Month: December 2015

URBANIZING PEASANT WORKERS IN CHINA

Yuheng LI

Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Yurui LI

Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Yansui LIU

College of Resources Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research,  Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A Datun Road, Chaoyang District Beijing 100101, China
liuys@igsnrr.ac.cn
(corresponding author)

Abstract

The paper aims to comment on China’s ambition to urbanize 300 million peasant workers as a main task in realizing its urban dream. It investigates the severe peasant-workers related problems and points out that local government’s financial capacity, peasant workers’ vocational skills, social inclusion and degrading countryside are challenging the sustainable urban and rural development in China and need properly treated. The paper proposes possible ways for policy implications and highlights the importance of coherently promoting both classified urbanization and ruralization in China in the future.

Keywords: Urbanization, peasant workers, ruralization, China

JEL classification: R11, R12
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THE SPATIAL DIMENSION OF ENVIRONMENT-RELATED ATTITUDES: DOES URBAN OR RURAL ORIGIN MATTER?

Maria GOULA

Environmental Education Centre of Makrinitsa, Greece
airamgl@yahoo.gr

Christos Ap. LADIAS

Panteion University, Department of Economic and Regional Development, Athens, Greece,
caladias@otenet.gr

Olga GIOTI-PAPADAKI

Panteion University, Department of Economic and Regional Development, Athens, Greece,
opapadak5@gmail.com

Nikolaos HASANAGAS

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Forest Administration, Forest Office of Pertouli, Greece
n.hasanagas@gmail.com

Abstract

Aim of this research is to analyze the role of the urban or rural origin of students in their environment-related attitudes. Standardized questionnaires were completed by 315 students of environment-related departments (Forestry, Farming Enterprise Management, Crop Production and Landscape Architecture), originating from various villages, towns and cities of Greece. The research was conducted from 2007 to 2013. Spearman test (bivariate correlation) was used and in-depth interviews were conducted. The following results have derived: The environmental profiles (more anthropocentric or eco-centric) as well as the susceptibility to hunting do not depend on the origin. The organized involvement in environment-related issues (participation in associations) is more restricted in rural-originated interviewees. They latter also present a greater tendency to abuse animals than the urban-originated students. Interviewees of both urban and rural origin appear to be similarly receptive (or critical) to the institutional necessity of the Ministry of Environment. Urban interviewees are more familiar with certain environmental policy concepts (e.g. “environmental education”, “biodiversity problem”) while rural-originated students are less receptive (or more deconstructive) to these. The perception of naturalness appears to be quite independent of the origin. The attractiveness of certain environmental elements is differentiated between urban- and rural-originated students, depending on either the feeling of familiarity or on the need of escaping from anxiety or monotony. The way of familiarization with the notion of “forest” does not markedly differ between rural- and urban-originated interviewees (the urban-originated ones are more influenced by comics). Rural-originated students tend to consider their study as a practical training while urban students as a science, mainly focusing on physico-biological subjects. Issues such as the propagandistic instrumentalization of the notion of “environmental problem”, the deconstructive or defensive discourse toward “environmental issues”, perception of landscape, in-situ experience, and universal aesthetic values in relation to origin are discussed.

Keywords: environmental attitudes, family-related and region-related origin, environmental education

JEL classification: Q5, R2
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CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE ALGERIAN STRATEGY FOR LOCAL WASTE MANAGEMENT: THE CASE OF THE PROVINCE OF TIZI-OUZOU

Arezki CHENANE

Maître assistant, Faculté des sciences Economiques, Commerciales et des Sciences de Gestion, UMMTO
chenanearezki@gmail.com

Lamara HADJOU

Maître de conférences, Faculté des Sciences Economiques, Commerciales et des Sciences de Gestion, UMMTO
lhadjou@yahoo.fr

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide an assessment of the Algerian policy of local waste management. Through a series of semi-direct interviews with a number of local actors (politicians, mayors, development agents) in three of the largest municipalities (local authority) of the province of Tizi-ouzou, we looked, first to analyze the degree of the efficiency of local policies and secondly, to provide a measure of the costs of the local waste management. Bottlenecks at the local level as well as at the national level are highlighted. Our research attempts, in the last point, to identify two possible ways of improving the local waste management through inter-municipal cooperation and rationalization of waste management costs.

Keywords: environment, local management, waste, Algeria

JEL classification: H7, Q5, O2
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