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Copyright of Politai. Revista de Ciencia Política is the property of Asociacion Civil Politai and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A comprehensive understanding of the impact of land fragmentation on collective action is essential for rural governance in developing countries. Prior publications have argued that land fragmentation impedes the sustainable development of agricultural economies and rural societies, while the connection between humans and nature has not been considered comprehensively. Therefore, the conclusion that the impact of land fragmentation on collective action is purely negative may be one-sided. To examine this conclusion, this paper re-evaluates the relationship between land fragmentation and rural collective action from a multidisciplinary perspective. Based on a rural field survey using stratified random sampling, Oprobit regression was employed to conduct an econometric analysis on data from 798 rural households across 14 cities in the border region of Guangxi, China. The following research findings were obtained: (1) When the human–nature connection is considered, the relationship between land fragmentation and collective action follows an inverted U-shaped curve. Specifically, moderate initial increases in land fragmentation can lead to improvements in collective action; however, when the degree of land fragmentation exceeds a certain threshold, further increases in land fragmentation will decrease the collective action capacity. (2) This nonlinear relationship between land fragmentation and collective action may be realized through three pathways: agricultural production, land use patterns, and the ecological environment. Under the context of collective action, this study shows that a moderate level of land fragmentation objectively exists in reality. This insight provides a new impetus for developing countries to shift policy perspectives to increase their land use efficiency. Additionally, this paper integrates relevant findings from both social sciences and natural sciences. Thereby, it not only expands the existing understanding of key factors influencing rural household collective action but also emphasizes the potential for cross-disciplinary integration between social sciences and natural sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural house is a fundamental component of rural settlements, and understanding its construction and development characteristics is crucial for rural land use and development planning. This paper focuses on the spatiotemporal characteristics and influencing factors of Rural Houses Construction Development (RHCD) from 1980 to 2019 with a case study of Qingyuan Town in China. Based on the literature review and filed research, a set of evaluation indicators for RHCD was established. The article calculates RHCD indicators from temporal and spatial dimensions, uses the location entropy method to demonstrate the spatial distribution of indicators, and classifies the RHCD type of 14 villages in Qingyuan Town using clustering algorithms. It also analyzes the influencing factors of spatiotemporal distribution. The results show that the RHCD in Qingyuan Town exhibits typical characteristics of mountainous areas and aligns with the development trends of rural society in China. Population growth, geographical location, and economic development are the primary driving factors for the quantity indicator (Qi), while economic growth, construction technology, industrial development, and policy adjustments are the key factors influencing the form indicator (Fi). In future policy-making, greater emphasis should be placed on optimizing development strategies, improving data and monitoring systems, and integrating administrative strength with actual development needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of gender equality is increasingly being raised today and is present at all levels of society. The topicality of the issue on farms is particularly evident, due to the particular inheritance processes on farms, the clear division of labour, and intergenerational cooperation that characterise the agricultural sector. In this research, a multi-criteria model (DEX-SOCIAL) was developed to understand the broader aspect of rural sociology and the issue of women's status on the farm. The paper discusses the status of women on a farm and assesses their social and economic situation. The methodology includes an online questionnaire in which women in the Eastern and Western Cohesion Regions participated, as well as other farm members and owners. Subsequently, the questions were transformed for the requirements of the assessment model, which assessed the life prospects of women on farms in both the Eastern and Western Cohesion Regions who were aged both over and under 40 years (criteria for "young successor"). The results of the study show that there is a clear difference in the qualitative assessment of women's socio-economic position in relation to the East–West cohesion region. The social position of women does not differ according to age structure. The conclusions of the study also present broader applications of the results in the field of rural development and rural sociology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Degree Corrected Stochastic Block Model (DCSBM) is a probabilistic model for random networks with community structure in which vertices of the same community are allowed to have distinct degree distributions. On the modeling side, this property makes the DCSBM more suitable for real-life complex networks. On the statistical side, it is more challenging due to a large number of parameters. In this