Voting with Their Feet: Jobs versus Amenities

ABSTRACT The determinants of rural and urban community population change over the period 1991–2001 are investigated at a very fine level of disaggregation for Canada. The study examines the influence of local amenities, economic factors, and agglomeration economies on population growth for age cohorts starting from the very young to the elderly. Motivated by the objective of assessing the overall jobs versus people question in economic development, the emphasis is on estimating the relative contribution of groupings of variables in explaining the variations in population change rather than the contribution of individual variables. Results indicate that rural and urban populations are influenced to differing degrees by amenity, economic, and urban scale groupings of variables and that there are variations among age cohorts in both urban and rural areas. While economic variables are the most influential in population change for all rural cohorts, their contribution somewhat diminishes with age. In urban areas, amenity, and economic variable groupings have approximately equal importance across all cohorts. For the key young adult cohort, the economic grouping is clearly the most influential in rural areas, while it is a close second to amenities in urban areas.     

Remoteness and rural development: economic impacts of rural roads on upland farmers in Sarawak,Malaysia

>Although Sarawak has a rapidly growing economy, the benefits of growth have been focused largely in the urban centres. However, the majority of the population lives in rural areas, where poverty, although on the decline, prevails. Attention is given to the role of rural roads in countering remoteness and, hence, promoting more equitable development. To assess the impact of rural roads, two roads were used for comparison. One provided Iban communities with access to Betong, a small district town. The other provided Bidayuh communities with access to Kuching, the capital city. This paper focuses on three economic impacts of roads – agricultural production, employment, and household income. Findings show that the impact of roads varied within an area (a function of remoteness) and between areas (also a function of remoteness). Impacts were considerably greater when roads provided communities with access to a major urban centre compared with a small town. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the government's strategy of rural development.     

Producer Services Development and the Role of Telecommunications: A Case Study in Rural Washington

Information-intensive producer services, which constitute one of the fastest growing components of the U.S. economy, have been identified as a potential contributor to economic development in rural areas. This issue is examined in a case study of a community in rural Washington State. The findings indicate that producer services have not been decentralizing to rural Washington, and that opportunities for producer services development in rural communities are limited because of the inaccessibility of markets, smaller pools of skilled labor, and the lack of agglomeration economies. Opportunities for producer services are greatest in large rural communities with high-quality telecommunications systems. Although the quality of telecommunications systems is important to the economic health of communities, advances in telecommunications can be a two-way street for rural America. While telecommunications improvements increase a rural community's access to information and make it possible for rural businesses to more easily serve non-local markets, they can also make it easier for firms located in urban areas to serve rural markets via branch offices or through the telecommunications system.     

Shaping the Rural–Urban Symbiosis: Density,Dispersal, Remoteness,and Town Size in South‐East Australia

Within the context of economic and social change in rural Australia, this paper identifies four structural dimensions of non‐metropolitan communities that are shown to influence a range of areal and socio‐demographic characteristics. The analysis shows that such influence is essentially maintained whether the social catchments forming the database are subdivided by State or by an equivalent number of landscape types. Also, although the dimensions influence both the urban and dispersed elements of the communities, the strength of the relationships is substantially greater if those elements are considered as a symbiotic whole. Throughout, net rural local density (as opposed to gross density) is shown to be a consistently important dimension of rural communities in relatively sparsely settled lands such as those of south‐eastern Australia, supported by the important subsidiary influence of relative settlement dispersal and town size. The paper concludes with a discussion of the processes involved in the impact of those structural dimensions upon rural society.     

