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1 – 10 of 95Jiaping Zhang and Xiaomei Gong
The research attempts to estimate how the use of WeChat, the most popular mobile social networking application in contemporary China, affects rural household income.
Abstract
Purpose
The research attempts to estimate how the use of WeChat, the most popular mobile social networking application in contemporary China, affects rural household income.
Design/methodology/approach
Our materials are 4,552 rural samples from the Chinese General Social Survey, and a treatment effect (TE) model is employed to address the endogeneity of WeChat usage.
Findings
The results prove that WeChat usage has a statistically significant and positive correlation with rural household income. This conclusion remains robust after using alternative variables to replace the explanatory and dependent variables. Our research provides two channels through which WeChat usage boosts rural household income, namely, it can promote their off-farm employment and participation in investment activities.
Originality/value
Theoretically, the study provides several micro-evidences for understanding the impact of mobile social networks on rural household welfare. Further, our findings may shed light on the importance of digital technology applications in rural poverty alleviation for developing countries.
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Redistributive policies aim to reduce income disparities and improve social equity. This study investigates whether redistributive effects that successfully diminish objective…
Abstract
Purpose
Redistributive policies aim to reduce income disparities and improve social equity. This study investigates whether redistributive effects that successfully diminish objective income inequality also effectively alter people’s perceptions of inequality.
Design/methodology/approach
Utilizing data from the 2018 China Household Income Survey (CHIP), comprising 56,167 individuals, this study applies ordered probability regression (Oprobit) and ordinary least squares (OLS) for analysis. To address potential biases in estimates, we employed the generalized propensity score matching (GPSM) method to estimate the treatment effect of transfer income on perceptions of inequality.
Findings
The results indicate that while China’s redistribution policies effectively reduce income disparities, they do not improve perceptions of inequality. Individuals exhibit biased attitudes toward redistributive policies. Specifically, perceptions of inequality are insensitive to the overall redistributive effect; the relationship is negative among the poor but positive among the rich. This contradictory pattern may be attributed to perceived income losses among the rich and gains among the poor.
Social implications
The findings have important implications for policy development. Redistribution policies should not only aim to mitigate income disparities but also address and improve people’s perceptions of inequality.
Originality/value
Existing literature has largely overlooked the impact of redistribution on perceived income inequality. This study represents an early effort to explore whether redistributive policies that reduce income inequality also influence people’s perceptions of inequality.
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Deyong Ma and Yongjun Ma
The purpose of this paper is to test if the digital economy improves the quality of life of our residents. Furthermore, if this finding is confirmed, what would be the mechanism…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to test if the digital economy improves the quality of life of our residents. Furthermore, if this finding is confirmed, what would be the mechanism behind its effect? Does the impact of the digital economy on quality of life vary according to its level of development?
Design/methodology/approach
A comprehensive index of the digital economy, income gap and quality of life was constructed empirically based on data from 220 cities in China from 2011–2020. A multi-dimensional empirical analysis was conducted in this paper.
Findings
The analysis of the pathways of action shows that narrowing the income gap is an important mechanism through which the digital economy actively contributes to the quality of life. The results of the threshold model show that the “marginal effect” of the digital economy on quality of life is non-linear and increasing. The results show that after a series of robustness tests, including instrumental variables, the digital economy still significantly enhances people’s quality of life.
Research limitations/implications
This paper reveals the intrinsic link between the digital economy and quality of life and provides a theoretical basis for further improving people’s well-being.
Practical implications
Encouraging the development of the digital economy is a useful way to improve the quality of life by narrowing the income gap.
Originality/value
Data analysis of the digital economy from 2011–2020 in China to get an insight into what would be the mechanism behind the digital economy improving the quality of life of our residents.