paper, we prove that the penalized marginal likelihood estimator, when assuming prior distributions for the parameters, is strongly consistent for estimating the number of communities. We consider dense or semi-sparse random networks, and our estimator is unbounded, in the sense that the number of communities k considered can be as big as n, the number of nodes in the network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of land was central to livelihoods in the villages of the Horthy era. The majority of Hungary's agricultural land is under the cultivation of large estates and manors, while the majority of the village population owns small, fragmented estates. Thus, they are dependent on large estates and the natural environment for their supplementary livelihoods, to varying degrees and in different forms. In this paper, after a national overview, I present examples from two settlements to illustrate the rural livelihoods of the period, along which options and strategies are outlined - without claiming completeness. My sources include local historical works, official statistics, periodical press publications, and studies on the social history of the era. The first settlement is Tiszaigar from Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, which is basically an agrarian proletarian settlement, most of its land is owned by large estates, the population is highly vulnerable to the surrounding large estates. The other settlement, Dudar's location in Veszprém County offers several opportunities for additional livelihoods: the mountainous environment and the proximity of forests provide the population with the possibility of multiple livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use change is a significant contributor to global environmental change. The expansion of urban areas has increasingly impacted rural ecological environments, in particular the shift from agro-ecosystems to urban ecosystems, leading to alterations in land use patterns. Rural land use has led to economic, social, and environmental problems, including poor economic efficiency, emissions of pollutants, and increased environmental crises. The research of alterations in rural land use and their consequential environmental ramifications has garnered escalating attention, evolving into an indispensable subject of inquiry within pertinent academic disciplines. This study aims to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the ecological impacts of rural land use change. We examined 1237 literature sources through the Web of Science database and conducted a bibliometric analysis utilizing the Bibliometrix tool. Secondly, based on the results of bibliometric analysis, we conducted a review study on the impact of rural land use changes on the ecological environment, clarified the current research status in this field, and looked forward to future research directions. The study's findings indicate that there has been a steady rise in publication volume from 1982 to 2023 and a significant potential for growth. The top three journals by publication volume are Sustainability, Land Use Policy, and Land. (2) A total of 4768 scholars from 95 countries or regions have contributed publications in this domain, notably led by researchers and institutions predominantly based in China. Developed nations, exemplified by the U.S., exhibit a notable citation frequency and robust research prowess within this field. (3) Land use, urbanization, China, ecosystem services, biodiversity, and remote sensing emerge as keywords of elevated frequency within the field, indicative of the scholarly emphasis on these subjects. (4) Studies in this domain are directed towards evaluating the effects on intrinsic components of the environment, including but not limited to soil quality, atmospheric conditions, water resources, and biodiversity. The implementation of sustainable rural land use strategies is essential for the realization of rural development and environmental protection. In future research efforts, the use of remote sensing technology holds immense potential as a robust technical tool for investigating both land use change and rural ecology, offering viable strategies for addressing environmental challenges in specific, localized regions. The results of this study can assist in comprehending the current state and direction of research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LEADER development programs have a primary objective of enhancing the quality of life. However, their evaluation has been limited due to the extensive time required for analysis. This report investigates the contribution of the LEADER approach to improving the quality of life through a thirty-year case study in the Alcarria Conquense region of Spain (1991-2021). Funding for projects focused on rural heritage, infrastructure, and essential services has played a pivotal role in creating conditions for a prosperous life in the region. Nonetheless, limitations have emerged, including deepening territorial imbalances, a heavy reliance on local government entities, and potential drawbacks to the innovation and management capacity of other economic and social actors. While LEADER offer a valuable tool for policymakers seeking to enhance rural communities' quality of life, further analysis is necessary to refine their implementation and maximize their overall impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In rural China, the aging population faces unique challenges that affect their life satisfaction. These challenges are compounded by disparities in access to resources compared to urban areas, making it crucial to address these issues to ensure a dignified and fulfilling later life. Understanding and