Administrative Region Of China Research Articles

The interaction effects of environmental regulation and technological innovation on regional green growth performance

As green growth is considered an effective method to save energy and reduce emissions, the questions of how to achieve it and which factors drive green growth have become hot topic. Although there are some studies on the factors impacting the achievement of green growth, they are limited in quantity. Moreover, most of them are primarily focused on specific influencing factors, such as political factors, environmental regulation (ER), technological innovation (TI), and so on; while there is little discussion of the interaction effects in an integrated methodological framework. Accordingly, this paper develops an integrated model to investigate the relationships among ER, TI and regional green growth performance (RGGP). The model is tested using empirical data on 30 provincial administrative regions in China during 2011–2012 by employing structural equation modeling (SEM) approach that can effectively investigate the relationships between observed and latent variables and the relationships among latent variables simultaneously. The hypothesis H1 of this paper is not confirmed, and the results show that ER has a significant negative effect on RGGP. Both the hypotheses H2 and H3 are confirmed, namely, ER significantly positively influences TI, and TI has a positive impact on RGGP. This finding provides empirical evidence to support the Porter Hypothesis that properly designed ER may positively affect RGGP through motivating TI. According to the results of hypotheses H1, H2 and H3, we find that ER couldn’t directly promote RGGP, but RGGP will be positively impacted by TI driven ER. The finding supports the view of ecological modernization theory that green growth practices may be promoted by TI driven ER, but whether ER can bring green growth practices is uncertain. Furthermore, the finding indicates that TI is a bridge for linking ER and RGGP. Based on our findings, we present some important implications that can be useful for policy-makers and enterprise managers to promote green growth practices in China.

Climate Change Mitigation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of autonomy as a Special Administrative Region of China. Unlike China itself, Hong Kong is not a party to international climate change agreements. While China has declared that the Paris Agreement and other climate change agreements apply to Hong Kong, the implementation measures for Mainland China in fact do not apply to Hong Kong. Its unique position under the ‘one country, two systems’ principle has frequently led to Hong Kong being left out of international cooperation on climate change mitigation. Nevertheless, as this article recounts, the government of Hong Kong has shown increasing interest in promoting climate change mitigation—or at least in being seen to do so. In January 2017, Hong Kong adopted the ‘Climate Action Plan 2030+’, which is, in essence, a regionally determined contribution to mitigation. 1

The Chinese version of hospital anxiety and depression scale: Psychometric properties in Chinese cancer patients and their family caregivers.

The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) acts as one of the most frequently used self-reported measures in cancer practice. The evidence for construct validity of HADS, however, remains inconclusive. The objective of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version HADS (C-HADS) in terms of construct validity, internal consistency reliability, and concurrent validity in dyads of Chinese cancer patients and their family caregivers. This was a cross-sectional study, conducted in multiple centers: one hospital in each of the seven different administrative regions in China from October 2014 to May 2015. A total of 641 dyads, consisting of cancer patients and family caregivers, completed a survey assessing their demographic and background information, anxiety and depression using C-HADS, and quality of life (QOL) using Chinese version SF-12. Data analysis methods included descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and Pearson correlations. Both the two-factor and one-factor models offered the best and adequate fit to the data in cancer patients and family caregivers respectively. The comparison of the two-factor and single-factor models supports the basic assumption of two-factor construct of C-HADS. The overall and two subscales of C-HADS in both cancer patients and family caregivers had good internal consistency and acceptable concurrent validity. The Chinese version of the HADS may be a reliable and valid screening tool, as indicated by its original two-factor structure. The finding supports the basic assumption of two-factor construct of HADS.

Convergence analysis of regional energy efficiency in china based on large-dimensional panel data model

With the advent of the era of big data, large-dimensional spatial panel data is gradually used to do empirical research in the macroeconomic field. This paper adopts a Data Envelopment Analysis(DEA) approach to calculate regional energy efficiency based on the perspective of total-factor energy efficiency using statistical data of 30 administrative regions in China. On basis of spatial effects, the paper assesses the convergence of regional energy efficiency in China using large-dimensional spatial panel data model. Our results indicate that (1) There is significant spatial autocorrelation and clear spatial effects in China's regional energy efficiency. Thus, spatial effects should not be ignored when assessing the convergence of regional energy efficiency in China; (2) During the period from 2000 to 2014 China's regional energy efficiency not only exhibits absolute β-convergence but also exhibits conditional β-convergence, the convergence rate is higher than the rate of absolute convergence after controlling for the initial conditions of the level of economic development, foreign direct investment and government influence; (3) The convergence rate of China's regional energy efficiency from 2004 to 2014 is higher than the convergence rate for the period of 2000–2004, which indicates that industry transfer has contributed to improvement in the convergence of regional energy efficiency in China since 2004.

