Social work and sustainable rural development: The practice of social economy in China

The impact of globalisation on local agriculture and food systems has brought issues such as food security and rural sustainability to the forefront of policy‐making in developing countries. In China, the restructuring of domestic agriculture and liberalisation of trade following accession to the World Trade Organization have led to the growing reliance on imported food and raised concerns for food self‐sufficiency and safety. Inspired by the concept of social economy, social workers in China have explored alternative pathways towards sustainable food production and consumption through local initiatives. Based on participatory action research in a Chinese village, this study examines the potential contribution of social work intervention in responding to China’s agrarian challenges. It is shown that by linking rural cooperatives with the local food system and allowing farmers to sell directly to urban consumers at fairer prices, social economy initiatives provide a viable pathway for sustainable transformation by empowering rural producers while giving urban consumers access to sustainably produced food.     

‘You don't want to be a check‐out chick all your life’: The out‐migration of young people from Australia's small rural towns

Globalisation and changes in agriculture have resulted in major social changes in inland Australia. Depopulation of the inland has led many to speculate on the future of rural towns and rural people. This paper will examine population drifts from country towns to cities and from the inland to the coastal regions and, in particular, the out‐migration of young people. In doing this, the paper focuses on several small towns in central New South Wales that have been the subject of intensive study during 2000 and 2001. Drawing on analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics figures, in‐depth interviews and focus groups with key informants and surveys with young people and their parents in small rural communities the paper will report on the loss of young people and the greater loss of young women from these areas. It is argued that this outmigration of young people is linked to the need to seek higher education and also to the loss of full‐time jobs for young people. The loss of these jobs is the result of changes in agricultural production, labour market restructuring and a withdrawal of public and private sector services. It is further argued that current reliance by governments on market based and community self‐help solutions is not enough to provide a future for rural communities. Even if economic growth occurs this will not solve the problem of loss of young people, and the greater loss of young women, nor will it address the issue of access to education and training. Rather far greater attention to human capital (access to education, training and employment), institutional capital (government and non‐government services and infrastructure) and social capital (strong networks) is needed if Australia's small rural towns are to survive and flourish.     

When farmers are planting houses …

This paper examines the reasons behind the continual growth of the phenomenon of famers ‘planting’ cheap and substandard houses on farmland in rural China repeatedly and without government permission. The practice has been commonly interpreted by local governments as schemes instigated by greedy farmers to maximise compensation payments from the government when their properties are requisitioned for public infrastructural or private development projects. Researchers however have found that such practices are measures farmers learnt from others to insure themselves against land grabs as well as inadequate compensation offered by local governments and developers. Their vulnerability however also spanned a growing illegal industry where farmers short of cash were lured into participating in organised ‘house planting’ projects although they could be caught and put in jail by local authorities. Other researchers are equally concerned by the threat of food security should these incidences continue to escalate. However, these problems would not be easily addressed because the survival of local governments has grown to be heavily dependent on both the huge revenues generated by and winning political mileage from urbanising the rural, or converting agricultural to non-agricultural lands.     

Jobs in the Bush: Global Industries and Inclusive Rural Development

How do rural communities manage the challenge of local governance and community capacity‐building, given the policy choices of central government (both state and national) in favour of global resource‐development industries? Central government policy choices expose rural communities to the vagaries of the global economy, even as the Australian government's stated intent vis‐à‐vis rural Australia is the exact opposite: to encourage locally driven economic and community sustainability. Rural development policy in Australia often has the effect of denying the very outcomes it hopes to achieve. On the one hand, government policies encourage rural communities to be independent, to build ‘social capital’, and to add value to their local produce; on the other hand, macroeconomic policies change the contexts within which these communities function, creating a tension which is difficult to reconcile. In the case of the Western District of Victoria, an established agricultural and pastoral region, the cycles of economic activity have been disrupted in recent years by new and exciting global industries whose trajectories sit largely outside local control. This paper questions whether governments have a systemic view of the impact of these competing demands on rural communities, and calls for a more informed, whole‐of‐government policy‐making for the development of Australia's rural regions.     

