Research methodologies appropriate to rapid appraisal: a Chinese experience

SUMMARY Experiences in China suggest the feasibility and value of rapid appraisal will be determined by the methodological constraints operating in the society under investigation and the scope and focus of the proposed enquiry. The author argues that prior documentary preparation for the field research and appropriate use of the data obtained are important preconditions for its success. RESUMEN Metodologías de investigación apropiadas para una evaluación rápída: experiencias en China Expenencias vividas en China sugieren que la factibilidad y valor de una evaluación rápida están determinadas por las restricciones metodológicas vigentes en la sociedad y por el alcance y foco de la investigación a realizar La autora sostiene que la preparación de documentación prevía sobre el campo de investigación y el uso adecuado de los datos obtenidos constituyen precondiciones importantes para el éxito. RESUMES Les méthodologies de recherche appropriées a une evaluation rapide: une éxperience chinoise Les expériences en Chine suggèrtent que la possibilitè et la valeur d'évaluation rapide seraient déterminées par les contraintes méthodologiques opèrant dans la société sous enquête, et le but et le point de l'enqu?te en question. L'auteur souligne qu'une préparation documentarire effectuée auparavant pour la recherche sur place et l'utilisation correcte des données obtenues sont des pré?conditions importantes de succès

The negotiation of marriage in the People's Republic of China.

This thesis, based on documentary sources and a brief period of intensive interviewing in the People's Republic of China, is a study of the new marriage patterns as they have evolved in contemporary China and an analysis of the specific economic and ideological variables working for and against their social change. It examines the processes of change within the institution of marriage itself, in terms of the procedures of negotiation, the criteria governing choice of spouse, the age of marriage and its ritual and ceremonial forms. It argues that the substitution of the ideology of arranged marriage by that of free-choice marriage has not only brought the younger and older generations into direct conflict, but has brought the resources and sanctions of kin and neighbourhood groups into competition with those at the disposal of the State and new political associations. The variety of marriage patterns identified in this thesis derive from patterns of social behaviour evolved in the last two decades to mediate this competition between the generations and between primary and political groups for control of the marriage negotiations. The evidence suggests that these conflicts have been resolved in favour of the older generation and primary groups in rural areas and the younger generation and political associations in the urban social field. This thesis argues that in comparison to urban China, the structure and function of rural households has encouraged the older generation to defy the new ideology and maintain their authority over the marriage procedures, and that the structure and function of primary groups in rural areas has enabled them to retain their controls. In correlating marriage patterns with both social and economic relations within the household and between the household and primary kin or neighbourhood groups, this thesis questions both the analogies drawn from the comparative social fields of Republican China and Taiwan, and many of the factors believed to underlie this process of social change that have been assumed to operate within the People's Republic of China itself

Hearing loss and cognitive decline in the general population: a prospective cohort study

Background: Previous studies identifying hearing loss as a promising modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline mostly adjusted for baseline age solely. As such a faster cognitive decline at a higher age, which is expected considering the non-linear relationship between cognition and age, may have been overlooked. Therefore it remains uncertain whether effects of hearing loss on cognitive decline extend beyond age-related declines of cognitive function. Methods: 3,590 non-demented participants were eligible for analysis at baseline, and a maximum of 837 participants were eligible for the longitudinal analysis. Hearing loss was defined at baseline. Cognitive function was measured at baseline and at follow-up (4.4 years [SD: 0.2]). Multivariable linear regression analysis was used for the cross-sectional analysis. Linear mixed models were used to assess the longitudinal association between hearing loss and cognitive decline over time while adjusting for confounders and the interaction of age and follow-up time. Results: Hearing loss was associated with lower cognitive function at baseline. Moreover, hearing loss was associated with accelerated cognitive decline over time on a memory test. After additionally adjusting for the interaction between age and follow-up time, we found that hearing loss did not accelerate cognitive decline anymore. Conclusions: Hearing loss was associated with lowe

Women's labour, kinship, and economic changes in Jinmen in the era of authoritarian rule