improving life satisfaction for this demographic is essential, not only for the well-being of the elderly but also for the overall social stability and economic sustainability of these communities. Using a rural sample from the Chinese Social Survey (CSS), this study investigates the interplay between social quality factors and life satisfaction among older adults in rural China. It focuses on the roles of socioeconomic security, social cohesion, social inclusion, and social empowerment in shaping the well-being of this demographic. It was found that the four conditional factors of social quality—socioeconomic security, social cohesion, social inclusion, and social empowerment—have different influences on life satisfaction among older adults in rural areas. The statistical model shows that the influence of absolute family income on social and economic security does not have statistical significance. In contrast, housing, pension insurance participation, and public safety perception positively affect life satisfaction among older adults in rural areas. Among the social cohesion factors, higher social morality, legal system evaluation, social identity, grassroots government, and interpersonal trust contribute to the life satisfaction of older adults in rural areas. Regarding social inclusion factors, good social tolerance, social equity, and perception of government public services can significantly improve life satisfaction among older adults in rural areas. For social empowerment factors, social participation helps expand the social support network of older adults in rural areas, enhancing their life satisfaction. Paths to improving the quality of rural society should be explored to improve relative poverty in rural areas. They should continue to be pursued to strengthen the old-age security system for older adults in rural areas. Further, the National Medium- and Long-Term Plan for Actively Responding to Population Aging should be the base for forming an elderly-friendly society. A good atmosphere promotes the participation of people, families, and society; supports social cohesion; enhances inclusion; and promotes social participation, improving life satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mundo Agrario is the property of Universidad Nacional de La Plata and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Agricultural transition and specialization in PUAs have reshaped the ecological landscape, economic structure, and rural cultural values worldwide. There is a gap in how to analyze the linkages of ecosystem services (ES) and human well-being (HWB) and how to clearly identify the differences on the dimension (primary concerns) of HWB from a comprehensive perspective. Thus, we selected three typical agricultural transformation modes in the Xi'an metropolitan zone in China, employing social surveys, field mapping, ecosystem service assessment methods, and qualitative analysis methods, and proposed an analytical framework from a comprehensive perspective of "ecological-social-cultural" contexts to examine the changes and mechanism between ES and HWB. The results indicated the following: (1) Agricultural transition has driven the changes not only in ecological landscape, agricultural structure planting and practice modes, and rural economic structure, but also the shift in rural social relationships and cultural values together restructured rural society during agricultural specialization. (2) Due to triggering by the agricultural transition and specialization, great changes occurred in "ecological-social-cultural" contexts in PUAs, the changes of HWB not only reflected in its degree (level), but more importantly, in its dimension (primary concerns). (3) With agricultural transition and specialization, the total value of ES increased, while the HWB rose in three transition modes. (4) The analytical frameworks proposed in the study are suitable to analyze the mechanisms of ES and HWB, and helpful to address the issues on the relation of ES to HWB inevitably being combined with the nature–land system. The approach proposed in the study on distinguishing the differences among the dimensions of well-being based on grounded theory could clearly identify the differences among different "ecological- social-cultural" contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prof. Sajogyo is one of the founders of rural sociology in Indonesia. He concerned himself very intensely with the problems of rural communities, especially rural poverty. In observing the current phenomenon of coastal communities, which are still highly characterized by poverty and social conflict, retracing Prof. Sajogyo's conception on rural development becomes very important and pertinent. This article was written using a literature review method by exploring the thoughts of Prof. Sajogyo from his writings and from several other relevant writers. The aim of this study is to trace the Sajogyo development paradigm which is relevant to the development of coastal areas in Indonesia. This study shows that "The Sajogyo development paradigm" can be summarized to "equal and civilized welfare". This means, in terms of content, for Prof. Sajogyo, development means increasing welfare or prosperity (growth dimension), especially for the lower class, the weak, and of course, the poor (equality dimension). Meanwhile, from the aspect of process, various efforts to improve welfare must be carried out in a civilized manner, namely by upholding dialogue, participation, capability, sovereignty, independence, and dignity of the poor and the weak. Thus, the Sajogyo development paradigm is conflict-sensitive and guarantees human security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]