Inclusion In China Research Articles

Coastal wetlands in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China: probably the most important site globally for the Asian Dowitcher (Limnodromus semipalmatus)

BackgroundDespite an increasing number of surveys and a growing interest in birdwatching, the population and distribution of Asian Dowitcher (Limnodromus semipalmatus), a species endemic to the East Asian–Australasian and Central Asian Flyways, remains poorly understood, and published information about the species is largely outdated. In boreal spring 2019, over 22,432 Asian Dowitchers were recorded in a coastal wetland at Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China, constituting 97.5% of its estimated global population.MethodsIn 2019 and 2020, we conducted field surveys at Lianyungang to determine the numbers of Asian Dowitchers using the area during both southward and northward migrations. We also assessed the distribution and abundance of Asian Dowitchers elsewhere along the China coast by searching literature and consulting expert opinion.ResultsThe coastal wetlands of Lianyungang are the most important stopover site for Asian Dowitchers during both northward and southward migrations; they supported over 90% of the estimated global population during northward migration in two consecutive years (May 2019 and 2020). This area also supported at least 15.83% and 28.42% (or 30.74% and 53.51% using modelled estimates) of the global population during southward migration in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Coastal wetlands in the west and north of Bohai Bay also have been important stopover sites for the species since the 1990s. Although comprehensive, long-term monitoring data are lacking, available evidence suggests that the population of the species may have declined.ConclusionsThe high concentration of Asian Dowitchers at Lianyungang during migration means the species is highly susceptible to human disturbances and natural stochastic events. The coastal wetlands of Lianyungang should be protected and potentially qualify for inclusion in China’s forthcoming nomination for World Heritage listing of Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase II) in 2023. Additional research is needed to understand Asian Dowitchers’ distribution and ecology, as well as why such a high proportion of their population rely on the Lianyungang coast.

Financial Inclusion in China: Has Input-Output Efficiency Improved?

Financial Inclusion in China: Has Input-Output Efficiency Improved?

Financial inclusion in China: an overview

Financial inclusion has become an important development strategy in many countries, and related research is increasing. Financial inclusion in China has had significant progress recently. It has gradually formed a unique and sustainable development path with supporting policies and regulations as well as rapid development and application of digital technology. While challenges remain, the experience of Chinese financial inclusion provides valuable lessons and research directions for policymakers and researchers.

Dreaming like a market: The hidden script of financial inclusion in China's P2P lending platforms

In the past ten years, Chinese people of different social strata have swarmed into the peer‐to‐peer (P2P) lending industry as lenders and borrowers. Meanwhile, stories have circulated across the media about desperate investors who lost their life savings on these lending platforms, many of which turned out to be Ponzi schemes. Based on fifteen months of fieldwork, this article presents a failed yet influential social experiment of digital finance in the world's largest developing economy. This article examines the morality of the P2P market by observing how the aspirational public script of financial inclusion is maintained and experienced through a hidden technological script that alienates the notion of “peer.” This article argues that the morality of the market is not only about “seeing” and judging from a distance but also about “feeling” and managing the moral boundaries and intersubjective distances between actors. These altered distances restructure interpersonal responsibilities and sustain the dreams and imagination that shape financial subjects on an unconscious level. The article expands the concept of market relationality beyond direct interactions between actors and uncovers the inherent tensions within the dream of financial inclusion. It examines the fantasy of beneficial technology in shaping market morality and the unintended consequences it produces.

Spatial econometric analysis of digital financial inclusion in China

Purpose This study aims to empirically analyze the factors influencing digital financial inclusion in China. Design/methodology/approach Using panel data from 31 provinces in China for the years 2011-2018, the study constructed spatial econometric models for regression analysis at the national and regional levels. Findings Economic development, government intervention, internet penetration and the development of the credit level significantly affected the development of digital financial inclusion in China. However, the specific influence of the various factors varied by province. Provinces with less-developed economies generally had weaker economic foundations and underdeveloped digital financial services, making it more difficult to fully achieve digital financial inclusion. Practical implications Relevant government policies should strengthen digital infrastructure and improve the organizational systems and services of digital finance to support the balanced development of digital financial services in China. Originality/value China’s e-commerce development has been at the global forefront for decades, which suggests digital financial inclusion is also well-placed for strong development in China. However, quantitative research on the digital financial inclusion index has remained insufficient in China and worldwide, with most research ignoring the status of different development levels in a different region. To address this gap in the literature, this study empirically researched the status, regional differences and causes associated with these differences that impact digital financial inclusion in China.

