「脆弱性(Vulnerability)」とは何か

“WHAT can men do, what do they do, and what do they want to do ?”—these are the uestions that Prof. Thorndike seeks to answer in a very comprehensive and elaborate treatise. His undertaking is inspired by the belief that man has the possibility of almost complete control of his fate if only he will be guided by science, and that his failures are attributable to ignorance or folly. The main approach is through biological psychology, but all the social sciences are appealed to and utilized in an effort to deal with the human problem as a whole. The relative immaturity of the sciences dealing with man is continually stressed, but it is claimed that they provide a body of facts and principles which are “far above zero knowledge”, and that even now they are capable of affording valuable guidance in the shaping of public policy. Human Nature and the Social Order By E. L. Thorndike. Pp. xx + 1020. (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1940.) 18s. net.

Human Nature and the Social Order

In his seminal book, Shewhart (1931) makes no demand on the distribution of the characteristic to be plotted on a control chart. How then can we explain the idea that normality is, if not required, at least highly desirable? I believe that it has come about through the many statistical studies of control-chart behavior. If one is to study how a control chart behaves, it is necessary to relate it to some distribution. The obvious choice is the normal distribution because of its ubiquity as a satisfactory model. This is bolstered by the existence of the Central Limit Theorem.

Sampling: Design and Analysis

The importance of social capital for sustainable development, is by now well recognized. Anthropologists, sociologists, political scientists, and economists have in their own ways, demonstrated the critical role of institutions, networks, and their supporting norms and values, for the success of development interventions. This success often hinges on accurate assessments of social capital in target communities. But the nature, and impact of social capital - the institutions, relationships, attitudes, and values that govern interactions among people - are not easily quantified. "Understanding and Measuring Social Capital" provides a conceptual review, and measurement tools, in a form readily available for development practitioners. The book discusses the respective value of quantitative, and qualitative approaches to the analysis of social capital, illustrating the discussion with examples, and case studies from many countries. It also presents the Social Capital Assessment Tool, which combines quantitative, and qualitative instruments to measure social capital at the level of household, community, and organization, drawing on multidisciplinary, empirical experiences, an application which can provide project managers with valuable baseline, and monitoring information about social capital in its different dimensions.

Understanding and Measuring Social Capital: A Multidisciplinary Tool for Practitioners

Attributed to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, panic buying is now a frequent occurrence in many countries, leading to stockouts and supply chain disruptions. Consequently, it has received much attention from academics and the retail industry. The aim of this study is to review, identify, and synthesise the psychological causes of panic buying, which is a relatively new and unexplored area in consumer behaviour research. A systematic review of the related literature is conducted. The review suggests that panic buying is influenced by (1) individuals’ perception of the threat of the health crisis and scarcity of products; (2) fear of the unknown, which is caused by negative emotions and uncertainty; (3) coping behaviour, which views panic buying as a venue to relieve anxiety and regain control over the crisis; and (4) social psychological factors, which account for the influence of the social network of an individual. This study contributes to the literature by consolidating the scarce and scattered research on the causes of panic buying, drawing greater theoretical insights into each cause and also offers some implications for health professionals, policy makers, and retailers on implementing appropriate policies and strategies to manage panic buying. Recommendations for future research are also provided.

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The Psychological Causes of Panic Buying Following a Health Crisis.

Objective This research examined the relations between perceived quality of governance and trust in government in China. Methods Using nationally representative data collected in rural China, we compared the varying degrees of trust in different levels of government (central, provincial, county, and town), and the varied effects of perceived quality of governance on trust in different levels of government between general villagers and local officials. Results This study found that although officials showed higher degrees of trust in government, they demonstrated no significant difference from the general villagers on their perceived quality of national governance. Also, the effects of perceived quality of governance on trust in most levels of government have no significant differences between local officials and villagers. Conclusion These findings were discussed in the broader contexts of economic development in China.

Perceived Quality of Governance and Trust in Government in Rural China: A Comparison Between Villagers and Officials

School bullying and health-related quality of life in Chinese school-aged children and adolescents

Earthquakes can destroy rural households' assets and livelihood in seconds and increase their vulnerability to poverty. Investigating rural residents' intentions to cope with disaster impacts is important for disaster managers and policy-makers in designing more relevant prevention and mitigation strategies. This study analyzes primary data collected in three rural villages with different landforms in Weinan city of Shaanxi province in China. The main objective is to understand the household adaptation intentions to potential earthquake risks in rural areas of China. Results revealed that household risk perception, perceived efficacy, education level and occupation played significant roles in adaptation intention to earthquake risk. However, income level and income diversity did not affect respondents' adaptation intention significantly. This study suggests that earthquake risk reduction initiatives by the government could facilitate villagers' adaptations to disaster impacts in rural China. In addition to providing disaster relief, the Chinese government could make more concerted effort to increase more financial support channels and encourage rural Chinese households, particularly villagers who live in poorer rural areas, to pro-actively invest in long-term disaster risk reduction.

Household adaptation intentions to earthquake risks in rural China

Disasters shape the development of communities and societies not only physically but also socially. This chapter provides some quantitative evidence to this effect by examining changes in social capital in communities affected by the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake in China.

A two-wave, longitudinal household questionnaire survey data set was used for analysis. The baseline data were obtained in January, 2009, around 8 months after the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, adopting a stratified sampling method within a county severely disrupted by the earthquake. A ­follow-up survey with the same households was conducted in the summer of 2012. Finally, 415 household questionnaire surveys from nine communities within the county were collected for analysis.

Overall, it can be concluded that social capital was strengthened in the post-disaster recovery process in the survey area. Social capital was measured according to three dimensions: (1) affiliation with organizations, (2) the degree of available social support, and (3) the degree of social cohesion within communities. It was found that the average degree of social capital increased during the recovery process, with a decrease of social capital inequalities between different families. More specifically, although informal personal networks were found to be the most prominent sources of social support, the support provided by formal organizations played a relatively more important role immediately after the catastrophe, given that most of the personal networks were also affected. Community cohesion was also found to have increased, with a decrease of standard deviation in the recovery process. This chapter suggests that disasters could generate positive effects rather than negative ones alone. Stronger and more tightly knit communities could be built in the disaster recovery process, if appropriate policies and methods are implemented.

Social Capital and Changes in Post-Disaster Recovery Process: Observations from China After the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake

Disaster preparedness is an essential way to improve community resilience. This study examines the linkage between Chinese villagers’ adoption of disaster preparedness activities and their perception of community resilience, measured by the Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit. Survey data from three villages with different landscapes (loess plateau, plain and mountain) in northwest China with great earthquake risks but no occurrence for many years is used. Regression analyses demonstrate that the awareness related preparedness and public participation preparedness are significantly and positively associated with the community resilience assessment, while the material preparedness is not significant nor consistent across the domains of community resilience. Moreover, place (i.e., landscapes) matter in residents’ assessment of their community resilience: villagers from the plain area and mountainous area reported much higher resilience scores, compared to those who live in the loess plateau.

Ziqiang Han

Papers

Perceived Quality of Governance and Trust in Government in Rural China: A Comparison Between Villagers and Officials

School bullying and health-related quality of life in Chinese school-aged children and adolescents

Household adaptation intentions to earthquake risks in rural China

Social Capital and Changes in Post-Disaster Recovery Process: Observations from China After the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake

Disaster preparedness, perceived community resilience, and place of rural villages in northwest China