Determinants and correlates of language shift among the tribals of Central India

Language shift from traditional language to non-traditional has become an important aspect of the study in various disciplines including social and regional sciences besides linguistics. The geographers have studied the patterns of spatial distribution and the processes through which the shift occurs and also analysed the factors which are responsible for the shift. Socio-economic and political implications of the shift have been adequately emphasized in geographical studies. The present study is an attempt in this direction by selecting some of the important tribal groups of Central India. The paper attempts to establish the relationship between language shift and socio-economic conditions among the Bhils, the Korkus, the Mundas and the Santals of Central India. The stepwise regression model has been applied to understand the causality of the shift while the degree of linguistic exposure has been calculated to determine the magnitude of language shift among them for a comparative analysis. Both primary and secondary data have been analysed for this study. Though language shift among the tribal population has exposed them to the outside world and helped them to achieve higher levels of socio-economic development, its consequences seem to be more serious as it has led to the division of the tribal society and formation of separate groups of people who have been alienated from the traditional people. Thus, the process of linguistic shift is held responsible for the loss of tribal identity and their traditional culture. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Social geography in France — heritages and perspectives

Attention has long been given by French geographers to social factors; one of the first overt attempts at a french social geography were made by Abel Chatelain and Pierre George. Their lead was not immediately followed, but another isolated attempt to develop social geography was made by Renée Rochefort. The gap left by French geographers was to some extent filled by sociologists and ethnologists until the 70s. Pierre Claval then sought to use social factors as a means of unifying human geography, but at the same time rejecting marxist interpretations and moving towards behaviourism. A further nucleus of development was established at Lyons around Renée Rochefort; yet other geographers approached social geography by emphasizing social factors in urban studies etc. An aspect of this development was the formation of affiliations of various social scientists to study social change. All the major currents of thought are now present — humanistic, marxist, positivist — and a wide range of themes examined, but without any agreed definition of social geography. Attempts are here made to work towards a definition, emphasizing the relationship between social factors and spatial factors, and between economic infrastructure and juridicial, political and ideological superstructure; recognizing that there is often an hiatus between change on the infrastructure and change in the superstructure.translated by editor     

基于微博平台的中国城市网络信息不对称关系研究

网络信息空间的空间关系及信息流研究为信息化影响下的地理空间演变研究奠定基础。借助微博这一新兴网络信息传播平台获取中国城市间网络信息联系数据,采用流分析方法呈现城市间网络信息联系的空间格局。研究发现:中国城市网络信息关系呈现出"一超多强"的空间极化不对称格局。网络空间不对称格局与地理距离、经济社会发展水平存在密切关联性,表现为:城市对外网络信息总不对称度与其经济社会发展水平的相对一致性;经济社会发展差距对城市间网络信息不对称程度影响的距离衰减性;城市间网络信息不对称程度与经济社会发展差距的相对一致性;东、中、西部三大地区间网络信息不对称关系与经济发展梯度的相对一致性。     

Ecology of Karez irrigation: a case of Pakistan

Though hard to construct, difficult to maintain, and yet limited in scope, the karez irrigation system has been an integral part of agricultural landscape in Baluchistan province of Pakistan for the last 2500 years, if not earlier. The irrigation system is well adjusted with the social and political institutions in Baluchistan and synchronizes with the local economies.Archaeology indicates that the idea of karez irrigation originated in the Indus Valley Civilization of Pakistan, while philology, method of construction, migration of karez technocrats support the view that the technology was introduced from Afghanistan and not from Iran as is generally accepted. An attempt has been made in this paper to examine the ecology of karez irrigation in Pakistan in terms of its nature, origin, diffusion and persistence including the recent changes in the system wherein tunnels are being replaced by cement pipes and Delay Action Dams.. The delay action dams are being introduced to augment the subsurface water supply. The tube-wells and modern electric-powered pumps are impinging on the karezes and may ultimately destroy the fragile ecosystem of Baluchistan, including the age-old karez irrigation system.     

Regional investment effectiveness and development levels in China

For centuries, it has been taken for granted that social and economic development in China has an east-west spread, or from the coast to the interior. Even though a tremendous effort was made by the socialist government for thirty years (1949-1978) on rectifying this unhealthy imbalance, most people hold the belief that the spatial patterns of China's development remain the same as they were forty years ago. This deep-rooted concept plays an important role in shaping China's present economic development strategies. Thus, an evaluation of the impact of the goverment's regional balance effort remains critical. Understanding the changes and patterns of China's regional development is central to formulating appropriate policies for future planning. In this paper an overview of regional development is presented from the perspective of history. Regression between the total fixed capital investment and the combined industrial and agricultural output is analyzed, and an effort is made to find out the spatial distribution of regional investment effectiveness. A factor analysis based on twenty socio-economic variables revealed that apart from the traditional E-W regional disparity, the modern socialist dispersal policy has also affected the regional development in China. Though the historical economic factors unbalanced the development from E to W, the economic pratice advocated by Socialist China has reversed the tendency to some extent. A cluster analysis of 21 provinces, five autonomous administrative regions, and three municipalities identified new spatial patterns, and the result strengthened the finding that the effort of regional balance in the period of 1949–1978 is still at work.     