Leadership for school-based teacher professional development: the experience of a Chinese preschool

In recent years, the role of school principals in providing leadership, and the impact of that leadership in promoting teacher professional development for building school capacity has attracted increasing attention worldwide. The study described in this paper explores the practices of leadership for promoting school-based teacher professional development (SBTPD) through a case study of a preschool in Hong Kong, the Special Administrative Region of China. The case study examines leadership and SBTPD. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. The research participants were the management team and teachers from the case study school. The findings of the study indicate that direction setting, communication and collaboration were associated with the practice of leadership for promoting SBTPD. We argue that teacher participation in decision-making is an important factor influencing the practice of leadership and its impact on SBTPD. There are implications for developing a critical awareness of the constraints that limit the extent to which SBTPD can be empowering in the hierarchical school structure in a Chinese educational context.

Communicating to young Chinese about human papillomavirus vaccination: examining the impact of message framing and temporal distance

ABSTRACTThis research investigated the influence of message framing (gain or loss) and temporal distance (present or future) on the intention of Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. A total of 156 Chinese undergraduates participated in a controlled experiment in Macau, a Special Administrative Region of China. Results showed that message framing and temporal distance interacted to impact the intention of HPV vaccination. Particularly, among participants who had no prior knowledge of HPV vaccine, the gain-present and loss-future framed messages resulted in more positive attitudes toward the message, higher degree of perceived severity of HPV infection, and more likelihood to get HPV vaccination than the gain-future and loss-present framed messages. Implications of the findings were discussed.

Gaming Promoters in Macau: Current Regulation and Perspectives of Reform

This presentation covers the evolution, current regulation and future perspectives of the law applicable to gaming promoters in the Macau Special Administrative Region of China, the world's largest casino gaming jurisdiction by revenue. In Macau the regulation of gaming promoters, first introduced in 2001/2002 and then subsequently expanded, has some unique features. Promoters are not just international marketing agents who recruit new patrons for the casinos. They may grant credit, collect unpaid credit, help with money transfers/arrangements, and sometimes share in the revenue of gaming tables or rooms in casinos (VIP rooms). In September 2015 major reforms were announced, and it remains a matter of prime interest to see how the legislation will evolve.

National epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant and extensively drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria isolated from blood samples in China in 2013

Although antimicrobial resistance poses a great challenge to clinicians in China, there are limited antimicrobial resistance data on Gram-negative bacteria nationwide. We investigated the phenotypic characteristics of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli (CREC) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) as well as extensively drug-resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (XDRPA) and Acinetobacter baumannii (XDRAB) isolated from blood cultures in China. Data were collected on 24113 isolates from the China surveillance of antimicrobial resistance program in 2013, which comprised 208 hospitals located in all seven administrative regions of China. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for common antimicrobials were determined by commercial automated systems available at local hospitals, and associations with geographic and clinical distributions was further studied. The overall prevalence of CREC, CRKP, XDRAB and XDRPA strains was 1.0, 5.5, 13.7 and 4.2%, respectively. Except for CREC, which did not differ greatly by region, the prevalence of the remaining three strains varied significantly across regions. The highest prevalence of CRKP (10.6%) and XDRAB (13.1%) were found in the pediatric group, and higher prevalence of all four target strains was found in the intensive care unit. For imipenem, 55.8% of CREC and 22.9% of CRKP strains had MICs of ≤4 μg/mL, while 97.4% XDRAB and 84% XDRPA isolates had MICs of ≥16 μg/mL. All CREC, CRKP and 81.2% of XDRAB strains were susceptible to tigecycline, with MIC90 values of 0.5, 2 and 4 μg/mL, respectively. In conclusion, a high prevalence of CRKP and XDRAB has emerged in China, especially in children and in the intensive care unit.