Bank concentration and SME financing availability: the impact of promotion of financial inclusion in China

PurposeThe promotion of financial inclusion can disturb the composition of traditional bank concentration and change the relationship between bank concentration and the availability of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) financing. This paper concentrates on a less frequently explored area of research by examining the relationships between bank concentration, financial inclusion and SME financing availability respectively, and the interaction between bank concentration and financial inclusion after the implementation of a financial inclusion strategy in China.Design/methodology/approachUsing firm-level data from 1,509 listed SMEs in China from 2007 to 2017 and applying rigorous analyses, we identify how bank concentration affects SME financing availability under the promotion of financial inclusion and also the mechanisms involved.FindingsWe find that bank concentration and financial inclusion respectively have positive impacts on the credit available to listed SMEs, indicating that the promotion of financial inclusion in China has reached a new high watermark. The positive impact of bank concentration is reduced when the level of financial inclusion is high. Conversely, a higher level of financial inclusion favours SME credit availability at only a low degree of bank concentration. Our findings suggest that financial inclusion has a substitution effect on bank concentration and has enabled us to add new interpretations to relevant theories; namely, the Market Power and Information Theories respectively.Originality/valueThis study provides new insights into the relationship between bank concentration and SME finance availability under the promotion of financial inclusion.

“Castles in the Air”: Kindergarten Directors’ Perspectives on Inclusion in China

“Castles in the Air”: Kindergarten Directors’ Perspectives on Inclusion in China

“Castles in the Air”: Kindergarten Directors’ Perspectives on Inclusion in China

“Castles in the Air”: Kindergarten Directors’ Perspectives on Inclusion in China

Exploring the drivers of digital financial inclusion: an empirical analysis based on interprovincial panel data in China

With rapid technological innovation, digital financial inclusion offers the advantages of wide geographical coverage, high availability, low cost and strong sustainability. Developing countries are increasingly making significant achievements toward greater financial inclusion. This study empirically examined the factors driving the development of digital inclusion finance in China, a major developing country. We performed co-integrated panel regressions on national and regional data from 31 provinces in China from 2011 to 2018. We found that the level of economic development, government intervention, internet penetration, and credit market development can significantly affect the level of digital financial inclusion in China; however, the degree of influence varies in different provinces. We propose that developing countries should strengthen their policy support and supervision of digital financial inclusion while encouraging the development of their economies and motivate the innovation and upgrading of the domestic financial industry for vigorous development of digital financial inclusion.

Discrimination against LGBT populations in China

Discrimination against LGBT populations in China

Using digital technology to improve financial inclusion in China

ABSTRACTWe investigate the channels through which financial inclusion can be achieved in China. The Partial Least Squares approach to Structural Equation Modelling is used to analyse the relationships among financial literacy, Internet usage, digital financial products usage, and financial inclusion. We show that Internet usage has no direct impact on financial inclusion. Rather, the direct impact comes from the level of financial literacy and the use of digital financial products, which are advanced by popularity of the Internet. Internet usage and digital financial products usage play a multiple mediation role between financial literacy and financial inclusion. We conclude that to achieve the goal of advancing financial inclusion, Chinese policymakers should improve the consumers’ financial literacy and promote the use of digital financial products.