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Hendro Margono, Muhammad Saud and Asia Ashfaq
Social media provides a platform for people to connect, communicate and share their opinions, and has become a powerful gizmo for freedom of expression as well as freedom of…
Abstract
Purpose
Social media provides a platform for people to connect, communicate and share their opinions, and has become a powerful gizmo for freedom of expression as well as freedom of speech. The present study intends to examine the role of social media in instigating hateful thoughts, actions among youth and eventually leading them towards hate speech.
Design/methodology/approach
Mixed methods were adopted to achieve the objectives, where survey (quantitative) and focus group discussions (qualitative) were carried out. The students who participated were from different universities, campuses and faith-based schools in Indonesia. They were recruited through online and offline sources where they showed their interest in participating in this study. Participants were 19–30 years old. Data was analysed by deploying the narrations, thematic (based on themes), and univariate analysis.
Findings
In the present research, three attributes of hate speech were investigated, such as form of expression, discrimination and identity factors. The findings of the study show that the prevalence of hate speech among youth in Indonesia is associated with their belongingness to political ideology, identity, nationality and ethnicity.
Social implications
The objective is to examine the prevalence and nature of hate speech among youth in Indonesia, identify the factors and reasons for engaging in hate speech and assess the potential impacts of hate speech.
Originality/value
This research attempts to analyse the role of social media in shaping the mindset of the youth towards hate speech, which ultimately leads to delinquency.
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Long Cuu Hoang and Ha Duy Nguyen
This study aims to examine the determinants of Generation Z's intention to support sustainable development in tourism, with a focus on Nha Trang, Vietnam (a coastal city with…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the determinants of Generation Z's intention to support sustainable development in tourism, with a focus on Nha Trang, Vietnam (a coastal city with famous tourism activities).
Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted with an aid of SPSS 20.0 and SmartPLS 4.0 softwares to analyze the data collected from 394 valid respondents in Ho Chi Minh City through a cross-sectional method with a self-administered survey.
Findings
Empirical evidence revealed that sustainable tourism attitude, sustainable tourism belief and perceived sustainable destination image positively influenced Generation Z's support intentions toward sustainable tourism. In addition, perceived sustainable destination image also indirectly impacted intention to support sustainable tourism through the sustainable tourism attitude and/or belief (both single and sequential mediations).
Originality/value
This is among pioneering studies to figure out that knowledge negatively moderated the relationship between sustainable tourism attitude and intention to support sustainable tourism.
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Zijian Wang, Ximing Xiao, Shiwei Fu and Qinggong Shi
This study aims to uncover the mechanisms behind the marginalization of county-level public libraries.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to uncover the mechanisms behind the marginalization of county-level public libraries.
Design/methodology/approach
The research surveyed 25 counties in central China, including Hubei, Chongqing, Hunan, and Guizhou provinces. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with library directors and deputy directors, focusing on main and branch library construction, cultural inclusivity, library assessment, and digital services.
Findings
Contributing factors to library marginalization were identified as economic pressure, institutional domain, longstanding issues, organizational entity, and societal misconceptions. Building on this, the study introduces the HBAC model to explain county-level public library marginalization. Considering the actual social context of these libraries, the article proposes a “3 + 1” approach to mitigate their marginalization.
Originality/value
The research methodology, analysis process, theoretical model, and recommendations provided could shed light on academic research and practical exploration in the field of public libraries globally.
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May Ling Thio and Linawati Sidarto
Looking through an autoethnographical lens, the authors analyse the reclaiming of the heritage name of Indonesian Peranakan Chinese in the Netherlands with regard to their sense…
Abstract
Purpose
Looking through an autoethnographical lens, the authors analyse the reclaiming of the heritage name of Indonesian Peranakan Chinese in the Netherlands with regard to their sense of belonging and (translocational) positionality. The discussion is situated in the realm of (post)colonial ties between the country of birth and their current country of residence, against the backdrop of assimilationist policies of President Soeharto’s “New Order” after the regime change following the September 30, 1965, coup attempt (G30S). The authors’ own reflections were studied in combination with interviews, both formal and informal, and desk research to compose a narrative of active memories and stories told. How was the state-imposed name change experienced? Why did they choose to reclaim their Chinese name when applying for Dutch citizenship rendered that opportunity? Where can the affective bonds be found?