The Causal Relationship between Urbanization, Economic Growth and Water Use Change in Provincial China

The relationship between urbanization, economic growth, and water use change is one of the key issues for China’s sustainable development, as rapid urbanization and continuous economic growth are accompanied by a steady water stress. Thus, we applied a cointegration test and a VECM (vector error correction model) Granger causality test to investigate the causal relationship between the urbanization level, the economic development level, and the total water use in China and its 31 provincial administrative regions during 1997–2013. Results show that the three indicators have a long-run equilibrium relationship in most provincial administrative regions in China. However, the short-run effects and Granger causal relationship are insignificant for China and most provincial administrative regions. Therefore, that an idea such as urbanization as the engine or major driving force of economic growth, and that China’s urbanization and economic growth will bring a water crisis and will be strongly constrained by water resources, might be properly weakened. Targeted and relatively separate policies should be emphasized more for the coordinated development of China’s urbanization, economy, and water resources.

The survey of the prevalence of primary osteoarthritis in the population aged 40 years and over in China

Objective To investigate the status of primary osteoarthritis in the population aged 40 years and over in China. Methods Six centers were selected from China which are Shijiazhuang, Harbin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Xi'an. The objective population of study included general population of Han nationality aged 40 years and over. In every center, 1 000 people were sampled according to the principles of hierarchy, multistage and cluster random sampling; and the urban and rural areas as well as male and female accounted for half ratio respectively. For the diagnostic criteria of primary osteoarthritis, the diagnostic criteria which were revised by American Society of Rheumatism in 1995 was applied. All joints of knee, hand, cervical and lumbar spine were included. Results Under the uniformed inclusion criteria and quantitative index, 6 218 questionnaires and 5 334 sample X-ray films were valid. The prevalence rate of primary osteoarthritis was 46.3% (2 877/6 218), 41.6% (1 212/2 916) in male population and 50.4% (1 665/3 302) in female population. In four different age stages, the prevalence rate of 40-49 years was 30.1% (646/2 145), 50-59 years 48.7% (1 086/2 230), 60-69 years 62.2% (754/1 213) and 70 years and over was 62.1% (391/630). The prevalence of OA in urban and rural areas was 45.6% (1 472/3 225) and 46.9% (1 405/2 993) respectively. The prevalence of OA in cervical spine was 23.6% (1 468/6 218), lumbar spine 29.4% (1 829/6 218), bilateral knee joints 15.6% (972/6 218) and hand joints 7.8% (484/6 218). Conclusion Based on the investigation of six administrative regions in China, the total prevalence rate of primary osteoarthritis was 46.3% and there was an increasing trend with aging. The prevalence rate of female population was higher than that of male population and there was no statistical difference between urban and rural population. Key words: Osteoarthritis; Prevalence; Epidemiologic studies; China

Regional operational and environmental performance evaluation in China: non-radial DEA methodology under natural and managerial disposability

In this article, we used a non-radial DEA under natural and managerial disposability to measure the unified efficiency of 30 administrative regions in China and then evaluated their operational and environmental performances. We proposed the performance progress unified index (PPUI) based on the non-radial DEA methodology in a time horizon under natural and managerial disposability with a crossover to measure the performance variety of DMUs. The results of the unified efficiency measured under natural and managerial disposability showed that both operational and environmental performance in eastern China were the highest among the three regions during 2000–2011. The PPUIs under natural and managerial disposability indicated that the operational and environmental performance of the three regions improved during 2000–2011, and the rate of operational and environmental performance of eastern China was higher than the other two regions.

Evaluation of the energy-saving and emission-reduction potential for Chinese provinces based on regional difference coefficients

Rapid economic growth has resulted in a severe energy shortage and extensive environmental pollution in China. The question of how to save energy and reduce emissions has become a popular topic not only in economic but also in political and social circles. Most of the previous studies on the subject were conducted to evaluate the potential for energy savings and emission reductions. As an indispensable factor, each region's external environment has a strong impact on evaluating its potential for energy savings and emission reductions. However, the prior studies seldom considered each region's external environment, which resulted in research findings that are not rationally convincing. Hence, in this paper, a regional difference coefficient is introduced and calculated by applying technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution to represent the external environment from two perspectives: (1) each region's economic and technical ability and (2) each region's resource reserves and supplies ability. Based on the regional difference coefficients, the original data envelopment analysis model was modified to calculate the potential for energy savings and emission reductions for 30 provincial administrative regions in China from the year 2001–2011. The results show that the gaps in the energy-saving and emission-reduction potential among these 30 regions are large and still increasing. Each region has its own causes for changes in energy savings and emission reductions. Thus, the important factors influencing regional energy savings and emission reductions are analyzed. The paper finds that technical progress and economic strength are the main factors impacting the regional energy-saving performance, especially in the underdeveloped provinces, while the industrial structure and energy mix are important factors influencing China's emission-reduction performance.

