Rural labor migration and farmers’arrangements of rice production systems in Central China:Insight from the intergenerational division of labor

Rice production is crucial for food security in China,and its relationship with rural labor migration has been studied extensively.Labor migration in rural China has taken new forms in recent years.There has been a discernible trend wherein adult children have started migrating to cities while their elderly parents return to villages to re-engage in on-farm work.The phenomenon has notably shaped the intergenerational division of labor(IDL)within households.However,it remains to be seen how farmers adjust their rice production systems in response to the IDL.The age of 60 years for employment injury insurance is the eligibility threshold for off-farm employment and is used to obtain a source of exogenous variation in the IDL.Based on a representative household survey of 1,752 rice farmers in the Hubei Province of Central China,our fuzzy regression discontinuity analysis reveals that farmers in IDL households are more likely to adopt ratoon rice(RR)than single cropping rice(SR)or double cropping rice(DR).The effect of the IDL varies under different levels of operational scales and specialized agricultural service availability.Further analysis suggests that farmers’arrangements are associated with two potential mechanisms of downward intergenerational transfer.Monetary transfer for urban housing purchases increases RR in IDL households,and time transfer for intergenerational childcare significantly promotes SR in IDL households.This study enhances the understanding of the relationship between rural labor migration and rice production in China,providing a reference for adjusting rice production systems to ensure food security.

Tas the Lewisian Turning Point Arrived in China？- An Empirical Study of China＇s Dual Economy Transition in Labor Market Based on Data of 284 Cities

Labor shortage and the rise of wages in China have generated heated debate on the arrival of the Lewisian Turning Point. Based on an empirical study of macroeconomic data for 284 prefecture-level cities, this paper argues that the dual economy transition in China involves the coexistence of urbanization, industrialization and open economy. However, China has not yet arrived at the Lewisian Turning Point, because wage gaps between different industries and regions still exist and surplus labor is still being attracted to the labor-intensive manufacturing and tertiary industries in the eastern provinces. External economic shock and the mismatch between industrialization and urbanization are the primary causes of the coexistence of labor surplus and labor shortage.

Recommendations for Development of Rural Labor Service Economy from the Perspective of Urban and Rural Integration

Rural labor service economy is a method turning rural surplus human resources to economic resources,to realize increase of social wealth. Developing the rural labor service economy has profound influence on promoting transfer and employment of rural surplus labor,and speeding up industrialization and urbanization. Rural labor service economy is a huge and complex systematic project for promoting urban and rural integrated development and increasing farmers' income. This paper firstly analyzed importance and urgency of accelerating the development of rural labor service economy. From the perspective of urban and rural integration,it came up with pertinent recommendations,including establishing security mechanism and improving rural labor security mechanism,creating preferential conditions and encouraging farmers to return to hometown,exploring potential and promoting nearby labor transfer to promote rapid economic development,improving public employment service system,and cultivating and developing labor market. It is expected to provide certain references.

Re-measuring Status of China＇s High-Tech Industries in International Division of Labor： Applying a Non-Competitive Input-Output Model

Based on a refined ＂non-competitive input-output model,＂ this paper proposes a new framework for analyzing the status of a country＇s high-tech industries in the international division of labor, i.e. calculates the index of＂ weighted value-added productivity ＂ by compiling non-competitive input-output tables which distinguish high-tech industries from traditional industries. The new method effectively avoids ＂statistical illusion＂ which stems from a biased focus on gross exports under intra-product specialization. The empirical study shows that since 1995, the status of China＇s high-tech industries has grown quickly as a result of enhanced labor productivity, but still lags behind those of major developed countries. In addition, the study also suggests that the status of China＇s high-tech industries has been over-estimated using the traditional gross export statistical method.

Differing Effects of Intra-Product International Division of Labor on Technological Progress:Comparing Proactive Participation with Passive Inclusion

This paper has identified two models of intra-product international division of labor:the model of passive inclusion and the model of proactive participation.Their difference is essentially whether participation in international division of labor is dominated by multinational firms or by local firms.At the level of representative sectors,some characteristic variables of participation in international division of labor demonstrate significant industry differences.Models of division of labor affect technology progress.According to the empirical analysis result at the micro-level of four sectors,no matter for export or the contribution of learning by doing to corporate technology progress,the model of proactive participation is superior to the model of passive inclusion;under the model of passive inclusion,the technology spillover effect of import is smaller than "learning by doing " effect;under the model of proactive participation,technology spillover effect is over two times the "learning by doing" effect.

