When is brokerage negatively associated with economic benefits? Ethnic diversity,competition, and common-pool resources

There is a growing body of literature positively linking dimensions of social capital to economic benefits. Yet recent research also points to a potential “dark side” of social capital, where over-embeddedness in networks and the pressures associated with brokerage are hypothesized to constrain actors, having a negative effect on economic outcomes. This dichotomy suggests that context is important, yet the overwhelming majority of existing empirical evidence stems from socially homogenous populations in corporate and organizational settings, limiting a broader understanding of when and how context matters. We advance this discourse to a socially fragmented, ethnically diverse common-pool resource system where information is highly valuable and competition is fierce. Merging several unique datasets from Hawaii's pelagic tuna fishery, we find that network prominence, i.e., being well connected locally, has a significant, positive effect on economic productivity. In contrast, we find that brokerage, defined here as ties that bridge either structurally distinct or ethnically distinct groups, has a significant, negative effect. Taken together, our results provide empirical support to widespread claims of the value of information access in common-pool resource systems, yet suggest that in ethnically diverse, competitive environments, brokers may be penalized for sharing information across social divides. Our results thus contribute to an emerging theory on the fragile nature of brokerage that recognizes its potential perils and the importance of context.     

西南边境民族地区高校大学生思想道德教育研究——基于云南省的实证分析

当前云南边境民族地区高校大学生思想道德素质总体态势良好。但由于社会转型、境外意识形态强势渗透、高校思想政治教育针对性和实效性不强以及大学生自律理性偏弱等,导致了部分学生理想信念缺失、功利性特征明显、道德认知与道德实践明显脱节等问题的出现。坚持用社会主义核心价值体系引领当代大学生、不断完善高校思想政治理论课的教育内容、加大高校德育的实践力度、培养一支立场坚定、愿意扎根边疆的教师队伍以及强化公民教育,塑造责任公民,是现实的客观要求和有效的解决途径。     

论WTO《SPS协定》“适用地区”条款及我国的对策

WTO《实施卫生与植物卫生措施协定》(Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosani-tary Measures,简称SPS协定)第六条"适应地区条件"将地区划分为"疫病非疫区"和"低度流行区",由于该条在解释上留有一定的弹性并且国际社会缺乏统一的规范文件,致使适用时出现了许多问题。该条规定的价值取向是既要保护本国或地区内的人员或动植物免受其他地区病虫害之威胁,又要促进成员方国际贸易的发展。要同时实现这两种目标,建立病虫害非疫区并赋予成员方根据其适当保护水平之需要确定合适的贸易地区之权利不失为一种可行的办法。我国应以SPS委员会的各项相关制度为根据,加强与相关国际组织的联系,积极研究我国主要农产品进出口成员之卫生和植物卫生状况和适当保护水平,在此基础上完善对病虫害非疫区或低度流行区承认的法律制度,促进我国对外贸易的发展。     

浅析廊坊市加快科学发展的思路及措施

主要从思想建设、产业结构调整、城乡一体化方面探讨廊坊市抓住发展机遇,加快科学发展的思路。     

简论侗族的民族品德

侗族以族群的智慧创造了丰富多彩的文化艺术,拥有本民族突出的社会生活价值观。重义轻利、克己利人、热心公益是侗族人最为突出的传统美德。宽容儒雅、趋静求稳、崇尚和谐是侗族最为基本的民族品性。     

开创风物传说研究的新格局——评陈金文先生新著《壮族风物传说的文化研究》

陈佥文先生长期致力于民间传说研究，其新著《壮族风物传说的文化研究》以文化学为理论视角，系统、深入地研究壮族风物传说，开创了民间风物传说研究的新格局。     

Ethnic appeal: A self-defense tool for Kenyan politicians

So far, analyses of apologetic rhetoric strategies as used by individuals or organizations to respond to accusations of wrongdoing have been concentrated in the West. An analysis of political apologia in an African setting – in this case Kenya – reveals that while Kenyan politicians have used denial, victimization, mortification, and counterattacking among other self-defense strategies, one particular strategy emerges as the most commonly used by Kenyan politicians – ethnic appeal.     

