The Ban on Illegal Mining in Ghana: Environmental and Socio-Economic Effect on Local Communities

The study was conducted to assess the effects of small-scale (artisanal) gold mining and its social and economic implications on the people in Amansie West District of Ghana. The artisanal gold mining communities were studied using secondary data from scholarly articles and journals, books, conference papers, research reports, policy documents, working papers, and briefs. Descriptive and systematic analyses were conducted. The result indicated that youth aged between 21 - 30 were most likely to engage in illegal mining operations in the selected study areas. The study revealed that farmland had been destroyed, making farming difficult for the inhabitants. It is evident from the review that dug-out pits from mining serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes and death traps for humans. The study, therefore, accentuates the need for illegal small-scale gold mining to be formalised and strategic interventions and policies proposed for the protection of Ghana’s Natural resources. Furthermore, community members should be involved in policy-making and environmental protection issues to help control the menace of landscape destruction. Although the ban on illegal gold mining activity by the government has caused more people to lose their jobs leading to livelihood challenges in mining communities, it is a step in the right direction, as the ban seeks to halt and check the illegal small-scale mining sector. The study recommended alternative livelihood and income-generating projects such as beekeeping, mushroom culture, grasscutter rearing, and agroforestry technologies including the growth of economic fruit trees as alternative livelihood ventures.

Identification of Heterogeneity of Social and Economic Environment of Land Uses in China

The robust principal component analysis （RPCA） is a technique of multivariate statistics to assess the social and economic environment quality. This paper aims to explore a RPCA algorithm to analyze the spatial heterogeneity of social and economic environment of land uses （SEELU）. RPCA supplies one of the most efficient methods to derive the most important components or factors affecting the regional difference of the social and economic environment. According to the spatial distributions of the levels of SEELU,the total land resources of China were divided into eight zones numbered by Ⅰ to Ⅷ which spatially referred to the eight levels of SEELU.

Effects of Social and Economic Development of Regions Surrounding Chao Lake on Water Quality Change of Chao Lake

The research analyzed social and economic development around Chao Lake as well as changes of water quality in Chao Lake and explored the relation- ships of local population and GDP with water chemical oxygen demand （COD）, total phosphorus （TP）, total nitrogen （TN）, chlorophyll and eutrophication index. The re- sults showed that population around Chao Lake and GDP kept growing from 2001 to 2013, and water quality was improving. In addition, correlation analysis indicated that except of water eutrophication, GDP and population showed inverse correlation with other indices, demonstrating that water quality has been effectively controlled in Chao Lake recently.

Relationship Between Social Economic Agglomeration and Labor Productivity of Core Cities in Northeast China

Dalian, Shenyang, Changchun and Harbin are the four core cities which play an essential role in terms of promoting the economic development in Northeast China. In this paper, the impact of urban agglomeration on labor productivity is explored by making comparisons among these four cities. The model used for analysis is a classical model derived from previous studies. Some indicators, such as population density and economic density, were selected to examine the impact of urban agglomeration on the labor productivity based on the time-series data for the four cities from 1990 to 2007. The four main conclusions are： l） The promotion from the growth rate of population density on the growth rate of labor productivity is limited. 2） The negative relationship exists between the growth rate of employment density and the growth rate of labor productivity. 3） Agglomeration effect exists in the four cities, the highest one is Dalian, Shenyang takes the second place, followed by Changchun and Harbin, and the predominant promotion exerted on the labor productivity is the output density.

IMMIGRATION, GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION AND SOCIAL ECONOMIC STATUS OF AMERICAN CHINESE

In 1994, the total Chinese population in the United States were 2,017,799 which were 0.8 percent of the total US population. The Chinese population were highly concentrated by regions and among the total population. By states, 42 percent of total Chinese population were found in California, 17 percent in New York. More than 80 percent total Chinese population were concentrated in 9 states. By metropolitan areas, 14.73 percent of total Chinese population were found in Los Angeles and New York respectively. Compared with the total US population, 60 percent Chinese population were found in less than 20 percent total US population and 80 percent in 50 percent. By studying the Chinese population distribution and the reason behind it, we hope to find some interesting relationships among the characteristics of this distribution and the historical, cultural, social and economic factors influencing it.