The restructuring of the manufacturing industry and the development of career path:The dual effect of the sharing economy

With the development of information and communications technology,the sharing economy grows dramatically.For example,the transaction value in China’s sharing economy was about 42942 billion RMB in 2018,increased of 41.6%over the previous year.Critique of the sharing economy points that the presence of the sharing economy prevents its traditional counterpart from developing sustainably by creating unemployment in traditional industries related to the sharing economy.This paper is therefore to study the dual effect of the sharing economy on the restructuring the manufacturing industry and the development of career path.By constructing an economic model,we particularly investigate the change in the labor market structure due to the presence of the sharing economy and the welfare in such a case.We show that the presence of the sharing economy can bring two effects,i.e.,DIVERSIFICATION and INCLUSIVENESS,into the workplace,which enriches the job structure and allows more labor with relative low skills to join.Regardless of the labor skill,the rapid development of the sharing economy provides new paths for their career development.In addition,we demonstrate that the above two effects crucially rely on the characteristic of CORRECTNESS of the government’s policy.The results of the theoretical model explain the necessary of promoting moderate sharing economy in terms of career development and can also be applied in the traditional manufacturing industry to explain the effect of the sharing economy on such industry.

Division of labor, perceived labor-related stress and well-being among European couples

Background: The objective of this study was to analyze how involvement in paid and unpaid work and perceived labor-related stress are related to the well-being of married or cohabiting men and women in Europe. Methods: Data from the European Social Survey round two has been used. The sample consists of 5800 women and 6952 men, aged between 18-65 years. Exposure variables were divided into labor involvement, time spent on paid and unpaid work, and labor-related stress. Multiple logistic regressions with 95 % confidence interval were used. Results: Women spent more hours on housework than men did, but fewer hours on paid work. Women tended to perceive higher degrees of housework-related stress than men did. Furthermore, women who experienced houseworkrelated stress tended to have higher odds of reporting a low level of perceived well-being than men, while men had higher odds of reporting a low level of perceived well-being when they experienced work/family conflicts. Conclusion: For both men and women, the perceptions of labor involvement are of more importance for the well-being than the actual time spent on paid and unpaid work. This implies that, when studying the relationship between labor involvement and well-being, perceived stress should be considered.

Causes of the exchange rate with the U.S. trade deficit

With debate that the U.S. trade deficit is due to overestimate exchange rate of RMB, the paper pointed out that exchange rate is not the main factor for the formation of balance of payments on trade. U.S. trade deficit is largely due to the current international monetary system, international division of labor and the trade structure determined by it, low savings rates and other factors.

Intrafloral differentiation of stamens in heterantherous flowers

Flowers that have heteromorphic stamens （heterantherous flowers） have intrigued many researchers ever since the phenomenon was discovered in the 19th century. The morphological differentiation in androecia has been suggested as a reflection of ＂labor division＂ in pollination in which one type of stamens attracts pollinators and satisfies their demand for pollen as food and the other satisfies the plant＇s need for safe gamete dispersal. The extent and patterns of stamen differentiation differ notably among taxa with heterantherous flowers. Seven species with heteromorphic stamens in three genera were sampled from Leguminosae and Melastomataceae, and the morphological difference of androecia, pollen content, pollen histochemistry and viability, pollen micro- morphology, as well as the main pollinators were examined and compared. Pollen number differs significantly between stamen sets of the same flower in most species investigated, and a correlation of pollen number and anther size was substantiated. Higher pollen viabilities were found in the long （pollinating） stamens of Senna alata （L.） Roxb. and S. bicapsularis （L.） Roxb. Dimorphic pollen exine ornamentation is reported here for the first time in Fordiophytonfaberi Stapf. The height of stigma and anther tips of the long stamens in natural conditions was proved to be highly correlated, supporting the hypothesis that they contact similar areas of the pollinator＇s body.

Effect of Larval Topical Application of Juvenile Hormone on Caste Determination in the Independent-Founding Eusocial Wasp <i>Mischocyttarus consimilis</i>(Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Eusocial wasps are excellent models for understanding polyethism and division of labor among castes in social insects. However, little is known about the mechanisms controlling caste determination in eusocial wasps. Evidence suggests that the phenotype of queens in independent-founding (IF) eusocial wasps of the subfamily Polistinae can be partly fixed in the larval stage;however, this hypothesis has not yet been investigated. In this study we evaluate whether juvenile hormone (JH) affects pre-imaginal caste determination in the IF eusocial wasp Mischocyttarus consimilis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Analyzing morphometric and behavioral data, we demonstrated experimentally that females emerging from larvae that were treated with JH in the third instar had a significantly larger body size, spent more time in the nest, and were subject to less physical aggression from nestmates compared with females emerging from untreated control larvae. These results indicate that phenotype differences among castes in IF eusocial wasps can be partly fixed in the pre-adult stage and influenced by variations in the JH titer.

