Everything for the Children: Orphans Growing Up in Informal Adoptive Families in China

Most orphaned children in China are cared for by their extended families or become state wards under the guardianship of child welfare institutions. Some exceptions are children who are found and cared for by families in the community, without a formalized adoption or foster relationship. In some locations, institutions now accept guardianship for these children and support the informal adoptive family to continue to care for them. This article examines the outcomes for these children as they became young adults by comparing these 12 children raised within the system as they approach or have approached young adulthood (now aged 16–40 years-old). Some of the participants were either informally adopted or lived in institutional care. The results of this study found that the family environment was more conducive to the young people’s wellbeing as they approached or entered adulthood. The participants raised in informal care appeared to be treated similar to the biological children in these families. When the institution formalized the state guardianship responsibility, it also meant the families had state resources for support to protect the children’s rights to economic security, education, health care, and social participation. This practice by the institution supported the addition of informal adoption, as one step closer to permanency than foster care. Future implications include considering this option to help promote the family system assisting these children, families, and the state.     

Divorce,living arrangements,and material well-being during the transition to adulthood in rural Malawi

In this paper, we use longitudinal data to investigate how parental death and divorce influence young women’s own experience of divorce in Malawi, a setting where women marry relatively early and unions are fragile. We find that maternal death and parental divorce are positively associated with divorce for young women but, after controlling for socio-demographic and marital characteristics, only the association with maternal death remains statistically significant. Maternal and paternal death are both strongly associated with women’s post-divorce living arrangements, which in turn affects their material well-being. This finding suggests that divorcing at a young age shapes the subsequent life chances of women; although some women return to their parental home and may have the opportunity to reset the transition to adulthood, other women begin their 20s as head of their own household and with considerable material disadvantage.     

Sixty years of change in Tibetan fertility: An assessment

Existing knowledge of Tibetan historical population development is mostly based on ‘best-guess’ estimates and is heavily politicized. Using census data, I reconstruct the development of Tibetan fertility in China since the 1940s, with the objective of providing an independent assessment that can be used as benchmark for future studies and debates on Tibetan demography. Following major social and economic transformations starting in the 1950s, Tibetan fertility unexpectedly increased from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. As noted in several existing studies, Tibetan fertility in China then declined swiftly from the early 1980s onwards and has now reached values close to replacement level. Focusing on the 1950–70 period, I examine factors that contributed to shaping the Tibetan fertility increase in more detail. This confirms that changes in nuptiality and disease-related infertility both played a role in pushing up fertility rates among Tibetan women in China.     

新时代侨校思想政治工作的价值定位和路径优化

侨校思想政治工作是高校思想政治工作的有机构成。进入新时代,要准确把握侨校思想政治工作的价值定位,直面当前侨校思想政治工作中所面临的价值观念多元化、工作队伍薄弱化和工作对象差异化的挑战,创新思路,统筹着力,牢牢掌握侨校意识形态工作的话语权,汇聚侨校思想政治工作的强大合力,构建分层化差异化的教育模式,增强侨校思想政治工作的时代性、针对性和实效性。     

高校党外知识分子思想政治教育工作的传承与创新

高校是党外知识分子的集中之地。在新的社会条件下,做好高校党外知识分子思想政治教育工作,是高等教育全面、协调、可持续发展的重要保障。必须在坚持一致性和多样性统一的前提下,找到最大公约数,画出最大同心圆,为国家实施科教兴国、人才强国和创新驱动发展战略,为高校的改革与发展凝聚人心、汇聚力量。     

论以人为本思想政治教育观下的思维方式变革

以人为本的思想政治教育观为我国当代的思想政治教育的创新拓展了空间.文章在明确以人为本思想政治教育观内涵的基础上,探索现代思维的特点和规律,提出从思维方式的变革着手,以增强思想政治教育的针对性、实效性.     

加强大学生党员先进性建设促进大学生思想政治教育

文章结合合肥工业大学集中开展的保持共产党员先进性教育,特别是通过加强大学生党员的先进性建设,发挥学生党员的主动性、积极性和模范带头作用,进一步加强和改进大学生思想政治教育的实践,阐释了该校找准两者结合点,促进两者协同发展的基本做法和经验.     

论高校思想政治教育与心理咨询的契合

高校思想政治教育与心理咨询虽属两个不同的学科,但二者之间的密切联系与内在统一,成为彼此有机融合的基本依据。以大学生全面发展为目标,实现思想政治教育与心理咨询的契合,是推进素质教育和构建和谐社会的重要体现,也是新形势下进一步加强和改进高校思想政治教育的迫切需要。     

金融发展对出口结构影响的理论探析

全球金融危机对中国的出口贸易产生严重冲击,中国对外贸易模式及出口结构的转型迫在眉睫,然而金融发展的相对落后是制约中国贸易结构调整与贸易模式转型的重要因素。文章借鉴Ju和Wei封闭情形下的基本架构,构建了两部门一般均衡分析框架,认为金融发展水平的提高能够降低企业的融资约束,进而导致资本密集型行业产品的相对价格下降,促进该行业产出乃至出口增加。因此,金融发展水平的提高会促进一国出口结构的调整与升级。     

农户生计策略识别及其动态转型

利用中国健康与养老追踪调查(CHARLS)2013和2015年两期调查数据,构建收入—资产指数识别了中国农户的生计策略及其跨期动态转型,并从生计阶梯的视角阐释了生计转型对贫困治理的意义。研究发现:(1)农户兼业化和生计多样化程度在不断提高;(2)低收益生计策略退出率和高收益生计策略进入率比较低,生计转型主要发生在中等收益的生计策略中,最终整个生计阶梯演化为“葫芦型”,是对“金字塔”型生计阶梯的一种改善;(3)农户家庭当期的生计策略选择对上一期生计策略具有显著的依赖性。自然资本、人力资本、社会资本和金融资本的积累显著促进了农户生计策略的向高收益流动,而物质资本中的农用固定资产所形成的沉没成本,其捆绑效应阻碍了农户的生计多样化。因此,现阶段扶贫政策应该对农户生计资本提供保障,防止各类外生冲击(包括政策、自然)对农户资产的侵蚀,降低农户生计策略向低收益流动或者单一化的风险。