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Purpose – To discuss the rural–urban dichotomy and its far-reaching implications, first and foremost from a rural sociological point of view, and at the same time, to structure the volume and present the individual chapters.

Methodology/approach – Literature review and analysis of scientific discourse.

Findings – The rural–urban dichotomy has been very persistent in demographic and other kinds of rural and urban research despite intense discussions about its shortcomings in nearly half a century. However, there are mounting arguments for alternative conceptions of rural–urban relations, some of which are found in the chapters in this volume.

Originality/value of chapter – This chapter presents some new ideas about the rural–urban dichotomy, and alternative, more realistic conceptions of rural–urban relations, at the same time as it gives an introduction to the volume.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of internet censorship, which is represented by the Great Fire Wall, on Chinese internet users’ self-censorship.

A 3×2 factorial experiment (n=315) is designed. Different patterns of censorship (soft censorship, compared censorship, and hard censorship) and the justification of internet regulation are involved in the experiment as two factors. The dependent variable is self-censorship which is measured through the willingness to speak about sensitive issues and the behavior of refusing to sign petitions with true names.

The results show that perceived internet censorship significantly decreases the willingness to talk about sensitive issues and the likelihood of signing petitions with true names. The justification of censorship significantly decreases self-censorship on the behaviors of petition signing. Although there are different patterns of internet censorship that Chinese netizens may encounter, they do not differ from each other in causing different levels of self-censorship.

The subjects are college students who were born in the early 1990s, and the characteristics of this generation may influence the results of the experiment. The measurement of self-censorship could be refined.

The study contributes to the body of literature about internet regulation because it identifies a causal relationship between the government’s internet censorship system and ordinary people’s reaction to the regulation in an authoritarian regime. Unpacking different patterns of censorship and different dimensions of self-censorship depicts the complexity of censoring and being censored.

In this review it is intended firstly to set out the available statistical evidence on differences in the level and character of work stoppages due to industrial disputes in developed market economies, and secondly to review the available literature on the reasons for such international differences.

Given that the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) calls for the management of water resources at the river basin level, the German water sector, which has historically been dominated by the federal states and has been organized along administrative borders, is now challenged to be reorganized. The article introduces the German water sector, reviews past experiences with river basin management such as North Rhine–Westphalia's water associations, the river basin organizations of the former German Democratic Republic, and international river commissions, and addresses current challenges in connection with the implementation of WFD.

This chapter discusses the connection between authentic leadership and meta competence, examining whether authentic leadership can be developed or promoted in educational processes. The authors propose the concept of shaping orientation: problem-based learning without a fixed solution but with the generation of a solution-finding approach through the process of holistic action. They posit that training in authentic leadership can be embedded in curricula if learning is problem-based. This proposition poses important research and pedagogical questions for research. Is there evidence that problem-based learning generates the leadership qualities and attitudes that the authors claim? If so, how can this relationship be reliably tested over time?

The purpose of this paper is to define the key components of an effective regulatory regime.

The paper takes the form of a critical analysis.

Regulatory arbitrage has been one of the major factors contributing to the severity of the crisis. Given the ever more complex set of future regulatory constraints, it may keep generating costly negative spillover effects on the whole economy. Moreover, rules‐based regulation, however carefully constructed, will unfortunately never prevent bank failures. Neither should it attempt to do so. An effective overall regulatory regime must be sufficiently comprehensive and well‐balanced. It must not put too much emphasis on lowering the probability of individual bank failure. The key components of an effective regulatory regime must be: Basel‐type rules robust to off‐balance‐sheet arbitrage; little forbearance in monitoring and supervision by regulatory agencies, with a focus on systemic risk control; automatic and quick intervention as well as resolution mechanisms. While all components are necessary, none is sufficient; and without strong international coordination, none will be effective.

Enhanced supervision of banks.

Less costly bank failures.

The paper presents a critical review of current financial reforms in the banking sector.

This study aims to use Porter’s hypothesis (PH), which tests whether corporates’ green investment has an impact on their economic performance (EP). The study argues that corporates’ environmental strategy should allow for a “win-win” situation concerning regulatory compliance.

The quantitative methodology used PH to test empirically the economic consequences of corporates’ green investment in China.

This study indicates that there is a U-shaped relationship between green/environmental investment (EI) and EP. When EI is less, corporates’ EP follows a downward sloping curve until the scale of EI increases and exceeds the “threshold.” From this turning point, EP follows an upward-sloping curve as EI increase. This relationship is more significant in high-polluting companies and state-owned companies.

The empirical results extend the research field of EI and EP for listed companies in China and cover 1,324 observations over the period 2008–2017.

First, the authors expand the research on green/EI and EP using firm-level data. Second, the study empirically tests the economic consequences of corporates’ green investment. Third, this study finds a non-linear relationship between green investment and EP due to the heterogeneity of industry attributes and property rights. These findings provide better explanations for the different research conclusions regarding the economic consequences of green investment.

Compared to global research, China’s research on EI has mainly focused on the macro and industry levels. There is still a lack of micro-level research. The paper addresses this research gap as the authors use firm-level EI data to capture companies’ green investment efforts in environmentally sustainable development and its subsequent impact on EP.

In recent years, it has become evident that self-regulation plays a central role in human functioning, including learning and achievement in school. Although there are different definitions of self-regulation, there is general consensus that it refers to a multi-component, iterative, self-steering process that targets one's own cognitions, feelings, and actions, as well as features of the environment for modulation in the service of one's own goals (Boekaerts, Maes, & Karoly, 2005). Educational psychologists agree that learning in the classroom involves cognitive and affective processing and is heavily influenced by social processes. This implies that students should be able and willing to regulate their cognitions, motivation, and emotions, as well as to adapt to the social context in order to facilitate their learning. Yet, there is at present neither a uniformly accepted definition of self-regulation nor that of self-regulated learning. Most theorists agree that self-regulation in the classroom is neither an all-or-none process nor a property of the learning system. Rather, it consists of multiple processes and components that interact in complex ways. Definitions have focused either on the structure of self-regulation, describing the different components of the self-regulation process, or on the processes that are involved.

The purpose of this paper is to outline the study to determine whether the dual earner model better offsets the actual risk of unemployment compared to other household models.

The authors linked the partner effect (household type) with macroeconomic institutional settings, such as employment protection, the active labour market policy, economic growth rate and globalisation, to study how these micro- and macro-level factors influence the unemployment risk of individuals.

Using European Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS) microdata for Finland from 2005 to 2013 and a multilevel modelling technique, the authors found that the partner effect is an important regulator of unemployment risks, but the effect is modified by institutional factors. Dual earners and breadwinners experience a less significant effect from employment protection legislation regulation and other external factors on the increase or decrease in unemployment risk compared to singles. The authors also found that unemployed singles are more exposed and vulnerable to fluctuations caused by economic events.

In this way, this paper contributes to the sociological theory of labour markets and a better understanding of how different household types buffer and mediate the risks of unemployment. The authors used the EU-LFS and novel multilevel analysis statistical solutions to determine the impact of macro- and micro-level factors. The case of Finland may also be of broader interest to researchers and policy-makers because of the long and strong tradition of the dual earner employment pattern and strong macro-economic fluctuations.