The social and economic impacts of drought

Although the environmental and economic impacts of drought have been widely studied, few large‐scale studies have examined the broader social impacts of drought. To fill this knowledge gap, the Australian Institute of Family Studies undertook the Regional and Rural Families Survey in 2007, when a significant part of Australia was experiencing a severe drought. This paper analyses that survey to measure the extent to which drought affects a range of economic, health and social outcomes. Drought is found to have a substantial negative economic and health impact on farmers and others employed in the agricultural sector. There is some evidence that groups that are not employed in agriculture are adversely affected, with a widespread loss of services in drought‐affected areas and some marginal labour market groups (e.g. carers) experiencing poor employment outcomes in a drought‐affected local economy. Policymakers need to take these impacts into account in designing effective responses to future droughts.     

Indigenous land and sea management programs: Can they promote regional development and help “close the (income) gap”?

Throughout the world, there is growing recognition of the important role Indigenous people play in natural resource management and conservation. Indigenous Land and Sea Management Programs (ILSMPs; which provide funds to Indigenous people to support Indigenous land management activities) are also known to generate social and economic benefits, although relative few of these co‐benefits have been quantified. Using northern Australia as a case study, we analysed data on ILSMP expenditure within three regional input–output tables, learning more about the size and distribution of their associated regional economic benefits. We found ILSMPs make a significant contribution to regional economies—with multipliers commonly exceeding that of other key regional industries such as agriculture and mining. We also found ILSMP expenditures make a larger contribution to Indigenous household incomes than they do to non‐Indigenous incomes—thus helping to close the (income) gap. They will continue to do so, provided the proportion of ILSMP money spent on Indigenous (compared to non‐Indigenous) incomes does not fall below a threshold amount. Rather than finding evidence of a trade‐off between socio‐ecological and financial/economic goals, our results suggest ILSMPs, known for their ecological importance, can also make a vitally important contribution to economic development in rural areas.     

The Vexed Question of Market Stewardship in the Public Sector: Examining Equity and the Social Contract through the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme

Personalized care and market‐based approaches to public service provision have gained prominence in a range of Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development countries. Australia has recently joined this trend, launching a complex and expansive programme of individualized care funding for disability through the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Public sector markets (i.e. where governments either directly fund a market by way of competitive tendering, or through personal budgets) have been embraced by actors at different points of the political spectrum and for a range of reasons, including efficacy and efficiency gains, empowerment of citizens and efforts to cater for diversity. Despite the growing dominance of public sector markets and individualized funding, many questions about the role and responsibility of governments in managing and regulating these markets remain unanswered. In this article we outline different roles governments might assume in the creation and management of public sector markets, based on the types of risks governments are willing to take responsibility for. We argue that to fulfil the social contract between government and citizens, governments need to ensure that markets are properly stewarded and embedded in broader social safety nets. This, we contend, can ensure citizens receive the gains of market models while being protected from market failures or market‐produced inequities.     

The role of local government in migrant and refugee settlement in regional and rural Australia

Government responsibility for the settlement of newly arrived refugees and migrants in Australia is shared between the federal, state and local levels. While Australia's settlement policies are predominantly top‐down and Commonwealth driven with some state involvement, local government has the potential to play a greater role in facilitating the settlement of newly arrived migrants and refugees. A growing body of literature in Australia and overseas highlights the role of local‐level policies in supporting integration and social cohesion, which is arguably even more crucial in the context of migrant and refugee settlement in regional and rural areas. This paper draws on focus groups with 90 local stakeholders in eight local government areas in Victoria to propose a typology of local government involvement that shows the variable but potentially significant role of local government in the regional and rural settlement of recent arrivals. We argue that Australia's over 560 local governments provide crucial but underutilised governance resources for improving the settlement process. This finding has implications for settlement policies and funding, intergovernmental coordination, and the retention of migrants and refugees in regional and rural communities in Australia.     

