Economic reforms in China began in 1979 and initiated some of the most fundamental changes ever to occur in any country. While allowing some of the most astonishing economic growth the world has seen, they have also induced some of the most profound social and environmental shifts.

Autorentext

TERRY CANNON is Reader in Third World Development Studies at the University of Greenwich. He is author of many papers and chapters on China, in particular the impact of the economic reforms on various sectors. He co-edited The Geography of Contemporary China: the Impact of Deng Xiaoping's Decade (1990), and co-wrote At Risk: Natural Hazards, Peoples' Vulnerability and Disasters (1994).

Zusammenfassung
In 1979 China initiated a series of reforms which have been among the most fundamental changes ever to occur in any country. While allowing some of the most astonishing economic growth the world has ever seen, these reforms also induced some of the most profound social and environmental shifts. Scores of millions of people, apparently surplus to the needs of agriculture, have been attracted to booming rural enterprises, or to the uncertainties of towns and cities, where their work has contributed to the informal sector and an immense construction boom.This book looks at two aspects of the impacts of the reforms - first, on the demography of the country (especially migration and urbanization); and second, on the environment. A third part examines various problems of environmental degradation in relation to natural processes and human efforts to mitigate their effects. It reminds us that many environmental problems are associated with natural processes, but also that human efforts to remedy them are limited by the economy and political will.

Inhalt

List of Tables and Figures Preface Notes on Chinese Terms Notes on the Contributors Introduction: The Economic Reforms, Demographic Processes and Environmental Problems: T.Cannon PART I: DEMOGRAPHIC PROCESSES AND THE ECONOMIC REFORMS Pressures of Development on China's Cities and Regions; I.G.Cook Patterns of Migration under the Reforms; M.Messkoub & D.Davin The Floating Population in China's Cities: A New Ethnic Underclass?; C.J.Smith Family Planning and Fertility Among Temporary Migrants; C.Hoy PART II: ECONOMIC GROWTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS Wuhan: Policies for Management and Improvement of a Polluted City: J.G.Taylor & X.Qingshu Recent Developments and Prospects for the Sanxia (Three Gorges) Dam; R.L.Edmonds World Bank Policies, Energy Conservation and Emissions Reduction; L.Gan Urban Transport in China: Whither the Bicycle?; A.Spencer Is Ecological Agriculture Sustainable in China?; R.Saunders PART III: EROSION PROBLEMS AND POLICIES Assessing and Managing the Soil Erosion Problem in Southern China; D.Higgitt Soil Erosion and Conservation on Subtropical Arable Soils in Yunnan Province, South-west China; M.Fullen, D.J.Mitchell, A.P.Bartin, T.J.Hocking, L.Liguang, W.B.Zhi, Z.Yi & X.Z.Yuan Erosion in Deep Gorges: The Leaping Tiger Gorge on the Upper Yangtze; D.Watts & Z.Yue Index