发展战略、体制机制与国土空间规划

我国土地研究领域知名学者,原中国土地勘测规划院(现中国国土勘测规划院)院长、党委书记,曾担任中国土地学会副理事长的黄小虎研究员,应邀于2020年11月21日在清华大学土地利用与住房政策研究中心主办的“后疫情时代:国土空间规划与城乡高质量发展”论坛上作主题报告。他在发言中指出:传统规划体系存在多类型规划矛盾冲突的问题,多规合一为解决这一问题指明了方向、奠定了基础。十八大以后,中央对经济社会的发展战略、路线方针等陆续做出重大调整,国家发展内涵发生转变,要求突出发展质量,强调环境保护、农业农村优先。在体制机制上明确由新组建的自然资源部负责建立空间规划体系,其他部门不再编制涉及空间布局的规划,“多规合一”得到实现。国土空间规划的核心内容是国土利用和土地利用的功能分区,这也是用途管制的依据。     

Urbanization and spatial structure in Hungary

The last four decades have brought fundamental changes in Hungarian urbanization. The number of towns has increased from 54 to 166 and the number of settlements with a population over 100 000 has grown from 3 to 8, and the number of small towns with a population just over 30 000 has increased four times compared to the situation at the beginning of the century. While urban concentration has been growing, there has been a degradation of rural settlements, especially in the category of less than 500 inhabitants. This study deals with the spatial structure of Hungarian settlements, categorizing the towns according to their regional roles, population and dynamics of growth. The changes of their social and economic spheres influence their internal structures. The study attempts to summarize all the territorial, regional consequences of the recent social and economic changes that have been defining or modifying the urban development in Hungarian settlements.     

Core periphery in metropolitan development and planning: Socio-economic change in Lyon since 1960

The paper begins with an evaluation of the nature of social and economic change which has affected Lyon, France's second-largest city, since the early 1960's. Change in the strucure and spatial characteristics of Lyon's population and economy have served to highlight the internal contrasts between core and periphery which have been the hallmark of the city's expansion. This evaluation serves as the basis for a detailed appraisal of the specific policy measures and development schemes, which have sought to reinforce the position of the central and inner city in the face of the challenge from the outer suburbs. In conclusion, attention is focused on the contribution made by planning policy to the city's contemporary development.     

Economic restructuring, social re-composition and recent urban changes in Portugal

The productive restructuring process has affected more than just the economic field, because its effects have been felt on urbanisation processes, on social relations, and on the spatial organisation of society. Starting from the ‘metapolis’ concept, developed by Ascher (1995), we analyse the evolution of new forms of urban space in Portugal, arguing that new urban forms generate new social inequalities and, in extreme cases, social exclusion. Portugal is a semi-peripheral country that combines certain of the trends in social and economic organisation common to core countries, with certain trends more common in the developing world. Thus the understanding of urban change in Portugal is a complex task, made more difficult by the rapidity of processes since the mid 1970s. The Lisbon Metropolitan Area has been deeply affected by the productive restructuring process. The role of economic and urban policies in the Lisbon region is discussed, and an assessment is made of certain measures aimed at solving economic and social problems. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Israel's map of inequality in spatial development

The objectives of the paper are to indicate, on a national and regional level, the areas of geographical inequality in Israel, which create economic and social gaps in the development of the country. Geographical inequality in this study has been analyzed through eleven different criteria, relevant to economic and social welfare situations, as: distance from the nearest big city, road accessibility, rate of population density, natural economic potential, spatial security, distance from the central plain and centers of economic activity, climatic index of discomfort, topography, oldness of the settlements in the surroundings, etc. Each element of inequality has been plotted on a map indicating its quantitative values,on the basis of square units, comprising 25 km² each. A weighting of all the squares according to qualitative criteria enabled to prepare a comprehensive and compilative map with isolines showing the different spatial and inequality degrees.The map which has been elaborated from the data shows districts and localities in a range of different spatial degrees of deprivation. The history of settlement in Israel since the end of the 19th century, the planning guidelines since the establishment of the State in 1948, and the main geographic features of the country are the reasons of regional disparities.     