Passion and vision for inclusion

Purpose This study aims to selects a teacher training program located in China’s rural area and focus on its preservice teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education in China and their expectations of teacher training programs. Design/methodology/approach The selected teacher training program is in School of Education of a comprehensive university, located in a small town in Northeast China. Five preservice teachers in the Department of Teacher Education were interviewed. The interviewees were randomly selected among those who have already gained at least 60 credits of coursework prior to the interview. Each interview lasted for approximately 0.5 h. Interview notes were summarized and coded using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-step approach. In addition to interview data, other data sources were used, such as classroom observation and review of curriculum and program requirement. Findings Although the selected teacher preparation program started offering some selective special education courses to preservice teachers, there are limited number of offerings and a lack of field placement in inclusive settings, and stereotypical opinions towards disabilities still exist as a roadblock for choosing special education teacher profession. Research limitations/implications The current study only focuses on one rural teacher training institution and report preservice teachers’ opinions toward teacher education curriculum, factors that lead to their decision in the teacher education major and their vision towards inclusion in China. Recommendations are provided to increase public awareness of disability, and create more field based experience in inclusive settings for preservice teachers. However, the result may not be generalized to reflect preservice teachers of teacher training institutions located in developed areas where there are rich opportunities for field experience in inclusive setting or special education programs, and who offer more extensive special education courses. Practical implications It is recommended that teacher preparation program modify curriculum and offer more special education courses, as well as develop connections with local special education schools and inclusive programs, thus creating more field based opportunities for preservice teachers to work with children with disabilities. Originality/value There are limited studies on rural preservice teachers’ attitudes towards being a special education teacher and how the teacher training programs prepare them to become a special education teacher. The current study fills the gap and conduct an interview study of preservice teachers’ from a rural teacher training programs perceptions of China’s special education, how they choose the program of study that prepare them to become a special education teacher, and their rating of the teacher preparation program.

Is the Development of China’s Financial Inclusion Sustainable? Evidence from a Perspective of Balance

Balance plays an important role in the sustainable development of China’s financial inclusion. First, this paper reports the entropy weight method used to construct a financial inclusion index (FII) and measure the level of development of financial inclusion in China’s regions. Second, the concept of the Gini coefficient of financial inclusion is proposed and the structural balance of China’s financial inclusion is shown, as calculated by using this Gini coefficient. Third, we report the use of a dynamic shift-share model to further discuss the development balance of the financial inclusion of China’s regions. The results show that there is an imbalance in the development of financial inclusion in China’s regions. For 2006–2016, the Gini coefficient and the structural balance of China’s financial inclusion show a significant downward trend. The gap of the financial inclusion development between regions is narrowing and the structure of China’s financial inclusion tends to be reasonable. The penetration dimension is at a structural disadvantage. Availability and usage dimension are at a structural advantage, which can effectively promote the development of China’s financial inclusion. In the future, the government should establish a more balanced financial inclusion development mechanism, making full use of structural advantages of the availability and usage of financial services to promote the sustainable development of China’s financial inclusion.

Social networks and informal financial inclusion in China

Using the 2011 China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) database, we explore the heterogeneous impacts of social networks on informal financial inclusion for Chinese urban and rural households. We find that social networks significantly increase the probability of households’ participation in the informal financial market, augment the size of informal financial transaction, and raise the ratio of informal lending over the total household assets. We also identify the mechanisms through which the social networks affect households’ participation in the informal financial market. By reducing information cost, perceived risk and precautionary saving, social networks play a larger role for urban households than rural households. Notably, the effects of social networks on informal finance are strengthened with the development of formal financial market.

China’s Internet Finance Boom and Tyrannies of Inclusion

One of the main drivers of China’s e-commerce boom is the dramatic expansion of the country’s Internet finance industry, which has grown and diversified at a staggering rate over the past decade. The emergence of Chinese Internet finance has been discussed in largely positive terms as facilitating commercial activity. It has also been linked to the wider developmental goal of promoting financial inclusion through the provision of financial services to previously excluded populations. Emerging from the global microfinance movement, the concept of financial inclusion depicts increased access to financial services (particularly credit) as an inherently beneficial means of empowering the poor and driving bottom-up economic development. This article challenges this dominant narrative of beneficial digital financial inclusion in China. It draws on the growing body of literature critiquing the global financial inclusion movement, and examines examples of exploitation, fraud, instability, and extraction related to expanded digital financial coverage in contemporary China. It then demonstrates that digital financial inclusion is part and parcel of the Chinese government’s plans to create a social credit system in an attempt to construct a “trustworthy society.” In this way, digital financial inclusion can be seen as a key element in a wider project of expanding surveillance through big data in order to close down spaces for those seeking to contest the hegemonic socioeconomic order. The article argues that these examples illuminate fundamental processes implicit in the expansion of the commercial Internet finance industry. In this way, while the extension of digital financial inclusion in China benefits certain groups, it also necessarily serves to reproduce patterns of inequality and exploitation.

