From Breeder Reactors to Butterflies: Risk, Culture, and Biotechnology

Social theories of risk suggest that a combination of scientific and cultural perspectives converge to influence risk perception. This article first surveys sociological perspectives suggesting that risks from modern technological development have become predominant concerns in the social consciousness. Particular attention is given to those theses describing how social elements work to create perception of risks in relation to new technologies. The themes that emerge from this survey are then related to contemporary debates concerning biotechnology. Specific attention is given to recent controversies regarding genetically modified crops, and parallels are drawn between debates over nuclear power and biotechnology. A procedural ethic for public discourse and decision making over the diffusion of genetically modified foods is offered. Ethical and social theories are linked with the hope that by recognizing the social dimensions of debates over new technologies a broader framework for conducting risk analysis may emerge.     

Urban density and the metabolic reach of metropolitan areas: A panel analysis of per capita transportation emissions at the county-level

We engage a tension in the urban environment literature that positions cities as both drivers of environmental destruction and loci of environmental protection. We argue that the traditional binary view of cities as either harmful or beneficial is too simplistic; we advance a more nuanced understanding of cities to study their internal and external metabolic effects in terms of carbon emissions from on-road transportation at the county-level across the continental United States between 2002 and 2007. First, utilizing satellite imagery from the National Land Cover Database, we create a novel measure of population density by quantifying the number of people per square mile of impervious surface area. Second, we develop a measure of metropolitan adjacency from the rural classifications datasets published by the USDA. In spatial regression models, we find that while higher density reduces emissions, counties that are geographically isolated from metropolitan areas actually have lower per capita emissions, all else equal. We elaborate on the conceptual, methodological, and practical implications of our study in the conclusion.     

影响我国环境污染的人口因素研究——基于省际面板数据的实证分析

文章基于我国大陆地区31个省、市、自治区2003 ～2011年的面板数据,对人口规模、人口老龄化、城镇化等人口结构性因素与以二氧化硫、生活污水、工业废水、工业废气及工业固体废弃物为衡量指标的环境污染之间的数量关系进行实证分析.结果表明,人口规模对环境污染的影响并不是显著的正向作用,随着人口总量的增长并不一定造成环境污染的加剧;而人口老龄化对环境污染指标的影响具有倒U形的特点,在人口老龄化的初期会促进各污染物的排放,而随着老龄化的进一步深化,则会显著抑制排污量;城镇化对环境污染的影响则有明显的滞后性,上一年度的城镇化率指标会造成下一年度的排污量变化,这种影响具有U形的特征,具体来看,在城镇化的初期由于规模效应会使得各污染物的人均排放有所减少,随着城镇化的发展,排污量会相应有所增加,但增加的幅度小于前期减少的程度.     

试论湘西民族地区交通经济带的评价与构建

本文从交通经济带的传统构成要素入手,对湘西民族地区交通基础设施、城镇综合实力、产业状况等进行了评价,提出了以民族文化为纽带构筑民族地区交通经济带的模式,认为该地区可以形成一纵一横两条沿路型经济子带,并提供具体设计思路。     

铁路交通视角下近代东北城市化特征及其影响

19世纪中叶,在内外压力的夹击下,东北随着营口"开埠",被迫对外开放。为进一步加强其殖民统治,掠夺中国资源,俄日等列强旋即在东北地区敷设铁路,建成"丁"字型铁路网。由于铁路的修筑,近代城市迅速兴起,近代城市化开始起步。因其城市化过程中的起步晚、发展快、程度高、城市人口的外来性等特征,都与铁路建设密不可分,从而产生了独特的历史影响,带有浓重的殖民色彩。     

陕西省城镇化进程的综合评价研究

鉴于用城镇化率反映城镇化发展现状存在许多不足,文章在分析现阶段城镇化发展特点的基础上,提出城镇化进程综合评价指标体系,并依此对陕西省城镇化进程进行综合评价和分析。     

城市化背景下的农民人格嬗变及对犯罪的影响

目前,我国已经步入了城市化发展的"快车道",城市化的核心问题是农村人口的城市化,即农民向市民的角色转换.农民向市民的转化过程实质上是农民人格不断嬗变、逐步过渡到市民人格的过程,由于嬗变的自发性和城市化消极因素影响而衍生的不良人格嬗变是诱发犯罪的潜在因素,控制、减少不良的人格嬗变可减少犯罪的发生.     

Understanding the Economic Costs and Benefits of Catastrophes and Their Aftermath: A Review and Suggestions for the U.S. Federal Government

The number and magnitude of devastating natural and human events make it imperative that we actively and systematically estimate the costs and benefits of policy decisions in affected localities, regions, states, and nations. Such strategic risk management preparedness efforts should forecast well into the future and include scenarios with and without enhanced engineered structures; with reduced vulnerability through land-use planning and design; with the impact of resiliency and mitigation; with evacuation and relocation; and with the costs and benefits of recovery and restoration. We describe different kinds of regional economic models that can be used in these preparedness planning efforts, explore critical data needs, and advocate a shared federal-state-local strategic planning effort to accomplish the objective.     

Assessing the differential impacts of online,mixed, and offline gambling

The emergence of new behaviours associated with communication technologies has prompted questions about the evolution of gambling in the population. The development of online gambling gave rise to public health concerns back 20 years ago. Current knowledge indicates that online gamblers generally tend to show more psychosocial problems than offline gamblers. But those portraits tend to neglect the differences between pure and mixed online gamblers. The goal of this research is to assess if, and to what extent, online gambling generates more harmful impacts on the health and well-being in a sample of adult gamblers in Québec. The propensity score matching method was chosen to assess the variable prevalence of impacts on a sample of 810 regular gamblers recruited from an online panel. They were divided into sub-groups: pure online gamblers (n = 143), mixed online gamblers (n = 125), and a control group of offline gamblers (n = 542). The study has revealed that among online gamblers and their entourage, online gambling does, in fact, result in an extra burden of impacts in several aspects of their lives: work, relationships, mental/physical health, finances, quality of life, and problem gambling according to the Canadian Problem Gambling Index. Results also show that combined with offline gambling, online gambling significantly increases the burden of impacts in terms of both the number and intensity of impacts. This is the first empirical study using propensity score matching to asses the incremental impacts of online gambling by separating pure and mixed gamblers and to compare them to offline gamblers.     

土地融资、城市化失衡与地方债务风险

本文研究了土地融资对我国城市化失衡的影响效果、地区异质性表现以及背后隐藏的债务风险。利用2007-2015年间地级市数据的实证结果表明：地方政府的土地融资活动显著促进了“土地城市化快于人口城市化”这一失衡现象的形成,并且此影响在人口流出地和中西部地区的城市表现得更显著。进一步分析发现：“负债型”城市化融资与“供给型”城市建设相结合的发展模式可能引致较大的地方政府债务风险,主要体现为土地融资会加重发展失衡城市的债务负担,而投资回报和效率较低是造成这一结果的重要机制。以上结论意味着不考虑需求因素而盲目依靠债务性投资驱动城市化发展的方式是不可持续的,应探索建立推动城市化良性发展的融资体系,并在土地融资与城市公共服务供给之间建立稳定的投入联系。