and stimulate hopes for trans-regional development. At the same time, security concerns remain high, territorial disputes still loom large, and minorities from northern Burma to Tibet, Xinjiang and Tajikistan continue to seek autonomy. In this context, engaging in multiple neighbouring relations has become a necessity for those living in these zones of contact and exchange. The experiences and realities of relation-making across China's borders shape life in profound and lasting ways. However, these experiences and realities of everyday neighbouring receive less analytic attention than they deserve

The Art of Neighbouring. Making Relations Across China's Borders

'Rising China' - the nation, the notion, and the buzzword - sparks dreams and triggers fears. Borders that were closed during the Cold War era have again become zones of contact and exchange. At the same time, security concerns remain high, territorial disputes still loom large. In this context, engaging in everyday neighbouring relations has become a necessity for those living in these zones of contact and exchange. The experiences and realities of relation-making across China's borders shape life in profound and lasting ways

Socio-Economic Impacts of Carbon Sequestration on Livelihoods and Future Climate

In the modern era of industrial revolution, urbanization, and deforestation of forest land, carbon (C) sequestration through well-known activities called “land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF)” could establish a win–win situation from a climate change and sustainable development perspective. Equally important are the socio-economic co-benefits of C sequestration, given their implications on properly designed policies, especially on restoration and/or conservation of forests located in the tropical eco-regions. Further, the huge contribution of C sequestered in the vegetation and its underlain soil helps to protect socio-economic damages from climate change. This book explores the C sequestration of vegetation and its underlying soil, deforestation, as well as its impact on climate change, a vulnerability risk assessment for the climate, socio-economic impacts, and the mitigation of future climate impact strategies. The theme of the book extends across environmental policy (e.g., the Paris Agreement and REDD+), C sequestration in the terrestrial ecosystems, the applicability of land use, and the C credit generated at regional and global scales. This book is highly useful for environmentalists, hydrologists, soil scientists, and policymakers to understand the C sequestration potential of the vegetation and underlying soil in the terrestrial ecosystems at the regional, national and global scale to further study the long-term impacts on socio-economic development resulting from its implementation via climate change modeling