This article uses the life stories of three women in Jinmen to demonstrate women’s economic agency in bettering the livelihood of their families in circumstances largely shaped by Cold War geopolitics and the authoritarian state’s military strategies. It argues that women’s devotion of their labour and earnings to their families was part of the reproductive processes of the kinship system, but also important to their building of social reputation and emotional ties with their loved ones. Moreover, the state’s campaign to protect traditional Chinese culture, framed within bipolar politics, supported the ideological reproduction of women’s primary roles being in the domestic sphere. While the lives of Jinmen civilians were significantly distorted in the Cold War era, their experiences of economic improvement and a certain stability in their ways of life – revolving around kinship – account for the ambivalence they now feel towards the period of authoritarian rule

Workshop to scope and preselect indicators for criterion D3C3 under MSFD decision (EU) 2017/848 (WKD3C3SCOPE)

The workshop to scope and preselect indicators for Descriptor 3 criterion 3 under MSFD Commission Decision (EU) 2017/848 (WKD3C3SCOPE) provided a platform for experts from the EU member states and relevant regional bodies to meet and support development and progress the assessment methodology, based on a request by the EC (DGENV). WKD3C3SCOPE is the first of a series of three workshops (WKD3C3THRESHOLDS and WKSIMULD3) to provide guidance in relation to operational indicators for MSFD D3C3. The workshop was organized as a series of presentations with intermittent group discussions. On the first day of the workshop the participants discussed what defines a ‘healthy population structure’ for species with different life history traits (ToR a). During the following days, the group discussed and identified relevant D3C3 indicators (ToR b) and developed criteria to select among the identified D3C3 indicators to allow further testing and setting of thresholds at WKD3C3THRESHOLDS (ToR c). The participants found that overall, healthy fish stocks are characterized by high productivity, wide age and size structuring in the population, and the ability to quickly recover from disturbances. The groups noted that environmental factors, along with stock biomass and fishing pressure, influence the productivity and health of a stock, with environment playing a particularly large role in the recruitment of short-lived stocks. It was suggested that the age structure of a stock might be more relevant for evaluating the health of long-lived stocks. However, it was acknowledged that not all stocks have sufficient data to evaluate all proposed indicators, and a single indicator is unlikely to suffice for all stocks. Data availability, species- specific factors and regional or sub-regional variation are thus also important considerations. In relation to ToR b, the participants presented their work on potential indicators including: recruitment time-series, proportion of fish larger than the mean size of first sexual maturation, F rec/Fbar, length distribution L 90, relative proportion of old fish above A 90, indicators of spawner quality, and SSB/R. A discussion on pros/cons, benefits to the population of high or low indicator values, benefits supported by empirical evidence, applicability to data-poor stocks and benefits supported by simulation/theoretical considerations followed the presentations. Finally, in relation to ToR c, the difficulty emerged in ranking the indicators alone without considering the data used to estimate them and a new set of evaluation criteria for use in WKD3C3THRESHOLDS were defined. Based on the outputs of the meeting a list of indicators to be further evaluated has been drafted, which also emphasizes the stocks for which studies have empirically demonstrated effects on productivity. In addition to the listed indicators, indicators of genetic diversity and proportion of fish with parasite infestation were mentioned but to the knowledge of the participants, widespread data for these are currently not publicly available.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Amartya Sen's 100 Million Missing Women

Amartya Sen has claimed that women were "missing" in millions from the population totals of Asian countries, in particular. On the basis of various assumptions he calculated that excessive female mortality accounted for a 6-11% deficiency in the total number of women, thus revealing what he called a "terrible story of inequality and neglect". The aim of this paper, written over 10 years later, is to examine the latest trends of female birth and survival in South and East Asia, consider the influences on the situation of economic and cultural factors and to appraise policies aiming to counter excess female mortality. It is suggested that major problems still remain amid what amounts to continent-wide denial by governments, donors, communities and families of excessive female mortality, discrimination and disadvantage.