Regional efforts to mitigate climate change in China: a multi-criteria assessment approach

The task of mitigating climate change is usually allocated through administrative regions in China. In order to put pressure on regions that perform poorly in mitigating climate changes and highlight regions with best-practice climate policies, this study explored a method to assess regional efforts on climate change mitigation at the sub-national level. A climate change mitigation index (CCMI) was developed with 15 objective indicators, which were divided into four categories, namely, emissions, efficiency, non-fossil energy, and climate policy. The indicators’ current level and recent development were measured for the first three categories. The index was applied to assess China’s provincial performance in climate protection based on the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. Empirical results show that the middle Yangtze River area and southern coastal area perform better than other areas in mitigating climate change. The average performance of the northwest area in China is the worst. In addition, climate change mitigation performance has a negative linear correlation with energy self-sufficiency ratio but does not have a significant linear correlation with social development level. Therefore, regional resource endowments had better be paid much more attention in terms of mitigating climate change because regions with good resource endowments in China tend to perform poorly.

The driving effects of urbanization on economic growth and water use change in China: A provincial-level analysis in 1997–2011

As one of the key issues in China’s sustainable development, rapid urbanization and continuous economic growth are accompanied by a steady increase of water consumption and a severe urban water crisis. A better understanding of the relationship among urbanization, economic growth and water use change is necessary for Chinese decision makers at various levels to address the positive and negative effects of urbanization. Thus, we established a complete decomposition model to quantify the driving effects of urbanization on economic growth and water use change for China and its 31 provincial administrative regions during the period of 1997–2011. The results show that, (1) China’s urbanization only contributed about 30% of the economic growth. Therefore, such idea as urbanization is the major driving force of economic growth may be weakened. (2) China’s urbanization increased 2352×108 m3 of water use by increasing the economic aggregate. However, it decreased 4530×108 m3 of water use by optimizing the industrial structure and improving the water use efficiency. Therefore, such idea as urbanization is the major driving force of water demand growth may be reacquainted. (3) Urbanization usually made greater contribution to economic and water use growth in the provincial administrative regions in east and central China, which had larger population and economic aggregate and stepped into the accelerating period of urbanization. However, it also made greater contribution to industrial structure optimization and water use efficiency improvement, and then largely decreased total water use. In total, urbanization had negative effects on water use growth in most provincial administrative regions in China, and the spatiotemporal differences among them were lessened on the whole. (4) Though urbanization helps to decrease water use for China and most provincial administrative regions, it may cause water crisis in urban built-up areas or urban agglomerations. Therefore, China should construct the water transfer and compensation mechanisms between urban and rural areas, or low and high density urban areas as soon as possible.

A Multiple Case Study on the Perceived Impacts of the 15-Year Free Education Policy in Macau

Former Portuguese colony and now a Special Administrative Region of China, Macau had progressed from following its colonizer and its neighbouring cities, like Hong Kong and Taiwan, to establishing its own education system and being the first in the Greater China region to deliver 15-year free education. The objective of this study was to examine the perceived impacts of this policy on the affordability, accessibility, accountability of early childhood education in Macau. A multiple case study, using quantitative (surveys) and qualitative (interviews) measures, was conducted in four private kindergartens in Macau to understand how the 4 principals, 24 teachers and 119 parents viewed the policy impacts. The results indicated that: (1) across roles, parents were the most supportive of the policy and consistently gave the highest grading amongst the three stakeholders. Principals were the most knowledgeable of the policy, but graded the policy lowest and regarded the government’s financial subsidy as the most insufficient. Teachers were the least optimistic and positive about the impacts of the policy. They felt that teacher qualification and the quality of teaching resources should be further enhanced; (2) Across school types, kindergartens which joined the free education network graded the policy higher and perceived its impacts more positively than the one which did not join; (3) Extra subsidies were suggested by the respondents to cover children’s extra-curricular activities, support from childcare and special education professionals, and school-based curriculum development.