农村税费改革实施的制度障碍和政策选择

农村税费改革降低了农民负担 ,规范了基层政府的行政行为 ,促进了农村社会的制度化建设。但改革在实践中遇到的困难也反映出现行农村制度安排与改革要求存在冲突。本质上 ,税费改革并不是三农问题的治本之策 ,我们必须超越减负看税改。税费改革为我们彻底解决农村问题找到了突破口 ,应该抓住税改良机 ,以完善税费改革为中心 ,进一步深化农村现行各种制度的改革 ,通过对农村社会的制度建设推动税费改革的顺利进行 ,从而建立规范的农村税费制度 ,确立以农民利益为核心的国家、集体、农民三方的新型分配关系。     

GLOBALISATION AND REGIONAL RENEWAL REVISTED

The articles in this forum address how the epochal process of globalisation pertains to rural and regional Australia. Collectively, they demonstrate the complexity of globalisation in rural areas in three ways. First, globalisation is a multi‐faceted phenomenon involving more issues than the fluxion of economy and polity around “free” trade. It simultaneously effects and incites ethical and practical reactions concerning national boundaries, environment, community, health, wealth, language and essentially all other matters with social valence. Second, globalisation has diverse and differential impacts both between the developed and developing nations and within them. Third, globalisation has generated collective angst and organised protest. Taken as a whole, these papers simultaneously illustrate theoretically abstract and privately mundane aspects of globalisation.     

新生代农民工留城意愿及影响因素分析——基于南宁市的实证考察

"三农"问题的核心是农民工问题,城镇化的关键是农民工尤其是新生代农民工的市民化,如何解决是摆在各级政府面前的一道新课题。通过对南宁市六辖区实地调研,经济收入、年龄、受教育程度、婚姻状况、社会融入度等对新生代农民工的留城意愿影响显著。政府作为公共产品提供者,应创新服务机制,让新生代农民工享受同城的国民待遇从应然到实然,让其留城变理想为现实。     

A NOTE ON AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL INEQUALITIES

In common with other advanced market economies, regional and rural communities in Australia have come under increasing economic and social stress. One manifestation of this phenomenon is the growing spatial inequalities in social and economic conditions. This paper briefly reviews the genesis of spatial inequalities and examines their consequences in the contemporary Australian political milieu. The discussion concludes with an analysis of the policy implications of these inequalities for local governments and communities in disadvantaged regional and rural areas.     

The Role of Non‐profit Organizations in the Mixed Economy of Welfare‐to‐Work in the UK and Australia

This article charts the development of welfare‐to‐work policies and compares and contrasts the traditions of delivery in the UK and Australia. We find that in the UK, employment services and social security benefit administration have been dominated by the central state, traditionally affording a key role to civil servants as direct delivery agents. However, in federal Australia, mixed economies of welfare‐to‐work operate in the different states, there is a far greater role for social services and non‐profit organizations are firmly established as key providers of frontline employment services. Since the late 1990s, UK welfare reforms have been gradually following the Australian lead in contracting non‐state actors as delivery agents. As this trend seems set to continue and intensify, we examine the Australian experience in order to reflect on the role of non‐profits in policy reform.     

反哺农业:寻求社会公平发展的有效途径

文章提出“三农”问题的实质是现代化过程中农民与其他社会利益主体之间的利益关系。目前,我国已进入工业反哺农业的时代。通过构建农村公共服务体系,实现城乡社会公平发展;依靠乡镇企业发展,实现劳动力转移促农,农产品加工和产业化经营促农;建农补农实现反哺促农;小城镇建设与乡镇企业发展相互促进实现以城带乡促农。     

休闲农业在我国山区经济发展中的潜力分析

山区发展休闲农业潜力非常大,全国大多数大中城市周边农村都有发展休闲农业的条件。山区农村的生态环境是发展农村经济最好的资源,是发展休闲农业的生产资本,可以容纳一大批农民当地就业,可以大幅度增加农民收入,是一种新兴产业,是现代农业的重要组成部分,是解决三农问题的一种重要途径。农村现有的土地山林和生态环境是发展休闲农业产业的固定生产资本之一,农家小楼的投资建设加上生态环境构成完整的休闲农业的固定生产资本,其投资应该由国家财政来解决。农业财政方针转变为资本性投资功能,解决多年以来农业生产资本增长缓慢问题,国家应该承担投资的风险。只有劳动者获得所需要的生产资本才能够进行扩大再生产,才能够不断扩大农民增收的源泉。     