Design/methodology/approach
The authors’ own reflections were studied in combination with interviews, both formal and informal, and desk research to compose a narrative of active memories and stories told. How was the state-imposed name change experienced? Why did they choose to reclaim their Chinese name when applying for Dutch citizenship rendered that opportunity? Where do the affective bonds lie?
Findings
The reclaiming of the heritage name has a different resonance in the sense of belonging for different generational cohorts. In the specific post-colonial Dutch context - for the generation of our interviewees and of our parents - it represents an active re-positioning of one’s self as having Chinese ancestry (the name I was born with), not because they wanted to renounce their Indonesian connection but because they were forced to make a choice. For us, the authors, it was more a matter of: because we were raised with this name.
Originality/value
This article is a response to the appeal to expand the scarce literature published on the Peranakan Chinese group in the Netherlands (e.g. Tjiook–Liem, 2017; Van der Meer and Eickhoff, 2017; Ang, 2005; Li, 1999) who live in a fascinating (post)colonial positionality comprising of Chinese ancestry, Indonesian background and the Dutch (new) home country. Studies on this group barely mention the consequences of name change for their belonging (Healy, 2020) and positionality (Anthias, 2012).
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Yunus Emre Ayhan, Muhammet Özmen, Nur Ozturk and Nilay Aksoy
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the primary cause of dementia in elderly people and needs extensive professional care. The aim of our study was to assess the level of knowledge among…
Abstract
Purpose
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the primary cause of dementia in elderly people and needs extensive professional care. The aim of our study was to assess the level of knowledge among primary health-care providers, primarily Family Physicians (FPs) and community pharmacists (CPs), about AD and its treatment.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional study using Google Forms sent by email or message to FPs and CPs in Istanbul in June–July 2023. Turkish modified the Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS) and Alzheimer’s Medicines Knowledge Level Questionnaire (AMKLQ) were used in this study.
Findings
A total of 63 FPs with a mean age of 35.3 ± 7.8 and 138 CPs with a mean age of 38.6 ± 12.6 enrolled in the study. There was no statistically significant difference between FPs and CPs in terms of total ADKS score (19.82 ± 2.30 vs 19.23 ± 3.08, p = 0.136), but there was a significant difference in terms of total AMKLQ score (4.31 ± 1.40 vs 3.81 ± 1.49, p = 0.020). Health-care providers with Alzheimer’s training had a higher total AMKLQ score (OR =1.08 CI 95% [1.03–1.14], p = 0.012).
Originality/value
FPs’ knowledge of AD is on par with that of CPs. Nevertheless, it has been observed that FPs have more proficiency in delivering accurate responses to the AMKLQ and ADKS inquiries, which encompass crucial details regarding the treatment of AD. The sole determinant of the highest mean AMKLQ score was found to be professional education. Collectively, these arguments emphasize the need for primary health-care practitioners to obtain comprehensive and ongoing education regarding AD and its treatment.
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Changyao Song, Tingting Yin, Qian Zhi, Jiaqian Gu and Xinjian Li
Land is the basis for economic development as well as tourism development. There is a close relationship between tourism development and the land market. However, research on the…
Abstract
Purpose
Land is the basis for economic development as well as tourism development. There is a close relationship between tourism development and the land market. However, research on the effect of tourism development on land prices is insufficient. This paper aims to investigate the effect and mechanism of tourism development on land prices.
Design/methodology/approach
The econometric paradigm is the main research method. Fixed effect models, instrumental variable models and mediating effect models are introduced to examine the impact of tourism development on land prices. The data include three types: land transaction data, city-level data and scenic spot data. More than 360,000 samples of land transactions for 284 prefecture-level cities in China from 2007 to 2021 are applied.