基于双曲距离协调度模型的地下水资源与经济承载协调关系

如何分析区域资源环境与社会经济之间的协调匹配程度,是促进区域经济可持续发展首先需要厘清的问题。基于资源环境承载协调理论,构建了基于双曲距离协调度的资源-经济系统的协调分析模型方法。根据该模型对全国依赖地下水资源且开发程度较高的514个县的地下水资源和经济数据进行了协调关系分析,评价了各县地下水资源禀赋与其承载的经济体之间的协调关系水平,结果显示2个系统之间的协调匹配程度及空间上具有较大差异性。东北和西北大部分地区处于地下水资源与经济协调的正向区间,区域经济发展仍具有一定潜力,华北及南方大部分地区处于负向协调区间,经济的发展超越了地下水资源的承载能力。     

过去2000年气候变化对中国经济与社会发展影响研究综述

It is one of the important focuses of the Past Global Changes (PAGES) to investigate the long-term impacts of climate change on regional social and economic development over the past two millenniums. The past decades in China have witnessed great progresses in the study of past climatic influence on human society. In this paper, reviews have been made on the latest proceedings related with researches about the past 2000-year climatic impacts on Chinese history in terms of the following three aspects: economic fluctuations, social stability, and the rise and fall of dynasties in China. It is concluded that climate change and socio-economic fluctuation in historical China really temporarily demonstrated a good coincidence, which indicates a potential driving-response mechanism was likely embedded in the complicated relationship between climate change and human society. A warm climate provided relatively stable conditions of agricultural production and thus generally played a positive role in the healthy development of the economy and society. On the contrary, socio-economic adverseness triggered by a colder climate was preconditioned with social problems such as the intensification of the contradiction between people and land, as well as the gradual accumulation of social rigidity. These social problems accompanying with social development contributed higher vulnerability of society in the face of changing climate, which to some extent might amplify the effects of climatic deterioration. The authors emphasize that the future studies of the relationship between past climate change and human history in China should attach more attention to the following key problems: making deeper exploitation of the potential of Chinese historical documents, exploring the mechanism of climate-society interaction, and studying the differences of climatic effects on socio-economic development at the regional scale. This study from a historical perspective might enhance the understanding of human-environment relationship under a situation of global warming, and also provide the scientific basis for the sustainable social development in China.     

Socio-economic geography in the U.S.S.R.

A major field of research since the 1920s has been methods and theories of economic regionalization. The territorial-production complex is now recognized as a key developmental tool within the framework of economic-planning regions. Recently, there has been a more marked growth of study into problems of natural-resource development, social progress and change in the U.S.S.R. as well as into the spatial structure of other nations, particularly other socialist countries and non-socialist developing countries.     

Social and environmental regulation in rural China: bringing the changing role of local government into focus

China’s rapid economic growth following the 1978 reforms has resulted in significant economic, social and environmental change. These reforms and their outcomes have been subjected to considerable scrutiny. However, relatively little research has been directed towards the relationship between the changing role of local government, which has itself been subject to substantial restructuring, and the local mediation of the social and environmental impacts of rapid economic growth. This paper investigates the local manifestation of social and environmental change in Zhejiang Province. In particular, it considers the changing role of local government in the regulatory process, and features a case study of Huzhou Municipality. A synthesis of the factual knowledge and perceptions of 48 key-informants from government and public institutions and rural industries is used as the platform for an analysis of the changing nature of local regulation with respect to the provision of key public services (health care and education) and environmental protection (water pollution control). The results reveal the ability of local government to selectively implement national and provincial policies in light of local priorities, which is taken as indicative of the emergence of local agency within local development processes. The case study suggests a need to re-evaluate conventional wisdom on the absence of autonomy at local levels of government in China, particularly as it relates to the continued devolution of administrative responsibility and the emergence of increasingly powerful economic interests.     

Regional policies and regional consciousness in Europe's multinational societies

This paper is concerned with the political significance of the spatial economic activities of states. Regional problems are often the result of social differences which frequently are expressed in regional consciousness and loyalties and in turn they often create potential political and social cleavages and thus affect the cohesion and viability of the state. Various aspects of regional development policies in both western and eastern European multinational states which involve the spatial distribution of economic activities are examined. Planning the economic and social life emphasizes the regional allocation of resources, the coordination of national plans with regional objectives and increased consideration of the problem of lagging regions. Most regional movements are a protest against neglect and demand more local control and autonomy, therefore regional policies must be geared to the modification of long standing grievances resulting from past policies. In countries where increased participation by its inhabitants in the economic and social policies of their respective countries has been a matter of national policy, regional grievances generally have been kept under control.     