Financial Inclusion in China: Use of Credit

Limited access to credit can cause financial vulnerability for a household and economic loss for a country. Previous studies have shown that only small portions of the population in developing countries had access to formal credit, and few of them focused on Chinese populations. Using data from 2011 China Household Financial Studies, this study explores Chinese households’ credit use. We found that over half of the sample (53.21%) used credit, and only 19.77% used formal credit. Use of formal credit was associated with socioeconomic characteristics of household heads (e.g., employment, education) and households (e.g., income, net worth). The findings suggest that promoting financial inclusion in China involves expanding access to formal credit among the socially and economically disadvantaged households.

Understanding financial inclusion in China

We use data from the World Bank Global Findex database for 2011 to analyze financial inclusion in China, including comparisons with the other BRICS countries. We find a high level of financial inclusion in China manifested by greater use of formal account and formal savings than in the other BRICS. Financial exclusion, i.e., not having a formal account, is mainly voluntary. The use of formal credit is however less frequent in China than in the other BRICS. Borrowing through family or friends is the most common way of obtaining credit in all the BRICS countries, but other channels for borrowing are not very commonly used by individuals in China. We find that higher income, better education, being a man, and being older are associated with greater use of formal accounts and formal credit in China. Income and education influence the use of alternative sources of borrowing. Overall financial inclusion does not constitute a major problem in China, but such limited use of formal credit can create a challenge for further economic development.

Training Needs for implementing early childhood inclusion in China

Bu makale, Cin'in ulusal politikasinin gerektirdigi kaynastirma uygulamalari isiginda ozel gereksinimli cocuklarla normal siniflarda calismakta olan Cinli erken cocukluk ogretmenlerinin egitim ihtiyaclarina odaklanmaktadir. Arastirmaci, calismayi Bejing'deki pilot kaynastirma okuloncesi okullarindaki ogretmenlerle gerceklestirmistir. MANOVA sonuclari, ogretmenlerin egitim ihtiyaclariyla ilgili goruslerinin egitim seviyelerine, ogretmenlik deneyim yillarina ya da siniftaki ogrenci sayisina gore farklilik gostermedigini belirtmektedir. Egitim ihtiyaci anket verilerinin dort alt boyutunun betimsel istatistiklerine ve ozel egitim ogretmenleri, mudurler ve erken cocukluk ogretmenleriyle yapilan gorusmelere gore ogretmenlerin en cok egitim ihtiyaci duyduklari alanlar sunladir: davranis yonetimi, bireysellestirilmis egitim planlarini uygulama surecleri, kaynastirma stratejileri ve ebeveynler ve ailelerle iletisim kurma. Son olarak makale, ogretmen yetistirme ve gelecek arastirmalar icin yansimalari ve onerileri tartismaktadir.

Understanding Financial Inclusion in China

We use data from the World Bank Global Findex database for 2011 to analyze financial inclusion in China, including comparisons with the other BRICS countries. We find a high level of financial inclusion in China manifested by greater use of formal account and formal saving than in the other BRICS. Financial exclusion, i.e. not having a formal account, is mainly voluntary. The use of formal credit is however less frequent in China than in the other BRICS. Borrowing through family or friends is the most common way of obtaining credit in all the BRICS countries, but other channels for borrowing are not very commonly used by individuals in China. We find that higher income, better education, being a man, and being older are associated with greater use of formal accounts and formal credit in China. Income and education influence the use of alternative sources of borrowing. Overall financial inclusion does not constitute a major problem in China, but such limited use of formal credit can create a challenge for further economic development.

Issues of teacher education and inclusion in China

Since the 1980s, children with disabilities in China have been integrated into general education settings; the practice is termed sui ban jiu du, literally “learning in a regular classroom” (LRC). The term LRC means “receiving special education in general education classrooms”, and it is regarded as a practical form of inclusion in China. This paper provides context for understanding the issues of teacher education and inclusion in China by comparing the concept of LRC in China to the international concept of inclusive education. It discusses the challenges for and development of LRC at the levels of policy and practice. The main issues involved in teacher education for special/inclusive education are discussed in relation to the culture and context of current policy and its implementation, teachers’ attitudes toward LRC, the professional competence of LRC teachers, the shortage of qualified teachers, and the lack of a national system for special education certification. The final section considers strategies to develop high-quality inclusive education in China from the perspectives of policy development, professional development, and the development of procedures for policy implementation.