Statistical Communique of the People's Republic of China on the 1998 National Economic and Social Development

In 1998, facing the complicated and severe domestic and internationaleconomic environment, people of all nationalities, under the correct lead-ership of the Central Party Committee and the State Council, implement-ed a series of policies aiming at increasing input and expanding domesticdemand. Difficulties brought about by the Asian financial crisis and dev-astating flooding were overcome, various reforms were further deepened,and economic growth was promoted, resulting in great achievements at-tracting worldwide attention.

Economic and Social Impact Assessment of the Alternatives to DDT Usage for Antifouling Paint Production in China

China is the only nation that uses DDT in antifouling pain at present, approximately 5% of DDT is applied as the additive of the antifouling paint production. Therefore, actions shall be taken urgently for banning the use of DDT and substituting with non-POPs alternatives in antifouling paints. The paper researches the social and economic backgrounds of DDT booster antifouling paint production and usage, analyzes the social and economic impact assessment of the alternatives to DDT usage for antifouling paint. The implementation of the project of alternatives will completely eliminate the adverse impact of DDT booster antifouling paint on terrestrial, marine ecosystem and human health. The broad use of alkali silicate and pepper alkali as substitutes will be feasible if appropriate measures will be taken to encourage their development, and the social and economic risk will be reduced to accepted levels.

The Way of the Social and Economic Development of China An Attempt of Historical and Synthetic Representation

The issue of social and economic development is an important part of theoretical and empirical research of the contemporary economy. China is an example of an economy which in a short period of time achieved success within this scope. Therefore it seems to be justified to draw the reader＇s attention to the factors and determinants which may be regarded as the key ones for the economy of China, both in the period of 1949-1978, namely, in the period of real socialism, and in the period after 1978, so-called ＂socialist market economy＂ to date. On the basis of an analysis of Polish and foreign reference sources and source materials, the author tried to trace both similarities and differences in China＇s economic development over those two periods, first of all paying attention to the Chinese authorities＇ pragmatism of governing in the other period, accompanied by limiting ideological influences. Maintaining the socialist system, in that period China worked out its own, specific principles, and rules of internal activities and activities in the international arena, which enabled to it the creation of a model, especially for developing countries, the system of economic planning and programming, its constant modernization during the implementation of economic tasks, with the consideration given to changing conditionings in the world economy. It was pointed out that with maintaining the laboriousness of the Chinese and their loyalty to authority, they make up China＇s economic power. The aim of the article is to pay special attention to the circumstances, phenomena, conditionings, and factors which occurred on the way to the social and economic development of China, which enabled it to achieve the economic success in a relatively short period of time. This success can be expressed by such indicators as for instance the poverty rate, the unemployment rate, gross domestic product, the value of export, and the value of foreign direct investment as well as other factors.

E-Government in Social and Economic Development： The Asymmetric Roles of Information, Institutionalization and Diffusion

There are documented differences between the success and failure factors in the developed and developing countries with regard to the adoption and embracement of Openness in e-Government practice models. This paper posits that e-Government constitutes a critical context for social and economic development in both developed and developing countries. The paper also suggests that e-Government encompasses more than just technology, that is, attempts to highlight the social and economic implications of changes that have occurred in recent years as a result of the transparency and accountability of government and how software usage can influence digital inclusion, trust and privacy and possible strategies to eliminate the digital divide by encouraging greater public and commercial use and re-use of government information through putting govermnent data on the Web. In addition to leveraging economic development, e-Government also helps to stream line govemment services to more social based values of inclusion and citizens＇ participation, accessibility and power relationship ratios. Although e-Government is not a new phenomenon in most developed countries such as the US, UK, Japan, most of the European countries and some developing countries in Asia and Africa which have already announced their Open Government Initiatives and data portals it also leads to greater information asymmetry among citizens and government and also, institutionalization and diffusion asymmetry of the practice of the current Openness in e-Government models within developed and developing countries. Drawing on organizational decision-making research and following the explorative and grounded based research approach the findings of this research are that the information asymmetry between citizens and government and asymmetry in institutionalization and diffusion within developed and developing countries are widely attributed to socio-economic and political variations in developed and developing countries. Unless these differences are skill fully identified and accommodated as such into the development and use models, Openness in e-Government efforts would not help achieve the social and economic development goals by both developed and developing countries.

