Poverty Reduction and Growth Interactions: What Can Be Learned from the Syrian Experience?

The aim of this article is to analyse in depth the interactions of growth and poverty in Syria, which undertook reforms to reduce the government's involvement in the economy. During the 1996–2004 period, growth was pro‐poor in ‘weak absolute’ terms but not in either relative or ‘strong absolute’ terms, owing to the increase in inequality. This can be explained partly by tax policies, but also by an unequal distribution of investment at the regional level. There was also a widening of the gap between urban and rural areas, mainly owing to a pattern of growth in which oil played an increasing role and agriculture a decreasing one. Agricultural and land‐policy reforms could have had a negative impact on poverty, despite their positive effect on productivity.     

Scamming the Poor

Abstract

Because of the difficulty in securing traditional forms of credit, the poor are often driven into the fringe economy for check cashing, bill paying and short-term loans. These services involve high user fees and exorbitant interest rates that rival or even exceed those for illegal loan sharking. Fringe lending businesses function as a legal and virtually unregulated form of predatory loan-sharking. They neither offer nor promote savings-based financial products that build assets and increase household wealth. The predictable outcome is the depletion of the income and assets of low-income families and communities. Because many poor clients are vulnerable to fringe market lenders, social workers need to understand this market to better assist the poor in finding and developing alternative forms of borrowing. This article will explore the rapidly growing fringe economy and examine strategies to help curb the drain of income and assets from low-income communities.     

Marrying,Unmarrying, and Poverty Dynamics among Mothers with Children Living at Home

Using the two-way transitions model and a sample of mothers with children living at home who experienced poverty, we examined how the changes in mothers’ marital status relate to the odds of exiting and reentering poverty. The data came from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 Cohort (1979–1998). This study found an asymmetric association between poverty dynamics and becoming unmarried. Becoming unmarried was associated with increased odds of both getting out of poverty and reentering poverty, where the magnitude of the latter is greater than that of the former, when family background, family characteristics, and human capital and employment factors are controlled.     

试论教育扶贫的社工介入机制：一种国际民间组织的分析视角

国际民间组织在我国开展教育扶贫活动,不仅对我国的扶贫工作是一个开创,而且对我国的社会发展也具有相当的进步意义,这些海外国际民间组织给我国贫困落后地区带来的不仅是资金和项目,而更重要的是其全新的理念和管理经验。据此,笔者认为,广大社会工作者应灵敏、及时地对这些活动情况予以研究,分析并提炼其作为贫困和扶贫领域的社会工作者,在教育扶贫过程中开展具体活动时所需建立的介入机制主要有三个相关层面:学校社工、农村社工和国际社工,从而为它们在更大、更多社会管理领域有序、合理地参与我国的教育扶贫行为做好政策和制度上的安排与准备。     

“互联网+”背景下中国农村精准扶贫的治理逻辑

“互联网+精准扶贫”模式是农村贫困现代化治理的实践载体之一,通过梳理“互联网+精准扶贫”模式体系的内涵,分析其可行性,阐释互联网+背景下农村精准扶贫的治理应然性,并在互联网+的时代背景下,建构“互联网+精准扶贫”的新模式。基于此,通过重构贫困区“互联网+农业”格局,“互联网+农业”精准扶贫归入主流扶贫体系,建立信任机制,强化贫困地区“互联网+农业”基础设施建设,创建多元的增值服务平台等多元化治理路径,以获得“互联网+”背景下中国农村精准扶贫的治理逻辑。     

