China Development Brief - Newsletters (PDF)

China Development Brief May 2007

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:25:15 +0100

The editorial in this issue argues that the “birth control riots” in Guangxi underline the need for improved implementation of family planning rules which, despite the pain they have caused, have also played a key role in China’s social and economic transformation.

A feature article looks at the proliferation of gay support groups in China’s northeast and asks whether this a civil society success story or an opportunistic response to the influx of international funds.

A report on China’s new transparency rules for government notes that some progressive localities are ahead of the central government on this issue, and that national rules remain ambiguous as to how much the public has a right to know.

A review essay discusses some of the growing China-in-Africa literature.

Shorter items report on developments in EU-UNDP cooperation on civil society and biodiversity programs, on the rapid growth of a “Give2Asia” funding program, and on a WWF study that suggests China is not responsible for much of its “global footprint.”

China Development Brief April 2007

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:02:26 +0100

The editorial in this edition argues that Chinese “Government-Organised NGOs” are unlikely to wither away any time soon—but that some need to wake up and clean up their act.

An accompanying feature article looks at the plans of governments and multinational corporations to boost China’s non-profit sector through a variety of “platforms” designed to increase visibility, but also transparency and accountability.

Rather than treating child trafficking as an isolated issue, the government of China should respond by creating comprehensive and integrated child protection mechanisms, Save the Children’s Kate Wedgwood, He Ye (何叶) and Sun Tiezheng (孙铁铮) argue in an article excerpted from a recent presentation to the Foreign Correspondents Club in Beijing.

China Development Brief Feb. and Mar. 2007

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 02:38:37 +0100

Our February and March issue mainly concerns about rural situation in China. Editorial "Show Some Respect Amnesty" focus on rural migrants in China cities; "Capitalist Fillip for China's New Socialist Countryside" was written about rural funance; "Getting Together Again" pay attention to rural co-operation; First person "My Fortune Started with Two Rabbits and a Sickle" shows a story of a farmer, whose journey from poverty to ralative prosperity in rural Sichuan, and how this led him to become a social entrepreneur. There are also some short news in this issue.

Newsletter January 2007

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 05:34:11 +0000

Chinese environmentalists, whether from government, research institutes or NGOs, should be seen as comprising a “community”, not a “movement,” argues the editorial. A feature article explores the critically important but also extremely complex field of fiscal reform; while another feature article, contributed by Seattle University professor, Rob Efird, describes and discusses the activities in China of Japanese environmental NGOs. Shorter news pieces report on efforts by international NGO, Plan, to improve the registration procedures for rural children; on progress in an ADB-supported project to foster government-ngo partnerships in poverty alleviation; on changes in emphasis for a Hong Kong charity, Sowers Action, which supports education on China’s mainland, and on the findings of a study on maternal and child health published by Unicef, WHO and the Ministry of Health.

China Development Brief December 2006

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 10:33:33 +0000

If China is to develop a globally competitive media industry, more freedom will have to be given to media professionals, argues the editorial. Professional development is also the theme of a feature article that discusses the status of social work in China. An analytical essay asks how much inequality China can stand. Shorter news stories report on: NGO “learning networks;” a “case bank” of gender experiences; greener consumption; the impacts of WTO on Chinese farmers and NGO networking in Qinghai Province.

November 2006 newsletter

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 08:47:58 +0000

WHO China representative, Henk Bekedam, talks in an interview about China’s progress, but also grave problems, in reviving an ailing health system; and this is followed by feature articles on patients’ self-help groups and on the stigma experienced by Hepatitis B positive students. Another feature explores the growth of NGO-government cooperation in social service delivery in Shanghai. This issue also includes a review of ongoing developments in socially aware art.

October 2006 newsletter

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 08:50:24 +0000

Includes a review of a World Bank report on the development of farmers associations in China, an assessment of government efforts to universalise access to primary education, and a feature article on Chinese dog owners who are lobbying to influence local policies and regulations for pets. Also features an interview with leading UK environmental activist, Jonathon Porrit, an article by microfinance specialist, Myriam Bartu, on NGO credit programmes in Sichuan and Yunnan.

China Development Brief September 2006 Newsletter

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 07:25:18 +0100

As well as our usual array of news stories, this includes:

A feature article by our new staff writer, Chang Tianle, (常天乐) on the contribution to social service delivery and environmental protection made by Tibetan religious leaders and monasteries.

Forthright “notes from the front line” contributed by Zhao Zhonghua (赵中华) of Save the Children, who argues that quality projects with strong local ownership, as opposed to promotional “advocacy,” are the best way to achieve positive changes in Chinese policy and practice.

July August 2006 PDF Newsletter

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 09:56:48 +0100

Our July/August edition begins with an editorial on the implications for the people of the Tibet Autonomous Regions of the new railway link to Lhasa. This issue also contains an interview with the World Bank's China Representative, David Dollar, about the Bank's current and future partnership with China; a first person narrative of woman village leader, a reviWu Jing'ai(吴京爱); a review of an article on rural issues by leading government analyste, Han Jun, and a wide selection of shorter news items.

June 2006 PDF Newsletter

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 04:49:18 +0100

Our June Edition contains a first person narrative of village doctor Zhang Changjian who has tried to draw government and media attention to a wave of illness that, he claims, is caused by a local chemical plant. You will also find a report on the causes that push Yi women into cross-cultural marriage, and a report on leadership changes in China’s ‘first generation’ NGOs.

May 2006 PDF Newsletter

Sun, 07 May 2006 06:16:29 +0100

This issue we explore what 'ecological migration' (shengtaiyimin) means for nomads on the Tibetan Plateau and highlight how Marie Stopes International is delivering reproductive health services to young sexually active people in areas of Eastern China.

April 2006 PDF Newsletter

Sun, 09 Apr 2006 07:17:05 +0100

This month's main feature articles visit Eastern Guizhou to find out how Miao migrants from rural communities fare in urban labour markets and profile Xie Lihua, a prominent women’s activist and advocate for rural women. A first person article also tells the story of Zhang Xuanbao, a 24-year old migrant working in Beijing who measures only fractionally more than 1 metre in height. These plus our usual selection of shorter news briefs.

March 2006 PDF Newsletter

Sun, 09 Apr 2006 07:17:19 +0100

Herewith the latest development news reported direct from China. This month our main feature articles take a look at the market-driven growth of international volunteerism, which has attracted more than 20 organisations to set up operations in China, and 'community construction' in Ningbo where government is joining forces with a local NGO to deliver social services. All this, plus the usual, appetising array of shorter news stories.

Table of Volunteer Organisations

Fri, 12 May 2006 04:16:23 +0100

This table accompanies the feature article 'Market drives volunteering to re-explore its boundaries' from our March 2006 edition.

February 2006 PDF Newsletter

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 17:08:46 +0000

In this issue we profile China’s growing aid programme to Laos that sees the export of dam-building expertise, construction of hospitals, cultural exchange and growing numbers of Chinese citizens all flowing into south-east Asia. We also visit a youth justice programme that promotes non-custodial sentences for juvenile offenders in Kunming, and review the China Human Development report that was finally published at the end of 2005. All this, plus the usual, appetising array of shorter news stories and statistics from the UNDP's 2005 Human Development Report for China.