The Influence of Expressway on Social and Economic Development

With the rapid growth in length of expressway, there is a Closer relation between expressway and social and economic development. Through detailed statistics and data, the paper explains the relationship of expressway and social and economic development, and analyzes the influence on social and economic development.

Modern Electronic Information Industry to Promote Economic and Social Information—An Interview with Electronics Industry Minister Hu Qili

Spurred by the world information tide, China has organized a series of information projects, called the "Three Gold" projects. Recently I had an interview with Mr. Hu Qili, Minister of Electronics Industry, about the establishment of China’s modern Electronic Information Industry. Mr. Hu told me that information is the mark of development of a modern society and electronics is the major means of carrying information. Establishing

Social and Economic Bene-fits of the West-East Gas Pipeline Project

On July 4 2002, a project attracting world attention, i.e., the West-East Gas Pipeline Project was declared in full-scale commencement. The project will write history with its enormous social and economic benefits.

An Exploration of the Economic Significance of Social Security

The modem social security carries some elements of humanitarianism or social stability, but it is more an economic means. It can reduce overproduction, increase effective demand and facilitate the balance between the demand and supply, and prevent the frequent occurrence of economic crisis. All the creatures of the God are there for a reason. The amount of production is based on the amount of currency. But some parts of currency are transformed into savings, and savings cannot be turned into investment immediately. The entailing overproduction breaks the balance between the demand and supply, and results in economic crisis. In modem society, it is the social security or those ＂lazy bones＂ that represses and eliminates the overproduction, which can be expressed by the equation： Savings = Investment ＋ Social security （consumption）. In this way, the balance between the demand and supply is realized.and the social production and life can continue in a normal way.

Regulatory Targets and Major Tacks for Economic and Social Development

The year 1998 was very unusual.Faced with the impact of the asian financial crisis,the central authorities resolutely made the

Five Years after the Entry of Force of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic,Social and Cultural Rights: Some Observations

The optional Protocol to the international covenant on economic, Social and cultural Right was adopted in 2008 and entered into force in 2013? During the five years after its entry into force, 23 States have ratified the optional Protocol, and 23 individual communications have been submitted to the committee on economic,Social and cultural Rights? comparing with the acceptance of individual communication procedures under other core international human rights treaties, the record of ratification of the optional Protocol is not satisfactory? in its examination of individual communications,the committee on economic, Social and cultural Rights has made detailed reasoning, extensively referred to its previous general comments, and in case of violations found, suggested both specific and general remedies? in its practice of examining individual communications, the committee on economic, Social and cultural Rights needs to clarify and define the rights under the covenant and their corresponding obligations, while maintaining its nature and role as a supervisory body, without expanding its competence to an unacceptable extent?

Study on the Impact of Beijing-Shanghai Highspeed Railway on Highquality Economic and Social Development

Based on the new development concept in China's new stage of high-quality development,this paper qualitatively analyzes the impact of Beijing-Shanghai Highspeed Railway(HSR)on high-quality economic and social development.We select the data of areas along Beijing-Shanghai HSR and adjacent unopened areas for quantitative comparative study,and summarize the important demonstration and enlightenment role of Beijing-Shanghai HSR.The results show that Beijing-Shanghai HSR,as an important national infrastructure project,not only improves the travel quality of people,but also drives the high-quality economic and social development,which is of great significance in promoting the formation of a new pattern of high-quality development along the line,especially in promoting green development.