Socioeconomic development and the impact of natural disasters: some empirical evidences from China

Significant advancements have been made in examining the relationship between economic development and disaster losses at the global and national scales, but very little research has been done at the sub-national level, especially in China. Based on socioeconomic and disaster impact data from 31 provinces (municipalities, and autonomous regions) in China from 1990 to 2010, ordinary least squares regression was used to determine the relationship between socioeconomic development and effects of natural disasters. Results showed that economic development played a distinct role in mitigating disaster damages in the whole China and its eastern, central and western regions. There existed a U-shaped relationship between economic growth and disaster losses in the whole China and its eastern region, and an inverted-U nonlinearity linkage in its central and western areas. These findings further confirmed the existence of a nonlinear relationship between economic development and disaster losses. Economic growth had played a more important role in mitigating disaster losses in the central region of China than that in the western one. Further investigations demonstrated that as economic develops, there were fewer deaths caused by natural hazards in whole China and all its three regions. The combination of the lower level of education, higher unemployment rate and greater gross dependence ratio has contributed to the increase in death toll caused by natural disasters, but this trend could be partly offset by wealth growth.     

Spatiotemporal changes in population distribution and socioeconomic development in China from 1950 to 2010

Complex factors, including those associated with human and natural geography, have contributed to a longstanding imbalance in the relationship between population distribution and socioeconomic development in eastern and western China. Applying the population distribution structure index, the Gini coefficient of population distribution, and analysis of the movement of the population center of gravity and spatial autocorrelation, this study simultaneously analyzes the spatial characteristics of population density in China and the trends in its temporal and spatial variation from 1950 to 2010. It was found that while China’s population distribution has increasingly balanced development, the overall pattern of the spatial distribution has not changed significantly. Although the “Hu Huanyong Line” is still a valid representation of the country’s population distribution, the population distribution in parts of Gansu, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia has extended the boundary of the Hu Huanyong Line. The Chinese population has experienced a trend of movement towards the west. While the congruence between the population distribution and economic development of the country as a whole was relatively low, it was relatively high in the northeast and the relationship is steadily improving. Compared with the eastern and central regions, the western region has experienced a fluctuating and weakening trend.     

Prioritization of disaster risk in a community using GIS

Prioritization of disaster risk was carried out for a community in Toronto, Canada. Geographic information systems (GIS) were used for spatial analysis, including spatial overlays and clipping for extracting spatial and attribute information related to people’s vulnerability, critical infrastructure and landuse. In order to determine disaster risk, the overall community vulnerability was evaluated by combining social, economic, physical and environmental vulnerabilities. This paper uses the propane explosion incident as the case in point to demonstrate the methodology and procedure used to evaluate risk using GIS techniques. City of Toronto spatial data have been integrated with the study area to gather landuse information, identify risk zones based on the propane storage facility location and evaluate risks. Statistics Canada 2006 census data have been used for area demographics and people’s social and economic status. Vulnerability indicators were determined based on the GIS-derived spatial and attribute data for the hazard and evacuation zones followed by a quantitative spatial risk estimation and ranking. The methodology of this study, based on the risk evaluation and prioritization conducted, can be applied to future decision making in effective landuse planning and the development of risk management strategies.     

A theoretical framework for a ‘spatially conscious’ economic analysis of environmental issues

This paper proposes a theoretical framework for the integration of economic aspects and environmental aspects into the decision-making process for sustainable development strategies. The aim is integrate Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and environmental valuation methods in the structure of a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) in order to better evaluate spatial concerns. The conceptual approach is augmented by a modest case study of a marina development in Santa Rosaliita on the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. This marina project is part of the proposed ‘Escalera Nautica’ an ambitious regional development scheme, which has caused controversy concerning its social, economic and environmental implications. The paper outlines the necessity to develop spatially conscious methodologies for a policy relevant research regarding sustainable regional development. Additionally, the paper contributes a spatial analytic perspective based on normative economic principles to the recent discussion on environmental economic geography.     

Migration in a transitional economy: Beyond the planned and spontaneous dichotomy in Vietnam

Migration is frequently portrayed as a negative force in its relationship with economic and social development. This negative perception is exhibited through describing population movements as either ‘forced’ (e.g. political and environmental refugees) or ‘voluntary’ movements (e.g. economic and uninhibited relocation). This paper examines the limitations of this conceptual dualism. It points out that the dualistic approach, widely used in the context of developing countries, simplifies a highly complex phenomenon by ignoring its essential heterogeneity and spatial and temporal dynamics. As such, it is limited in explaining and understanding the globally diversified, historically and politically contextualised situations. Focusing on the migratory experiences of contemporary Vietnam, the study identifies major patterns and trends of population mobility in the country in the past fifty years. It shows that despite the state’s continued attempts to reshape the spatial distribution of population over recent historical periods, the policy outcomes with respect to population mobility have been swayed as much by individuals and their families in pursuit of their own aspirations and livelihoods as by state plans. The Vietnam case has provided evidence of a much more complicated relationship between migration and livelihoods than the conceptual dichotomy assumes, and the opportunity for a richer set of policy options. We argue that the evidence from Vietnam, and elsewhere, warrants an integrated approach to studying migration, combining analysis at the macro- and micro-levels with the nexus lying at the critical decision-making point of the individual or household.