An Interpretation of The Song of the Lark From the Marxist Feminism

The Song of the Lark tells the story of young girl Thea who doesn’t give up and achieves her wish when faced with all sorts of setbacks. Based on the Marxist feminism, this paper is going to study the differences that the female and male characters have experienced both in family and society in order to find out the root of females’oppressed status and reveal Cather’s writing in? tention—provide a possible way of improving the dilemma of women caused by capitalist ideology and the patriarchal ideology.

Model Equilibrium and Empirical Study of Rural Labor Transfer

We establish the two-sector economy model including the urban sector and the rural sector, derive the labor demand curve of the urban sector and rural sector under the condition of balanced production decisions with benefit maximization, and analyze the labor flow when in the short-term or long-term two-sector economic equilibrium. The results show that rising wages caused by short-term internal and external impact increases the pressure on the employment in two sectors, and the urban sector is difficult to absorb the surplus labor of the rural sector. However, under the conditions of free flow of factors and fully competitive market, the wage variation arising from the long-term endogenous evolution, leads to inversely proportional relationship between the demand for labor in the urban and rural sectors, which is conducive to the transfer of rural labor force. Based on microeconomic survey data of labor flow in urban-rural coordination experimental zones in Chongqing City, this paper makes an empirical study of the main factors having a short-term impact on the labor transfer, and the results show that education level and the opportunity to participate in the training are important factors.

Gap between Urban and Rural Economic Development in Less Developed Areas——A Case of Northern Jiangsu Area,China

Taking northern Jiangsu area as an example,economic disparity between urban and rural areas is described according to the data in 2000-2009 Jiangsu Statistical Yearbook.Result shows that there are significant differences in the rural and urban economic development in less developed areas,which are mainly reflected in the differences in per capita income,living standard,and Engel coefficient.Reasons for urban and rural economic disparity in less developed areas are analyzed.The asymmetry and immobility of rural and urban resources have objectively caused the income gap between urban and rural residents;urban industrial development,which is faster than agricultural development,has widened the income gap between urban and rural residents;and the differences in comparative labor productivity in rural and urban areas have enlarged their income gap.Countermeasures to minimize the urban and rural economic development gap are put forward,such as deepening the reform,realizing the free flow of economic resources between urban and rural areas,developing rural areas through urban development,exerting the function of urban areas in the coordinated development of urban and rural areas,paying attention to the agriculture and rural areas,and improving the comparative labor productivity of agriculture.

Reflections on,and Improvements of,the Mediation Functions of People's Assessors

Legislatively,the people’s assessors are defined as individuals who share judicial power.However,in the context of dispute resolutions,their role is restricted by the courts,which affects the extent of their assessorial activities.It is imperative to reconsider the implications of the people’s assessors’deep involvement in mediation from the standpoint of societal division of labor.To enhance this division of labor,it is advisable that the people’s assessors relinquish their mediation roles.It is necessary to redefine the distinctions between people’s assessors,judges,and people’s mediators,including specially invited mediators.This would not only make up the deficiencies in the role of professional judges but also relieve the tension between judicial professionalism and popular accountability.

The Role of the European Union in Socio-economic Integration of Immigrants Residing in Azerbaijan: Current Problems, Tendencies, and Perspectives

The chosen study mainly concerns on the migration issue,which has become a phenomenon in the European Union’s political economy in the contemporary era,within the recent years,which identifies the role of migrants in Azerbaijani labor market and other areas of economic integration involving the current trends,challenges,and perspectives in the political or socio-economic fields.The long-brewing Civil War in Syria created a large-scale trajectory of migrants,resulting in a massive influx of refugees from Turkey to Greece and then to Germany.Recently,the issue of migration is now transforming into a phenomenon among the member states of the European Union prompting them to take immediate action and make crucial decisions in the country’s political economy.As a result,modern migration can play a pivotal role both for the EU and for Azerbaijan in the direction of flow of people,capital and services,remittances,improving socio-economic well-being and the cheap labor force in the international labor market.The key criterion of the study is to identify specific ways in which persons or migrants who are involved in the migration process can be able to also contribute to the sustainable economic development of the region by positively influencing IDPs on the local population,labor market activities,and overall political and economic activity.The main idea behind the research is to investigate the economic integration of immigrants in Azerbaijan through its original theoretical and empirical study of migration that plays an important role in the EU’s political economy.The research aims to better regulate labor migration processes in Azerbaijan with the help of the European Union and to optimize the impact on labor productivity in the country by providing economic integration of migrants in the local labor market.The main focus of this study is to identify the role of the European Union in the economic integration of immigrants in Azerbaijan,the legal migration and migration process,based on the Joint Declaration on Resettlement Partnership launched between the EU and Azerbaijan.

