Welfare effects of rural-urban land conversion on different aged land-lost farmers:exemplified in Wuhan city

Rural-urban land conversion is a universal phenomenon in the rapid process of economic development and urban growth.The welfare of farmers who lost their farmland attracted a widespread concern within the society and academia.However,further research about differentiated policies according to the characteristics of different farmer groups is still need to be conducted.This article divides the land-lost farmers into three age groups:younger than 45,45-65,and more than 65.It proposes a welfare index system including eight functional areas based on different age groups of affected farmers,taking four districts of Wuhan City as case study area.Fuzzy mathematics method is used to derive the aggregated welfare effect index.Our analysis show that the overall welfare levels of land-lost farmers of all age groups declined,but with a varying degree,with the level of welfare in those farmers who are 45-65 years old,younger than 45 years old,and older than 65 years old decreased by 18.7%,16.6%,and 12.7%,respectively.The direction and degree of effects on the functional activity index varies among different groups.Economic conditions,living environment,health,and social participation of all age groups decrease while social security and housing conditions increase.On the other hand,development opportunities,social communication,and leisure have different changing directions in different age stages.These results call for differentiated and tailor-made compensation policies for land-lost farmers,towards improving the welfare levels of all farmers and reduce the disparity among them.

Evaluation and welfare effect of coordinated ecological development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region

Regional coordinated ecological development is a new form of regional coordinated development that aims to construct an ecological civilization in the“new normal”period.The coordinated ecological development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei(BTH)region is especially significant because this region is leading the overall coordinated development and reform in China.Based on complex system theory,synergetics,and the ecological civilization and green development ideas of the“new normal”period,we constructed a regional ecological synergy measurement model that scientifically evaluates the dynamic evolution of the BTH ecological synergy level from 2006 to 2018.Using an econometric model,we also analyzed the welfare effect and the regional heterogeneity of ecological synergy in regional development.First,it was found that in general,the degree of ecological synergy in BTH increased yearly up to 2018 with a strong development trend.The speed of ecological synergy in the Tianjin-Hebei and Beijing-Hebei subsystems was accelerating during that period,but the development potential of the ecological synergy in Beijing-Tianjin was insufficient and slow-growing.Second,whereas Beijing had entered the stage of moderate coordinated ecological development,Tianjin and Hebei remained in the low level of coordinated development;moreover,the coordinated development was unstable.The uneven development of the internal subsystems in BTH restricted the development of the cooperative effect and the overall development of the region.Third,improving the degree of ecological synergy significantly benefited the social and economic welfare in BTH.Finally,the welfare effect of the degree of ecological synergy showed a significant regional heterogeneity,being significantly higher in Tianjin and Hebei than in Beijing.This result indicates that improving the ecological synergy can narrow the development gaps between Tianjin,Hebei,and Beijing.To further improve the level of regional ecological synergy,we should innovate the coordinated model of regional development,implement the collaborative ecological development model,generate new growth drivers for the green development of BTH based on a reasonable division of labor,difference positioning,and active integration,create a soft environment for an innovation ecosystem that promotes regional ecological synergy,and build a regional innovation ecosystem led by Beijing and Xiongan.Next,we should establish a balanced regional-interest mechanism with ecological environmental protection that supports regional green and high-quality development.

Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages in China:By volume or sugar content? A consumer welfare approach

Using scanner data on the consumption of packaged liquid beverages by Chinese urban households,we estimated the price elasticity of various beverages and compared the effects of volume-based versus sugar-content-based taxation strategies on consumer welfare.Compared to the volume-based tax,the sugar-content-based beverage tax was predicted to cost less in compensating variation under the same amount of sugar reduced,indicating that taxation based on sugar content may be more efficient in preserving consumer welfare.Further comparison across different socioeconomic groups reveals that,given current beverage consumption status in China,the efficiency advantage of the sugar-content-based taxation strategy is more pronounced than that of the volume-based taxation.Our conclusions can provide insights for the food industry and the government to reduce the sugar content in beverages.