农民主体意识与农村公共文化服务体系的构建

农村公共文化服务体系建设是社会转型期推动社会主义文化大发展的背景下提出来的，强调农民在农村公共文化服务体系建设过程中的主体性地位以及政府、市场、社会三者在公共文化服务供给过程中的协调合作。在农村公共文化服务体系建设中存在农民的主体性缺失以及农民主体性实现缺乏应有制度保障、建构主体社会责任的缺失等问题。但以往研究并未对此给予足够关注。因此，可以考虑从建构主体社会责任意识强化、农民主体性实现及制度保障等角度做进一步研究。     

Diglossia and identity in Northeast Thailand: Linguistic,social, and political hierarchy

The paper explores diglossic relations between Central Thai and phasa isan, a variety officially known as a dialect of Thai, but linguistically close to Lao. Phasa isan is spoken by almost one‐third of Thailand's population but its speakers in the Northeast are often stigmatized as uneducated and backward. We conducted field research mainly among university students in Ubon Ratchathani, a northeastern border province, by drawing upon data from survey questionnaires, reflective essays, interviews, and field observations. The findings suggest a transitional diglossic relationship in which Central Thai is the High and phasa isan the Low variety. These relationships are discussed in terms of nationalism, social hierarchy, and language maintenance and shift.     

新农合对四川藏区的减贫效应分析

The New Rural Cooperative Medi-cal System ( hereafter NRCMS) in Tibetan areas of Sichuan was started in Wenchuan in 2005 , and by 2008 covered all of the province’s Tibetan areas. This paper studies the effects of the NRCMS on im-proving the health of and alleviating poverty for farmers and herdsmen in Tibetan area of Sichuan. Most parts of the Tibetan areas of Sichuan are located in high altitude districts. Thirty two coun-ties of these areas are classified as “National Pov-erty Counties”. Poverty and disease go hand in hand in these regions. Kashin-Beck disease and hydatid disease are the major endemics in the pas-toral and agro-pastoral areas of Sichuan. Endemic, infectious and chronic diseases are widespread in Sichuan’s Tibetan areas. More than 70% of pa-tients are workers from 20 to 60 years old. Disea-ses are more prevalent in women than in men. Kashin-Beck disease and hydatid disease are cur-rently incurable. Patients suffer from health prob-lems, which leads to a decrease in their income and the heavy burden of medical expenses. The new rural cooperative medical system alleviates the negative effects of farmers’ falling into, or back in-to poverty due to disease. However, the existing medical compensation mechanism is not sufficient to solve the problem. The greatest impact of NRCMS on the farmers and herdsmen in Sichuan’s Tibetan areas is that the system has gradually changed local people’s medi-cal behavior, as well as their underlying ideas a-bout medicine: they begin to believe in hospitals. In particular, more pregnant women are choosing to give birth in hospitals, which reduces the rate of infant mortality and postpartum diseases, and im-proves the health of women. Since the full coverage of the NRCMS in 2008 , the number of people participating in the system has reached the overall average level of Si-chuan province. By analyzing the data before and after the implementation of this system, and meas-uring the impact of the system on people’s health, it can be found that the NRCMS’s role in serving the vulnerable population, such as the elderly and infant children, is more marked. Since the implementation of the NRCMS, all administrative villages in Sichuan Tibetan areas have established village clinics, which solved the problem of a shortage of medicines and doctors in those areas. Farmers and herdsmen have conven-ient access to medical treatment, enhancing the ac-cessibility of medical service. After the implemen-tation of the NRCMS, the health of the elderly population in rural areas has improved. Infant mor-tality rates have dramatically fallen. The implementation of the NRCMS improved the medical service capacity of township hospitals and village clinics. And the NRCMS has brought the township hospitals and village clinics into its scope of compensation, which greatly promotes the utilization of primary medical services in Tibetan areas. The poverty reduction effect of the NRCMS can be analyzed from two aspects:Firstly, the im-
provement in health leads to increased income, be-cause good health can promote labor productivity. Meanwhile, the increase in income will in turn im-prove the overall level of health. Secondly, the in-patient and outpatient compensation rate is raised year by year, which reduces the medical fees of farmers, and prevents them from falling back into poverty.