中国西部地区县域城乡统筹发展模式探讨

县域城乡统筹发展是西部地区经济社会发展的必由之路。现阶段,受资源禀赋、人力资源、产业发展、制度环境等要素条件影响,中国东、中、西部县域城乡统筹发展水平有明显差异。自2001年国家实施西部大开发战略以来,特别是“十一五”时期,西部地区县域经济城乡统筹发展已经取得积极成效。西部不少市县在立足当地实际、因地制宜地加快县域城乡统筹发展的过程中,逐步形成各具特色的县域城乡统筹发展模式。对于西部地区县域城乡统筹发展模式的研究,也就在于总结、梳理西部各省县域城乡统筹发展成就、经验和做法,比较不同区域、不同县区县域城乡统筹发展路子或模式,探讨西部地区统筹城乡发展、转变经济发展方式思路和对策。     

河南省城镇建设用地变化的经济驱动机制分析

以河南省城镇建设用地为研究对象,在对区域城镇用地现状评述的基础上,采用调查、统计、分析的方法分析了区域城镇建设用地存在的主要问题,对影响区域城镇用地统筹的经济驱动机制进行分析。研究指出了河南省城镇规模普遍偏小、用地集约度较低、土地经济产出水平较低、用地内部结构和布局不尽合理,同时提出消费需求变化、社会投资变化、产业结构调整、经济增长方式是引起河南省城镇建设用地变化的主要驱动因素     

Rural‐to‐Urban Commuting: Three Degrees of Integration

Commuting ties between rural places of residence and urban places of employment are among the most visible forms of rural–urban integration. For some rural areas, access to urban employment is a key source of population retention and growth. However, this access varies considerably across rural areas, with distance representing a primary deterrent. In addition to distance, the size of the urban community will also influence rural‐to‐urban commuting opportunities. In this paper, using Canadian data, we empirically estimated the influence of local rural population and job growth on rural out‐commuting within the urban hierarchy. We find consistent support for the deconcentration hypothesis where population moves to rural areas for lifestyle and quality of life reasons, while retaining urban employment. Further, we find some evidence that in addition to distance from the nearest urban center being a deterrent, increased remoteness from the top of the urban hierarchy exerts a positive influence on out‐commuting. Recognition of these types of rural–urban linkages through commuting is essential in designing Canadian rural policy and targeted programs that may effectively support local rural populations. In particular, they point to the need to have reasonable transportation infrastructure for urban accessibility, which should be complemented by other “built” infrastructure to improve the livability of rural communities.     

Using Economic Base Models to Explain New Trends in Rural Income

The economics or urban and rural areas in the United States continue to experience change in their structure, leading to changes in their economic base. This paper argues that nontraditional sources of income, employment, and business activity have become more important in the economic base of rural areas. Current trends in rural parts of the western United States are used to document this argument. In spite of the decline in the relative or absolute important of traditional natural-resource-oriented industries in the rural West, in the 1990s this region is experiencing population growth rates well above those of the nation as whole. This reversal of development experience from the 1990s is analyzed empirically, and extended economic base models are proposed to capture forces which now are found to be of growing significance in explaining current development trends in western rural economics.     

Measuring Smart Land Use in Urban–Rural Regions of China: A Case Study of Pukou,Nanjing City

This article expands the study of smart growth from urban space to urban–rural regions based on land use. It analyses smart land use in urban–rural regions. The study sets up an integrated measure indicator system of smart land use in urban–rural regions, which consisted of three subsystems: land amount controls, land form compactness, and land use efficiency. As a case study, the system was used to measure the smart land use in the Pukou District of Nanjing City, an area with intensive urbanization in the Yangtze River Delta of China. The results show that smart land use in the investigated area is increasing year by year, but it remains to be further improved. The integrated measure indicator system of smart land use in urban–rural regions is effective for measuring the level and status of regional smart land use.     

Trading places: Inclusive cities and market vending in the Pacific Islands

Rapid population growth in Pacific island cities far exceeds employment opportunities and is contributing to rising urban inequality and social exclusions. Livelihoods in the informal urban sector, such as market vending, provide much needed income, rural–urban connectivity and food security, but remain largely excluded from policy and planning frameworks. Spatial, economic and social exclusions limit vendors’ economic advancement, their influence over decision‐making, and their access to basic services. Local communities close to informal markets fill some of the gaps left by the policy neglect, but investment and strategic management remains inadequate when vendors do not have secure market places and recognised rights to work. This article reports on a study of three informal markets in Honiara, Solomon Islands. These markets lack legal status but make significant contributions to urban development and economic opportunities. Drawing on surveys and focus groups with vendors and urban decision‐makers we explore the impact of informal markets on urban economies, how social and institutional relationships hinder vendors’ economic advancement, and the opportunities to create more inclusive livelihoods that could contribute to equitable cities.     