Why the Yangzi Delta Did Not Become Industrialized： A Comparative Analysis of Economic Developments in China＇s Yangzi Delta Region and Great Britain

The development of the family-based handicraft industry in the Yangzi delta provided supplementary income and employment opportunities to auxiliary family members. But it did not replace subsistence farming as the primary method in which peasants made their living, and more importantly, it did not allow China to close the gap in the great divergence with the West. So why didn＇t the cotton-based handicraft industry catapult the Yangzi delta region into the modem era of industrialization？ Why did the handicraft industry merely serve as a supplementary rather than an alternative means of livelihood？ To understand the reasons why the handicraft industry did not transform China into an industrial and urban nation, it is important to examine the constraints in which population growth and land intensification had imposed on the peasants of the delta. These factors combined with the favorable geographical environment and commercial opportunities for trade in other regions, forced peasants to adopt the family-based handicraft industry as a supplementary source of income for survival. While the impact-response model may have suggested that it was the inability of the handicraft spinners and weavers to compete against British machines and the subsequent drop in cotton prices, a China-centered approach advocated by Paul Cohen would suggest domestic factors such as rapid population growth due to changes in taxation policies and the diminishing rate of return in labor, and the insufficient production office and grain may have been the real reasons that prevented the handicraft industry from developing into an alternative for farming.

Learning by Doing Effect in North South Trade under the Global Value Chains： An Empirical Analysis of Various Industries in the U.S.

This paper studies the division of labor and economic development under global value chains in North South trade by mainly investigating the changes of production hours and cost per unit along with more and more output and increasing trade value in several industries in the U.S., because the U. S. is at the leading position in the division of labor by global value chains. The empirical evidence reveals that more international outsourcing, there will be more detailed division of labor, and the industry unit production time and production cost will show more declining trend year by year. This is consistent with that the global value chains and the outsourcing play more and more important roles in the international division of labor and economic growth in both developed and developing countries, and helps explain the integration of workforce across countries in the global value chains.

The Road to the Integration of International Migrants： The Case of the Work Integration Social Enterprises

This paper reports some first results obtained from a study conducted on work integration social enterprises （WISEs） in the framework of the social and solidarity economy （SSE） and the integration of international migrants. WISEs, as hybrid transit companies, go beyond a pure economic rationale, enabling labor and social inclusion for disadvantaged groups, international migrants included, through an insertion process in a real job performance environment. Therefore, WISEs should be understood as valuable mechanisms for achieving optimal levels of personal empowerment and social and labor integration in their active use and enhancement of these employees＇ capacities and competences. All of these aspects of WISEs have an impact on social justice in helping construct a more inclusive growth and society and foster the integration of international migrants.

Piercing the Veil of the Disharmony of Edna's Marriage and Family

The paper aims mainly at deploring the reasons of the disharmony in marriage and family life of Edna, the heroine of Kate Chopin's The Awakening by analyzing the traditional social labor division and procreation concept. And it is the unbalanced social labor division and the patriarchal procreation conception that caused the alienation between the husband and wife rather than the capriciousness of female.

中国OFDI对外贸高质量发展的影响路径研究

外贸高质量发展是现代化经济体系建设的重要内容。本文从外贸规模、外贸结构、外贸竞争力和外贸可持续性4个层面构建了外贸高质量发展的评价指标体系,并采用熵值法对OFDI促进外贸高质量发展的产业路径和技术路径展开理论和实证分析。研究表明:我国OFDI能显著促进外贸高质量发展;产业结构升级和技术进步的中介效应显著存在。为推动我国外贸实现高质量发展,政府应进一步完善相关政策措施,促进企业对外直接投资,不断深化产业转型、技术创新等保障机制改革;企业则应加大对自身技术的研发投入,加大对知识和技术密集型行业的对外投资,并加强企业之间的合作交流。