The State and the Rural Economy in the People's Republic of China

SUMMARY Chinese rural policy, assisted by Mao Zedong's critique of Stalinism, has moved away from the policy of ‘squeeze’, from uncritical assumptions about economies of scale in farming, and from insistence on the necessity of the collectivisation of farm labour as opposed to agricultural infrastructure and agricultural planning. The emphasis is now on increasing peasant purchasing power, on family?scale farming, and on relationships of contract between farming families and state planners as represented by local authorities and parastatal cooperatives. RESUMEN El estado y la economía rural en la República Popular China La política rural China, apoyada en la crítica maoísta al estalinismo, ha abandonado la política de austeridad, así como las hipótesis acríticas sobre las economías de escala en las granjas y la insistencia en la necesidad de colectivizar el trabajo rural en oposición a la infraestructura y planificación agrícolas. Ahora se enfatiza el aumento del poder de compra campesino, la granja a escala familiar y las relaciones contractuales entre las familias de las granjas y los planificadores estatales, representados por las autoridades locales y las cooperativas paraestatales. RESUMES L'état et l'économie rurale dans la République Populaire de Chine La politique rurale chinoise, avec l'aide de la critique du Stalinisme de Mao Zeding, s'est éloignée de la politique de compression, des hypothèses dépourvues de sens critique sur les économies d'échelles de l'exploitation agricole, et de l'insistance de la nécessité de la collectivisation de la main d'oeuvre fermière par opposition à l'infrastructure agricole et à la planification agricole. Le point principal, maintenant, est l'augmentation du pouvoir d'achat des paysans, au niveau de l'exploitation agricole familiale, et les rapports contractuels entre les familles fermières et les planificateurs de l'état representés par les autorités locales et les co?opératives paraétatiques

Freedom of information and ‘vexatious’ requests — The case of Scottish local government

This paper investigates the cost and incidence of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests within local authorities in Scotland and in particular, the cost and incidence of requests which have been defined as ‘vexatious’ in order to investigate if the negative perceptions surrounding the cost and misuse of the legislation are justified. Additionally, the criteria and guidelines that local authorities are using to define ‘vexatious’ are also examined. The approach taken to the research in this study is a survey of the 32 local authorities in Scotland using freedom of information requests as the data collection method. The findings from the survey revealed that none of the local authorities were keeping records of costs relating to FOI requests. However, 80% were keeping records of numbers of requests. One third of authorities that kept records of ‘vexatious’ requests had experienced such a request. However, the actual number of ‘vexatious’ requests received were extremely low. The findings highlight the difficulties in recording cost data and the general lack of record keeping within organisations. The findings also indicate a very low incidence of ‘vexatious’ requests and suggest that the ‘vexatious’ definition may be applied inappropriately by public authorities

What do children want from the BBC? Children’s content and participatory environments in an age of age of citizen media

Members of the project team delved into the issue of news provision for teens, a notable gap in the BBC’s provision of news for citizens between Newsround and adult news, respectively. There already appears to be an acknowledgement within the BBC that this audience is under-served and that something must be done to address this gap

U-Health Service for Managing Chronic Disease: A Case Study on Managing Metabolic Syndrome in a Health Center in South Korea

Objectives: We were to analyze the effect of managing metabolic syndrome using a u-health service in a health center. Methods: We collected biometric data from 316 subjects living in a county (gun) in South Korea before and after the introduction of u-health services in 2010. Analysis was done by contingency table using SPSS and latent growth model using AMOS. Results: We found that regional u-health services affected instance of metabolic syndrome. Further, biometrics and health behavior improved. After six months of u-health services, the number of subjects with three or more factors for metabolic syndrome decreased by 62.5%; 63.3 % of regular drinkers stopped drinking; 83.3 % of subjects who rarely exercised began to exercise twice a week or more; and 60.9 % of smokers stopped smoking. Conclusions: U-health services can change health behavior and biometrics to manage metabolic syndrome in rural areas. The usefulness of u-health services is discussed

Alcohol content in the 'Hyper-Reality' MTV show 'Geordie Shore'

Aim: To quantify the occurrence of alcohol content, including alcohol branding, in the popular primetime television UK Reality TV show 'Geordie Shore' Series 11. Methods: A 1-min interval coding content analysis of alcohol content in the entire DVD Series 11 of 'Geordie Shore' (10 episodes). Occurrence of alcohol use, implied use, other alcohol reference/paraphernalia or branding was recorded. Results: All categories of alcohol were present in all episodes. 'Any alcohol' content occurred in 78%, 'actual alcohol use' in 30%, 'inferred alcohol use' in 72%, and all 'other' alcohol references occurred in 59% of all coding intervals (ACIs), respectively. Brand appearances occurred in 23% of ACIs. The most frequently observed alcohol brand was Smirnoff which appeared in 43% of all brand appearances. Episodes categorized as suitable for viewing by adolescents below the legal drinking age of 18 years comprised of 61% of all brand appearances. Conclusions: Alcohol content, including branding, is highly prevalent in the UK Reality TV show 'Geordie Shore' Series 11. Two-thirds of all alcohol branding occurred in episodes age-rated by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) as suitable for viewers aged 15 years. The organizations OfCom, Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Portman Group should implement more effective policies to reduce adolescent exposure to on-screen drinking. The drinks industry should consider demanding the withdrawal of their brands from the show. Short Summary: Alcohol content, including branding, is highly prevalent in the MTV reality TV show 'Geordie Shore' Series 11. Current alcohol regulation is failing to protect young viewers from exposure to such content

The rise of britain's super-indies: Policy-making in the age of the global media market

This article analyses Britain’s remarkable performance in the European television industry. In the space of a few years the UK has risen to become the world’s leading exporter of TV formats and the world’s second exporter, behind the Unites States, of finished TV programmes. The first section compares and contrasts British TV exports data with that of France, before examining the emergence of London as Europe’s media hub. The second part argues that this significant progress is essentially due to deft policy making. In 2003, the British government operated a strategic shift in favour of content producers and created a new intellectual property regime. This regime has enabled producers to keep hold of their rights and become asset-owning businesses, eventually giving rise to a new breed of production companies: the super-indies. This paper shows how these super-indies have acquired the scale to compete in an international TV market and drive today’s British TV exports. Contrasting again Britain’s performance in the European TV trade with France, this article also analyses historical influences and claims it is Britain’s imperial past that helps her performance in the European TV marketplace. In addition to the globalization of the English language and the cultural affinities this nurtures, the trading heritage of the British Empire has facilitated Britain’s political elite’s understanding of the role that trade and the market can play in the creative industries, and enabled them to frame a broadcasting policy that is adapted to the global age

Social norms, social identities and the COVID-19 pandemic:Theory and recommendations

Funding information: Economic and Social Research Council grant awarded to FGN: ES/V005383/1.Sustained mass behaviour change is needed to tackle the COVID‐19 pandemic, but many of the required changes run contrary to existing social norms (e.g., physical closeness with in‐group members). This paper explains how social norms and social identities are critical to explaining and changing public behaviour. Recommendations are presented for how to harness these social processes to maximise adherence to COVID‐19 public health guidance. Specifically, we recommend that public health messages clearly define who the target group is, are framed as identity‐affirming rather than identity‐contradictory, include complementary injunctive and descriptive social norm information, are delivered by in‐group members and that support is provided to enable the public to perform the requested behaviours.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe