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Small hydropower (SHP) is promoted as a pro-poor renewable energy source that does not have the negative social impacts of large dams. This article challenges these claims, using data from a household survey in China's upper Red River Basin. We find that SHP can fragment river systems in ways that reduce irrigation water availability, provoke changes to agricultural practices, and negatively impact river health. These social impacts of river fragmentation mainly occur in villages situated between a plant's intake and outflow. The frequency of plant water diversions due to continued generation in the dry season significantly predicts all social impacts; installed capacity of the plant and the quality of the village's irrigation infrastructure predict some impacts. Villages with strong local governance can negotiate with the plant to temporarily halt generation when irrigation water is needed, lessening social impacts. Our findings reveal that SHP plants are not as benign as they are made out to be; they must be built and managed according to community needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Affordable housing projects are becoming increasingly important in China, and they have remarkable social impacts. Yet, there is lack of appropriate methodologies for ex-post assessment of those social impacts. This knowledge gap will be filled in by this paper through proposing a new methodology, containing 24 assessment indicators in 3 categories, i.e. socio- economic effects (SE), mutual adaptabilities (MA) and social risks (SR). Considering inter- relationships among categories and indicators, the Analytic Network Process (ANP) method is adopted to determine the respective weight of each category and indicator, followed by the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation–based assessment model. Then, the proposed methodology is exemplified with an affordable housing project in Nanjing city of Eastern China. The results show that the project has produced quite positive social impacts, and reveal the improvement directions at category level, where SE should be the emphasis and SR has the largest potentiality. At indicator level, reducing crime cases around the studied project, providing better communication and water supply facilities of the studied project and improving the outbound public transport of the studied project are pressing issues. Finally, this paper is concluded with possible future works. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The casino gaming sector has witnessed rapid growth worldwide in the past three decades. As the casino industry has been developing rapidly, it is important to understand the pros and cons of casino development and seek ways to minimize the potential negative impacts. This study investigates the social consequences of casino gaming in Macao since the liberalization of casino licensing in 2002, using a qualitative research method. The results reveal that the expansion of casino gaming did bring certain social benefits to the community, such as increased personal incomes and improvement in the city's financial power, landscape, infrastructure and facilities, and the enlargement of entertainment and recreation facilities. Th ere were also many negative social costs, including; uncontrolled urban development, reduction of public leisure and green spaces, heavy traffic and traffic congestion, a high drop-out rate among school students, increase in problem gambling and crime, increased demand for counselling services and public health treatment, deteriorating quality of life and finally the difficulties of many small and medium-sized businesses in competing with the larger casino businesses. The results indicate that the challenges outweigh the benefits. Policy implications for destination managers in Macao and in other locales intending to open casinos are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding disasters' social impacts is a key issue for efficient disaster management. This article proposes a framework to assess disasters' social impacts based on network information resources. The proposed approach is validated using statistical analysis. Key factors that change social impacts are also identified for useful decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ex situ poverty alleviation relocation (ESPAR) is a Chinese government program created to address rural poverty and land management issues. Affecting around 10 million people, the process involves encouraging smallholder farmers to leave their rural homesteads and move to new housing. By consolidating people into medium density accommodation, the amount of land available for other purposes can be increased. However, some farmers were reluctant to move, and many of those who accepted new housing failed to demolish their homestead and rehabilitate the land as required. This paper applies the 'extended theory of planned behavior' to examine the factors that influence farmers' exit intention and behavior. Face-to-face interviews were carried out in Southern Shaanxi Province, China. Data relating to 830 farmers were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling. Our most important finding is that farmers had a poor perception of the post-relocation support, and this retarded their exit intention and behavior. We conclude that it is essential to improve post-relocation support, enhance the autonomy of farmers, and formulate relocation plans according to people's age and likely future occupation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A significant literature exists on the impacts of tourism on local communities. This paper examines this issue with reference to the impacts of tourism on the residents of Shi Cha Hai hutong in Beijing, but does so with reference to theories of place attachment or place identity. It therefore addresses two gaps in the literature—namely, (a) a comparative lack of empirical evidence on community impacts of tourism in Mainland China and (b) the absence of debate in the tourism literature about place attachment. The study involved both quantitative and qualitative methods, but this paper primarily concentrates upon the results derived from the quantitative study. It was found that, in general, concerns about heritage outweighed perceived advantages from economic development, and the role of heritage in place attachment is duly discussed. Additionally, a structural equation model is suggested whereby attitudes toward tourism are based upon attitudes toward heritage, tourism as a source of potential employment, length of residency and perceived intrusiveness of tourism, all of which impact on a sense of place identity. The findings from these tests raised issues about the role of government and self-efficacy in place identity in a Chinese environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The present outbreak of the novel coronavirus SARS‐CoV‐2, epicentered in China in December 2019, has spread to many other countries. The entire humanity has a vital responsibility to tackle this pandemic and the technologies are being helpful to them to a greater extent. The purpose of the work is to precisely bring scientific and general awareness to the people all around the world who are currently fighting the war against COVID-19. It's visible that the number of people infected is increasing day by day and the medical community is tirelessly working to maintain the situation under control. Other than the negative effects caused by COVID-19, it is also equally important for the public to understand some of the positive impacts it has directly or indirectly given to society. This work emphasizes the various impacts that are created on society as well as the environment. As a special additive, some important key areas are highlighted namely, how the modernized technologies are aiding the people during the period of social distancing. Some effective technological implications carried out by both information technology and educational institutions are highlighted. There are also several steps taken by the state government and central government in each country in adopting the complete lockdown rule. These steps are taken primarily to prevent the people from COVID-19 impact. Moreover, the teachings we need to learn from the quarantine situation created to prevent further spread of this global pandemic is discussed in brief and the importance of carrying them to the future. Finally, the paper also elucidates the general preventive measures that have to be taken to prevent this deadly coronavirus, and the role of technology in this pandemic situation has also been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to discrimination and media literacy, middle-aged and elderly individuals have been easily reduced to marginalized groups in the identification of rumours during a public health crisis and can easily spread rumours repeatedly, which has a negative impact on pandemic prevention and social psychology. To further clarify the factors influencing their behaviours, this study used a questionnaire to survey a sample of 556 individuals in China and used multiple linear regression and analysis of variance to explore influencing factors during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We found that, first, in the COVID-19 pandemic, middle-aged and elderly adults' willingness to re-spread rumours is positively related to their degree of believing rumours and to personal anxiety and is negatively related to their rumour-discrimination ability and to their perception of serious consequences to rumour spreading. Second, the degree of believing rumours plays an intermediary role in the willingness to re-spread rumours. It plays a partial mediating role in the path of anxiety's influence on behaviour, suggesting that an anxious person will spread a rumour even if he or she does not have a strong belief in the rumour. Third, interpersonal communication has a greater credibility and a greater willingness to re-spread than does mass communication. This suggests the importance of increasing public knowledge expertise and of reducing public panic. This also has important implications for the future design of public health policies.