鄱阳湖生态经济区城乡旅游互动模式研究

城乡旅游互动发展对促进区域经济发展和生态保护具有重要意义。基于对鄱阳湖生态经济区城乡旅游互动发展动力机制分析,运用定性和定量相结合的方法,研究城乡旅游互动模式。研究认为,鄱阳湖生态经济区应以南昌市为最大客源地大力发展乡村旅游导向模式,以南昌市为最大旅游目的地着力推进城市即旅游模式,促进城乡旅游互动模式的形成,实现城乡一体化,提高区域旅游竞争力,发展区域经济,永保鄱阳湖一湖清水。     

农业信息化与都市型农业经济增长相关性研究

通过智能工具和信息技术的普遍应用,农业信息化促进传统农业向现代农业的转变发展,也促进以乡村旅游等农村服务业为主的都市型农业经济增长。从农业信息化研究角度出发,通过对农业信息化指数的分析,提出基于层次分析法非等权重的农业信息化指数模型,得出农业信息化与都市型农业经济增长的相关性,为进一步加快城市周边农业经济发展提供积极对策。     

Community Level Multipliers for Rural Development Initiatives

ABSTRACT The success of economic development initiatives in achieving a significant and sustained improvement for a target area is strongly influenced by the size of the local multiplier. New economic activity is generally site specific and the proportion of spending and re-spending that generates local multiplier effect will vary with the hierarchical level of community in which the activity is located. Leakages in the form of outshopping by community residents and expenditures in the community that constitute payments to agents outside the home community are estimated for communities in six functional levels that, combined, represent the complete trade center hierarchy in Saskatchewan. The resulting multipliers are found to vary with functional level, with the smallest communities having the smallest multipliers. When rural areas are being targeted for economic development, more rural economic activity can be generated by focusing on relatively large rural communities.     

中国教育的城乡不平衡发展探究

随着中国市场经济的不断发展和城市化进程的逐步推进,社会与经济发展中也出现了很多新的问题。其中,城乡经济与社会发展不协调造成的城乡教育不平衡发展成为影响社会发展和经济增长的主要因素。中国城乡教育失衡由城乡教育资金投入差距、城乡师资力量差距和城乡教育机会差距这3方面原因造成。教育的城乡差距反过来又在经济方面造成农村经济发展滞后,形成了“经济滞后——教育落后——经济滞后”的恶性循环。在就业方面,造成农村人才不足的同时城市就业压力过大。在社会发展方面,造成农村的人口、法制、文化等方面落后于城镇的水平。最后提出加大对农村教育的扶持力度,从教育机会分配的优惠政策、提高教育资金投入和加强师资力量建设这3个方面入手,推动农村教育发展,缩小城乡教育差距。     

基于P-S-R的重庆市黔江区城镇建设用地需求控制研究

近年来,农村人口向城镇大量流动加之城镇人口的自然增长,城镇人口对于城镇用地的需求十分强烈;另外,随着经济的发展,城镇固定资产投资逐年增加,致使城镇各业用地需求旺盛。因此城镇的扩张与人口向城镇的流动和政府对城镇的投资是密不可分的。本文试图通过引用系统工程理念中的压力-状态-响应（P-S-R）模型,分析导致城镇建设用地扩张的人口和固定资产投资的压力机制,并构建了测算建设用地需求模型。基于黔江区2004-2008年的数据,测得黔江区合理的城镇扩张规模,避免城镇粗放型的扩张。测得黔江区建设用地增量380.92 hm2。     

Urban growth and the transformation of rural China: the case of Southern Manchuria

