Poverty and educational achievement in the US: A less-biased estimate using PISA 2012 data

In the current paper, we employ the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data to calculate a less-biased estimate of poverty on US achievement. The PISA was specifically chosen as it is an assessment removed from a specific curriculum and instead focuses on concepts that students should know in order to participate in a global economy. Using a propensity score matching approach, our findings suggest that US students in poverty have notable educational attainment deficiencies compared to a matched group of students who are not in poverty. In other words, when we select two students who have a great deal in common but for the fact that one comes from a poverty background, the student in poverty is expected to perform nearly 28 points, or about a quarter of a standard deviation lower, on the PISA assessment. In real terms, this puts math achievement for children not in poverty on-par with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average, while children in poverty are well below the OECD average.     

“Empowerment” as efficiency and participation: gender in responsible agricultural investment principles

Amidst global concern over the state of transnational large-scale agricultural investments, several efforts have been made to set global standards for “responsible agricultural investment.” While these efforts have received mixed reviews from the international community, very little attention has been paid to the gendered language of these principles. Through examining two separate sets of agricultural investment principles – one created by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the World Bank, and the other by the United Nations Committee on World Food Security – this article finds that, despite different processes and participants in the creation of these principles, they nonetheless share a language of “empowerment” targeted at women and marginalized groups. However, in contrast to early feminist discourses of empowerment, these principles instead perpetuate the notion that empowerment is to be found through efficiency, productivity and participation in land and labor markets. This article takes a critical look at this language of economic empowerment in each set of principles, and points to the dangers of equating efficiency, productivity and participation with feminist empowerment. By not acknowledging the broader gender dynamics of agricultural governance and markets, these discourses risk deepening existing inequalities rather than moving toward meaningful social change.     

马克思平等思想的政治经济学分析

“平等“是早期资产阶级革命的重要口号之一。但是,资本主义制度为人类带来的不是平等,而是一种新的剥削形式。马克思竭尽毕生精力揭示了资本主义剥削的秘密,为我们留下了宝贵的平等思想。     

城市基础设施供给不足的制度经济分析

文章从计划经济体制的弊端、投资体制改革落后、对消费者的需求偏好界定成本过高等制度经济学的角度入手,分析了基础设施供给不足的原因。政府只有转换角色定位,创新融资模式,开展多元化融资、进行地方政府联合投资、引入私人合作开发,才能加快城市化进程中基础设施的供给。     

中国食用农产品安全生产面临的新挑战及其对策

中国食用农产品安全生产面临的新挑战,既包括农业生产环境的恶化趋势、高产与优质的不可兼得、农业生产体系的先天病态化、现行标准的模糊执行等仍较严重的内忧,又包括农业发展的对外依赖性风险、农业体系的世界边缘化风险、国外转基因产品的持续流入、外来生物的不断入侵等日益突出的外患,必须有的放矢地采取坚持实施可持续发展战略,切实搞好农村环境保护,精心搞好综合促动,认真落实农业清洁生产,扎实推进农业标准化升级,积极构筑农业创新体系,尽快健全重大疫病、虫害快速扑灭机制,加紧完善全程监测预警系统等行之有效的应对方略。     

管理信息系统课程的教学探索

管理信息系统是经管类专业的必修课程之一,随着信息技术、计算机和网络技术的快速发展,管理信息系统课程在教学内容和教学方式上要不断地进行更新和优化.根据目前高校实际教学情况,分析了管理信息系统课程教学中存在的诸如教学内容缺乏针对性、教学方法单一、教学过程不注重实践环节等问题,提出了更新教学内容、改进教学方法和优化实践环节的教学改革思路和方案.     

中日韩自由贸易区可行性条件及制约因素分析

在经济全球化和区域经济一体化趋势加强的情况下,遭受亚洲金融危机重创的东亚各国,都深有感触地体会到,要维护本国经济的安全与稳定,单凭一国的力量难以实现。为此,加强本地区经济合作,发展经贸关系正愈来愈成为东亚各国的共识,其要旨就是建立自由贸易区。中日韩建立自由贸易区,既有现实有利条件,又存在很多障碍,对这种现状进行深入分析和研究,有助于我们深刻认识东亚经济一体化的现状和未来走向。     

欧盟"多功能农业"探析

自20世纪90年代以来,“多功能农业”越来越引起世界的关注,欧共体/欧盟在“多功能农业”的发展过程中扮演着重要的角色,它积极支持、广泛推广这一新型的农业模式。本文在说明“多功能农业”的提出过程、内涵、具体措施的基础上,分析欧共体/欧盟提出“多功能农业”的原因。     

政治经济学批判:马克思主义哲学话语权的建构路径

政治经济学批判话语的缺失是当代中国马克思主义哲学“理论生产”中的一个根本性问题,它表明中国学界的“问题式”还处于传统哲学思辨的轨道上,没有真正地走向社会历史实践。无论是20世纪80年代初的人道主义大讨论,还是近来的现代性问题意识,都提出了政治经济学批判的现实要求。当前的马克思主义哲学与西方马克思主义、现代西方哲学的对话,也需要政治经济学批判为其提供一个历史与逻辑的前提。