Findings
Tourism development can significantly increase land prices. This conclusion holds after using instrumental variables to address endogeneity and testing for robustness. Meanwhile, tourism development’s effect on land price is influenced by land type, city type, city tier and city location. The land price increase effect of tourism is more significant for tourism land, tourist cities, central cities and Western cities. The paper also reveals the mechanisms of the public service enhancement effect, infrastructure upgrading effect and environmental optimization effect in tourism development’s effect on land price.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the literature on the relationship between tourism development and land market. The generality and specificity of tourism development’s effect on land price are revealed from the micro and macrolevel research level. The findings enrich the literature on tourism price effects, point to rational ways to optimize and regulate land prices and provide new ideas for land-market development.
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Mengxi Yang, Jie Guo, Lei Zhu, Huijie Zhu, Xia Song, Hui Zhang and Tianxiang Xu
Objectively evaluating the fairness of the algorithm, exploring in specific scenarios combined with scenario characteristics and constructing the algorithm fairness evaluation…
Abstract
Purpose
Objectively evaluating the fairness of the algorithm, exploring in specific scenarios combined with scenario characteristics and constructing the algorithm fairness evaluation index system in specific scenarios.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper selects marketing scenarios, and in accordance with the idea of “theory construction-scene feature extraction-enterprise practice,” summarizes the definition and standard of fairness, combs the application link process of marketing algorithms and establishes the fairness evaluation index system of marketing equity allocation algorithms. Taking simulated marketing data as an example, the fairness performance of marketing algorithms in some feature areas is measured, and the effectiveness of the evaluation system proposed in this paper is verified.
Findings
The study reached the following conclusions: (1) Different fairness evaluation criteria have different emphases, and may produce different results. Therefore, different fairness definitions and standards should be selected in different fields according to the characteristics of the scene. (2) The fairness of the marketing equity distribution algorithm can be measured from three aspects: marketing coverage, marketing intensity and marketing frequency. Specifically, for the fairness of coverage, two standards of equal opportunity and different misjudgment rates are selected, and the standard of group fairness is selected for intensity and frequency. (3) For different characteristic fields, different degrees of fairness restrictions should be imposed, and the interpretation of their calculation results and the means of subsequent intervention should also be different according to the marketing objectives and industry characteristics.
Research limitations/implications
First of all, the fairness sensitivity of different feature fields is different, but this paper does not classify the importance of feature fields. In the future, we can build a classification table of sensitive attributes according to the importance of sensitive attributes to give different evaluation and protection priorities. Second, in this paper, only one set of marketing data simulation data is selected to measure the overall algorithm fairness, after which multiple sets of marketing campaigns can be measured and compared to reflect the long-term performance of marketing algorithm fairness. Third, this paper does not continue to explore interventions and measures to improve algorithmic fairness. Different feature fields should be subject to different degrees of fairness constraints, and therefore their subsequent interventions should be different, which needs to be continued to be explored in future research.
Practical implications
This paper combines the specific features of marketing scenarios and selects appropriate fairness evaluation criteria to build an index system for fairness evaluation of marketing algorithms, which provides a reference for assessing and managing the fairness of marketing algorithms.
Social implications
Algorithm governance and algorithmic fairness are very important issues in the era of artificial intelligence, and the construction of the algorithmic fairness evaluation index system in marketing scenarios in this paper lays a safe foundation for the application of AI algorithms and technologies in marketing scenarios, provides tools and means of algorithm governance and empowers the promotion of safe, efficient and orderly development of algorithms.
Originality/value
In this paper, firstly, the standards of fairness are comprehensively sorted out, and the difference between different standards and evaluation focuses is clarified, and secondly, focusing on the marketing scenario, combined with its characteristics, key fairness evaluation links are put forward, and different standards are innovatively selected to evaluate the fairness in the process of applying marketing algorithms and to build the corresponding index system, which forms the systematic fairness evaluation tool of marketing algorithms.
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