生存型共享与精准扶贫

党的十九大报告提出了“以人民为中心”的发展思想,明确了我国现阶段的主要矛盾是解决“人民日益增长的美好生活需要与不平衡不充分的发展之间的矛盾”,而解决发展不平衡的首要问题是深入脱贫攻坚,实现最低层次的共享,进而全面建成小康社会。作为最低层级的生存型共享有着特殊的结构特征,不仅是一种基于最低层次的吃穿住行共享和医疗、养老保障共享,而且在主体上强调覆盖全体贫困户,行为上突出贫者自立和共建共享;由于贫困户可分成“五保户”、“低保户”、“扶持低保户”和扶持户四种类型,也就相应形成了社会兜底型、低保型、扶贫低保结合型和扶贫型四种生存型共享类型,因而精准扶贫就出现了不同的组合策略与模式:即早期阶段的救济式扶贫主导模式、中期阶段的设施扶贫主导模式和后期阶段的产业扶贫主导模式。目前,我国正处于实现生存型共享进而追求实现小康型共享的阶段。因此,推进共享发展的关键是实施精准扶贫战略,打赢脱贫攻坚这场硬仗。建议围绕“提供能力与机会、促进贫者自立”的要求,构筑起互利共生的“利益联接机制”、“权益保障机制”和“风险防控机制”,抓好产业扶贫,实现生存型共享。     

Microcredit for rural poverty alleviation and social well‐being: A study of Sabah,Malaysia

Microcredit is an influential intervention used to alleviate poverty and improve social well‐being in rural communities in Sabah, Malaysia. This study examined the effects of a microcredit scheme, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), on the well‐being of these communities. Using a survey method, a pre‐tested interview schedule was administered to 277 AIM recipients in Sabah, Malaysia. Social well‐being was examined based on the three indicators of Midgley's social development approach: the management of problems, the fulfillment of basic needs, and social opportunities provided. AIM microcredit schemes were successful in improving the well‐being of AIM recipients, although the recipients faced a number of problems, including unemployment, lack of education, and access to public services and healthcare facilities. The findings of this study represent a useful guideline to the AIM authority, development practitioners, policymakers, and governmental organization and non‐governmental organization workers.     

试析民族地区脱贫攻坚与民族团结进步创建工作的逻辑契合——以湖南省湘西土家族苗族自治州为例

民族地区脱贫攻坚与民族团结进步创建工作之间是同频共振、相得益彰的关系,两者在价值目标、推进主体、瞄准对象、工作方式、成效考评五个层面具有深度的逻辑契合,把握并处理好两者关系,不仅有利于澄清思想上的模糊认识,也有利于纠正工作上的行为偏差,从而更好地推进两项工作开展。     

政策脱节中的政府行为机制——基于深度贫困县L产业扶贫过程的案例分析

十九大报告明确指出重点攻克深度贫困地区脱贫。围绕连片特困区L县的产业扶贫政策执行过程,旨在探讨县域内产业政策执行行为机制及其影响因素。研究表明:(1)县域产业扶贫既是回应县域产业转型的客观行动,也是顺应地方考核的政绩冲动,由此造成“脱节”现象。(2)政策执行中,县委县政府试图运用“超常规施压”和“超常规问责”的双重压力机制推动政策实施;而乡党委、政府以及县直部门则在双重压力机制下陷入三重困境,并引发策略性应对机制;乡政府为了走出困境将扶贫压力向村两委传导,引发村两委干部的选择性阐释机制。(3)政策执行中的多重行为差异根源于政策本身的缺陷、政策执行者的风险规避和自有余地以及行政体系运作特征与乡土社会运作模式的不适应。     

深度贫困地区多维贫困测度与反贫困路径探析

深度贫困地区的脱贫不仅是我国2020年打赢脱贫攻坚战的难点和焦点,也是实现乡村振兴与全面建成小康社会的关键。对深度贫困地区多维贫困人口的精准识别和多维贫困的准确测度是有效攻克贫困、实现脱贫攻坚任务的重要环节。基于秦巴山集中连片深度贫困区1325份农户家庭微观调查数据,运用A F指数和反向传播神经网络法对深度贫困地区多维贫困进行了测算和分析,发现深度贫困地区存在明显的交叉性与多维性贫困,致贫原因亦复杂多样。依据测算结果,有针对性地提出深度贫困地区的反贫困路径：加强深度贫困地区基础设施建设,改善深度贫困区生活条件;积极发展深度贫困地区教育,提升深度贫困区人力资本水平;完善深度贫困地区农村健康网络,强化深度贫困区农村医疗服务体系;完善深度贫困地区农村社会保障制度,确实做到社保兜底;促进深度贫困地区劳动力流动,拓宽深度贫困区农村居民收入渠道;重视深度贫困地区综合发展,有计划地推进深度贫困区乡村振兴。