Effects of celebrity involvement on young people's political and civic engagement

This study introduced the concept of celebrity involvement, which is the audiences' relationship with mediated celebrities along three sub-dimensions: affinity, parasocial relationships, and identification. Based on this concept, this study examined the underlying mechanisms through which young people's involvement with celebrities influences their political and civic engagement. A survey of 248 undergraduate students in Macau, which is a Special Administrative Region of China, showed an indirect association of celebrity involvement with political and civic engagement, which was mediated by situational involvement and self-efficacy, respectively. The implications of the findings are discussed.

Transnational events and impromptu participation: Youth participation in the Olympic torch relays in Hong Kong and Macao

It has been six years since the Beijing Olympic torch relays were held in Hong Kong and Macao, the two Special Administrative Regions of China. Extensive research which was largely connected to nationalism and globalism has described aspects of who, when, where and how the torch relays were executed, but the question of why, being the most difficult to measure in a qualitative context, is absent from analysis of torch relay legacies. It is nonetheless critical to consider in order to understand how a transnational event stimulates civic engagement and political consciousness in Asia, especially among the younger generations. Through small-scale ethnographic fieldwork, this paper seeks to examine the motivations which influenced young people to participate in the torch relays in Hong Kong and Macao and suggests that, given the temporal nature of the torch relays, what lay behind the emergence of impromptu participation/involvement was young people's desire for self-discovery, excitement, pilgrimage and gro...

Urbanization, Economic Development and Environmental Change

This paper applies the pressure-state-response (PSR) model to establish environmental quality indices for 30 administrative regions in China from 2003 to 2011 and employs panel data analysis to study the relationships among the urbanization rate, economic development and environmental change. The results reveal a remarkable inverted-U-shaped relationship between the urbanization rate and changes in regional environmental quality; the “turning point” generally appears near an urbanization rate of 60%. In addition, the degree and mode of economic development have significant, but anisotropic effects on the regional environment. Generally, at a higher degree of economic development, the environment will tend to improve, but an extensive economic growth program that simply aims to increase GDP has a clear negative impact on the environment. Overall, the results of this paper not only further confirm the “environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis”, but also expand it in a manner. The analysis in this paper implies that the inverted-U-shaped evolving relationship between environmental quality and economic growth (urbanization) is universally applicable.

Research on the Comprehensive Evaluation of China’s Environmental Health, 2003–2010

The environmental health of 31 provincial administrative regions in China from 2003 to 2010 was evaluated using time series principal component analysis based on the comprehensive indicator system for environmental health. The environmental health index increased continuously at a fluctuating rate from 2003 to 2009 but decreased slightly in 2010. However, such an increase resulted in the rapid and continuous development of industrial air pollution, natural protection, industrial solid waste and economic condition, as well as the slow development of health condition and the continuous deterioration of forest resource rather than the harmonious development of various environmental aspects. The environmental health indices of eastern and western China showed variation trends similar to that of the whole country: increasing continuously from 2003 to 2009 but decreasing slightly in 2010. The environmental health indices of northeast and central China increased continuously from 2003 to 2010. During these 8 years, central and western China achieved more rapid environmental health development than eastern China, thereby significantly narrowing the gap among central, western, and eastern China.

Allocating Tradable Emissions Permits Based on the Proportional Allocation Concept to Achieve a Low-Carbon Economy

A key issue within the emissions trading system is how tradable emissions permits (TEPs) are initially allocated among a set of entities. This study proposes an approach based on the proportional allocation concept to allocate TEPs among a set of decision making units (DMUs). We firstly deduce a TEP allocation set based on the rule that the TEPs allocated to DMUs should be proportional to their environmental contribution. We then obtain the allocation intervals of DMUs from the set, expressing the allocation as the convex combination between the upper and the lower bound. Finally, we define the satisfaction degree as the coefficient of the convex combination, and propose an algorithm based on the max-min fairness of satisfaction degrees to obtain a unique TEP allocation plan. To illustrate our approach, we provide the example of how TEPs are allocated among 30 provincial administrative regions in China. Our findings indicate that our allocation method can be helpful for achieving a saving in energy consumption and reducing emissions. In addition, from the data envelopment analysis perspective, the TEP allocation set can ensure that both each individual DMU and the organization as a whole become efficient under a common set of variable weights.