Search

The research about uneven regional development and expansive economic regionalism in China in the beginnings of century XXI obey analysis of different regions of the Asiatic country that has been part of economic politic structure applied since decade of 1980. In this paper I emphasize the importance of China south-central coast area since economic reforms and modernization period to nowadays (1979). Transformations had not impacted in the economic development of the central and oriental regions of the nation. At the moment to install de open doors policy in decade of 1970, the Chinese government has conviction that especial and touristic economic zones has created rich in short time, that could be redistributed to the rest of the country regions, however, to 2010, the result is inverse, the economic relations of China put attention to overseas. In this sense, the open regionalism represents the key to affiance the external aperture mechanisms, increase of exportations and strong attraction of foreign direct investment, remaining has a pendent to improve the quality life of millions of Chinese people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alongside the tradition of social theory, the concept of territory has been widely used but poorly systematized. It is generally employed in an objective sense, namely as a territory which contains social relations and exerts causal efficacy upon the production of the social. On the contrary, from a system-theoretical point of view, this paper holds the hypothesis that the territory is a conceptual construction produced in the social and temporal dimensions of meaning, which in turn reflects the operation of the factual dimension in terms of positions, distances, and limits. In order to substantiate this hypothesis, anthropological, sociological, and political theories drawing upon the concept of territory are revised, their limitations exposed, and some theoretical elements are extracted from aiming to identify the meaning and function of the territory in modern society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with physical and mental disabilities, people suffering from occupational diseases, victims of work accidents, immigrant and rural workers, as well as people from ethnic minorities, such as gypsies of Romani nationality, exhibit high levels of lack of educational and professional qualifications. These weaknesses cause social disadvantages in access to the labour market and into their professional development. Although we can not generalise the degree of labour market discrimination due to these weaknesses, the truth is that breaking the clutches of exclusion and get a paid work are more difficult for those who have the stigma of being "different" and suffer the effects of preconceptions and stereotypes from others. Using a sample of 159 leaders and pertain staff from public and private organisations, this paper seeks to better understand the factors that hinder or facilitate the professional integration of the "different" in Portugal. At the same time this manuscript aims to contribute to the emergence of political and social policies that strengthen the development of practices for equal opportunities in the context of the global economy and economic crisis, in particular high rate of unemployment, such is the current situation in Portugal. High rate of unemployment tends to augment the effect of the lack of skills of the socially disfavoured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]