Does social capital determine health? Empirical evidence from MENA countries

Using data from the World Value Survey (2010–2012) for 18 MENA countries, this paper investigates the causal relationship between social capital and health by applying simultaneous-equations based on structural modeling and IVs regression. Our main findings corroborate the hypothesis of reverse causality between social capital and health i.e. bidirectional causality running from social capital to health and from health to social capital is identified. Furthermore, our empirical findings show that individual-level social capital appears more salient in determining health, while community-level social capital seems less relevant in explaining health differences between individuals. Overall, the present study makes evident that high levels of social capital (i.e. high levels of social participation and high levels of trust) and high individual-level socioeconomic factors (i.e. high levels of income and high levels of education) may generate better health outcomes that policymakers must take into account to improve individual and community health.     

Understanding the origin of the Bohai state in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

The state of Bohai (on Korean reading – Parhae, ??) existed in what is modern Russian Primorye region (Приморский край/Maritime Region), North Korea and Northeastern China, from the late seventh to the early tenth centuries AD. It played an important role in the history of the area as a major regional power for over two centuries. Recently, the history of Bohai has begun to attract scholarly interest. However, North Korean studies of Bohai remain basically almost unknown in the Western world. In this article, I present the history of Bohai studies in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). In this article, I analyze not only North Korean studies of Bohai but also the opinions of the Korean scholars on the subject. They are rather specific for North Koreans who have unique access to the archaeological and historical materials on Bohai but are also subjected to unusually severe political pressures. The history of Bohai has now become an object of active political games which are related to territorial claims based on alleged archaeological and historical material. This situation increases the general interest in Bohai but also makes honest and unbiased research more difficult.     

State-initiated development and the Reang ethnic minority in Tripura (North East India)

This paper explores the wider implications of state-led development on the Reang ethnic minority in the North East Indian state of Tripura, and in doing so presents a critical view on such development endeavours. Basing itself on the study of the relationship between the state and the ethnic minorities, this research argues the following: – first, most state-led development programmes are formulated on a preconceived notion of ‘backwardness’ in the ethnic minorities. Second, state-led development projects create internal fissures and ruptures within ethnic minorities on issues of what constitutes development. Third, often, state-led development programmes create an image of oneself as inherently ‘backward’, whereby the conditioning of the mind plays an important role in extending the desire of the members of an ethnic minority to achieve this ‘imagined modernity’.     

论北美汉学界中国女作家研究中的性别视角

近年来北美汉学研究出现了新的转折，一批女性汉学家运用性别批评理论，从传记生平考据、意识形态语境以及性别政治等角度，对中国现当代女作家进行了广泛而深入的研究，对传统的汉学研究形成了强有力的冲击，为重新认识中国现当代女作家及创作提供了新的研究视角和解读方式，为海内外学界跨文化的沟通、交流与对话搭建平台。     

东北地区社会保障适度水平分析

本文应用社会保障水平理论与适度水平测算模型 ,对东北三省社会保障支出水平的适度性问题进行了系统分析 ,得出基本结论即保障水平偏低且结构不合理。在此基础上 ,从东北社会保障体制中的缺陷出发分析造成保障水平现状的原因 ,并应用社会保障水平供求平衡理论和社会保障水平效率标准 ,提出了完善社会保障水平的建议和措施。     

North American surrogate reproductive mobilities incited by cross-border reproductive care

ABSTRACT

The transnational mobility of intended parents traveling abroad for reproductive technologies has been heavily accounted for and theorized. On the other hand, scholars have emphasized the immobility of surrogates in places like India, Nepal and Cambodia. In order to extend an examination of how reproductive travel informs mobility, this paper will turn a critical eye toward North American surrogates’ reproductive mobilities that are incited by their participation in cross-border reproductive care. Surrogates in the United States are strikingly different from the images presented of surrogates in India. In fact, when the North American surrogates cycle for international intended parents, in some aspects they become less and more mobile. This paper will focus on multiple types of reproductive mobilities that are involved in the global fertility industry when international intended parents travel to North America for assisted reproduction.     

Midwife-led continuity of care improved maternal and neonatal health outcomes in north Shoa zone,Amhara regional state,Ethiopia: A quasi-experimental study

BackgroundIn a low-resource setting, information on the effect of midwife-led continuity of care (MLCC) is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of MLCC on maternal and neonatal health outcomes in the Ethiopian context.MethodA study with a quasi-experimental design was conducted from August 2019 to September 2020 in four primary hospitals of the north Shoa zone, Amhara regional state, Ethiopia. A total of 1178 low risk women were allocated to one of two groups; the midwife-led continuity of care (MLCC or intervention group) (received all antenatal, labour, birth, and immediate postnatal care from a single midwife or backup midwife) (n = 589) and the Shared model of care (SMC or comparison group) (received care from different staff members at different times) (n = 589). The two outcomes studied were Spontaneous vaginal birth and preterm birth. Outcome variables were compared using multivariate generalized linear models (GLMs) and reported using adjusted risk ratios (aRR) with 95% confidence intervals.FindingsWomen in MLCC were, in comparison with women in the SMC group more likely to have spontaneous vaginal birth (aRR of 1.198 (95% CI 1.101–1.303)). Neonates of women in MLCC were in comparison with those in SMC less likely to be preterm (aRR of 0.394; 95% CI (0.227–0.683)).ConclusionIn this study, use of the MLCC model improved maternal and neonatal health outcomes. To scale up and further investigate the effect and feasibility of this model in a low resource setting could be of considerable importance in Ethiopia and other Sub-Saharan Africa countries.     

成就、问题与思路：北方人口较少民族全面建设小康社会实证分析——对保安族、裕固族、鄂伦春族、鄂温克族和赫哲族的调查研究

文章以我国保安族、裕固族、鄂伦春族、鄂温克族和赫哲族等北方人口较少民族的社会经济发展为例,对北方人口较少民族全面建设小康社会发展成就进行了实证分析与回顾,而且重点对其现阶段存在的经济发展水平较低和农民增收缓慢、基础设施建设相对薄弱、各项社会事业发展仍较为缓慢、民族传统文化面临消退、农牧民思想守旧及综合素质偏低等进行了深入分析,提出依托优势资源发展特色产业,拓宽农牧民增收渠道;以政策为导向,集中搞好基础设施建设;尽快解决教育发展中的迫切问题等发展思路与对策,以期进一步推动“十二五”期间我国人口较少民族全面建设小康社会的发展进程。     

明代朝鲜使臣赴明的贸易活动

明朝与李氏朝鲜建立封贡关系体系后,两国之间贸易往来十分频繁。这种贸易,学术界通常称为"贡赐贸易"。事实上,"贡赐贸易"仅为一种贸易形式,远不能涵盖两国间的全部贸易内容。明代两国贸易的主要形式应为两国使臣的贸易活动,尤其是朝鲜使臣赴明所从事的公私贸易活动。这种贸易给两国关系带来重大影响。     

北周灭佛后佛教的复兴历程

北周武帝宇文邕灭佛后不久对宗教政策进行了微调,从而对佛教表现出一定程度的容忍。灭佛期间,佛教弘法活动并没有完全终止,佛教徒以不同方式延续自己的信仰。这些弘法活动为佛教复兴储备了大量人才。周武帝死后,佛法复兴一事迅速提上议事日程。但周宣帝对武帝灭佛政策多有回护,佛法之复兴进展也就非常缓慢。直到宣帝死后,杨坚把持朝政,佛法复兴才走上快速发展的道路。周武灭佛之后,佛教复兴所经历的灭佛期、缓冲期、复兴期三个阶段,具有一定的代表性。