Since the economic reforms launched at the end of the 1970s, China has experienced dramatic socioeconomic change which has led to the emergence of new and distinctive regions of economic interaction characterised by an extensive and intensive mix of agricultural and non-agricultural activities. This paper illustrates the nature and characteristics of these evolving Extended Metropolitan Regions (EMRs) by drawing on the experience of the Shenyang-Dalian urban corridor in Northeast China (Manchuria). The increased level of economic interaction between the cities and the countryside is characterised by accelerated labour and capital flows, rapidly expanding rural-urban commodity trade and subcontracting between urban and rural enterprises. The result is a rapid erosion of differences in the standard of living, economic function and life style between the city and the countryside.     

新疆农村公共产品投资绩效分析

随着农村公共产品投资力度不断加大,只有清楚掌握公共产品投资绩效情况,才能为政府投资决策提供可靠依据。农村公共投资的绩效分为经济绩效和社会绩效。本文运用计量经济模型,以新疆省为例来分析农村公共产品投资绩效。结果表明：新疆农村公共投资与农村经济存在显著正相关,农村公共投入每增加1元,将带动农业总产值增加0.322元;同时相关统计数据表明新疆农村公共产品投资在社会绩效方面也呈正效应,且贡献率不断提高,新疆各类公共产品投资不仅有效促进农村经济的发展,而且极大推动了农民的生产生活水平。最后给出推动公共产品供给的均等化、构建多元化投资体系等建议。     

松辽流域片区1990—2015年土地利用变化及驱动机制研究

为探索整个松辽流域片区1990—2015年的土地利用时空变化特征及驱动机制,通过ArcGIS空间分析、土地利用转移矩阵、SPSS相关分析和因子分析等方法,分析社会经济统计数据和气候数据。结果表明,松辽流域1990—2015年的土地利用变化差异显著。土地类型占地面积为林地>耕地>草地>未利用土地>水域>城乡建设用地,土地变化面积为耕地>草地>林地>未利用土地>水域>城乡建设用地。1990—2000年耕地、林地、草地和未利用土地相互转化明显,建设用地迅速扩张。乔木林、高覆盖草地分别减少了1.26万、1.74万km²,旱地增加了2.25万km²。松辽流域片区的土地利用变化主要驱动因子是经济发展和人口增长。本研究从流域片区尺度上为松辽流域片区的土地资源管理和规划提供理论参考。     

Practices of place‐making: Globalisation and locality in the Philippines

Abstract: Global flows of people and information in the Asia–Pacific region are creating new forms of place that stretch across national boundaries and rural–urban distinctions. These new mobile forms of place link long‐inhabited rural areas to cities, national centres, and to rural frontiers within the nation. Here, we describe new forms of place that are being produced by contemporary migration and economic change, using data from the Philippines and applying Appadurai's theorisation of translocality. Our analysis links these flows of overseas migrants to concomitant processes of economic change, migration and new rural livelihoods. We outline changing practices of place within the Philippines, exploring ways that transnational migration can articulate with apparently ‘local’ development and the flow‐on effects from migration on the spatial patterns of rural livelihoods.     

Participatory natural resource management in rural China: Making and unmaking environmental narratives

Environmental and development discourses in China can be categorised into three narrative motifs framing human–nature relationships: peasant, indigenous, and community. Indigenous and community narratives have been widely adopted by environmental NGOs (eNGOs) in China in promoting community‐based natural resource management projects, but there has been very limited critical research on such phenomena. Analysis of socio‐economic change in two ethnic minority communities in Yunnan shows that neither narrative theme is fully internalised by the relevant communities. Instead narratives may be strategically modified or even rejected by local communities. This is due to different agendas being held by local communities and eNGOs, and two factors pertinent to rural China: the incompatibility of concepts of ‘community’ in Chinese and international contexts results in confusion, and a lack of recent territorial and cultural claims by rural communities since the collectivist era makes it difficult to construct the identity of a community. It remains challenging for eNGOs in China to advocate either community or indigenous narratives in contexts of rapid socio‐economic change.