The impact of the Doha trade proposals on farmers’ incomes in China

This paper analyzes the potential impacts of the Doha trade proposals (those of the USA, EU and G20) on agricultural production and incomes of China's farmers by region and income group. By linking a global trade model to a national policy model which itself is connected to a set of disaggregated household data, we are able to assess the effects of the proposed Doha trade liberalizations on households both at the national and regional levels. According to the results of the model, the impacts of a Doha Round agreement on households differ significantly from those of China's WTO accession. China's economy would benefit from the trade liberalization associated with the Doha Round. The overall impacts, however, are relatively minor. Although farmers will benefit at the national level, the gains among farmers vary largely by income group and province. Also, the impacts on households that produce different types of crops differ.     

Roadmap to recovery: Reporting on a research taskforce supporting Indigenous responses to COVID‐19 in Australia

In April 2020 a Group of Eight Taskforce was convened, consisting of over 100 researchers, to provide independent, research‐based recommendations to the Commonwealth Government on a “Roadmap to Recovery” from COVID‐19. The report covered issues ranging from pandemic control and relaxation of social distancing measures, to well‐being and special considerations for vulnerable populations. Our work focused on the critical needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities; this paper presents an overview of our recommendations to the Roadmap report. In addressing the global challenges posed by pandemics for citizens around the world, Indigenous people are recognised as highly vulnerable. At the time of writing Australia's First Nations Peoples have been largely spared from COVID‐19 in comparison to other Indigenous populations globally. Our recommendations emphasise self‐determination and equitable needs‐based funding to support Indigenous communities to recover from COVID‐19, addressing persistent overcrowded housing, and a focus on workforce, especially for regional and remote communities. These latter two issues have been highlighted as major issues of risk for Indigenous communities in Australia It remains to be seen how governments across Australia take up these recommendations to support Indigenous peoples' health and healing journey through yet another, potentially catastrophic, health crisis.     

破解“三农”难题的钥匙：发展乡镇村经济

近年来,中央高度重视农村工作,并把“三农”难题作为重中之重,但“三农”难题至今仍未取得历史性突破,已严重制约了我国经济社会的又好又快发展。黑龙江省绥化市创造性地提出发展乡镇村经济及异地经济,极大地推动了农村经济社会的发展,为破解“三农”难题提供了一把钥匙。     

Working Toward a Just,Equitable, and Local Food System: The Social Impact of Community‐Based Agriculture*

Objective. This article serves as a pilot study of three central aspects of sociological research concerning the impact of local agriculture on local communities: food equity, social integration, and natural human capital. Methods. Four CSA farmers, four partners in a direct‐market organic farm, and four community garden site coordinators working in the Intervale, a local agriculture project in Burlington, Vermont, were interviewed in person for this research. Additionally, the author collected observational data in the Intervale, at two local farmers' markets, and as a member of a local community garden. Result. Different modes of local agricultural production have distinctive effects on the local population with regard to equitable access to healthy food, social inclusion, and experiential knowledge of the natural world. Conclusions. Given class‐based disparities in local agricultural participation, local food projects should consider promoting programs designed for broader social inclusion, including subsidized farmer‐to‐family coupons.     

分利秩序与基层治理内卷化——资源输入背景下的乡村治理逻辑

农村税费改革以后,国家资源的不断输入为农村发展和乡村治理带来新的契机。然而,资源输入乡村社会,基层组织却无法有效承接,并遭遇官民不合作的困境。基层组织主要呈现出两种样态：消极作为与难以作为,以及富人和灰黑势力主政后的摆平式“积极”治理。两种治理形态皆导致国家公共资源的耗损,基层组织的权威与合法性进一步下降。在资源不断输送的利益链条中,权力寻租者、地方富人与灰黑社会势力、谋利型的机会主义农民等几个行动主体相赖相生,形成分利秩序,普通民众被排除在外,乡村治理出现内卷化。从根本上说,这是国家在压力型体制与有效治理之间产生的张力,并在推动乡村社会从整体性支配向技术治理转型中产生的结果。这一转向试图建立新的公共规则,却使得乡村治权弱化,缺乏公共规则实践的强制力保证,造成国家、基层组织与农民三者之间的利益与责任的连带制衡关系发生断裂,乡村治理陷入新困境。