Pension Changes in China and Opportunities for Insurance
In face of the large ageing population and increasing dependence ratio, China is aiming to find an efficient, stable, and sustainable pension system. This article briefly examines the changes that have occurred in China's pension system and explores the pros and cons of the current system. Although China has made a good start in laying the foundation for a multi-pillar pension system, pension reform is still incomplete and many important issues remain. Since the social insurance system alone cannot realistically accomplish the task of old-age security, the private sector, including the insurance industry, should be mobilized to play an active role in China's pension system.
Perceived need and actual usage of the family support agreement in rural China: results from a nationally representative survey.
PURPOSE
The Family Support Agreement (FSA) is a voluntary but legal contract between older parents and adult children on parental support in China. As the first comprehensive empirical study on the FSA, this study aims to understand the prevalence and covariates of older parents' perceived need and actual use of this agreement.


DESIGN AND METHODS
Using logistic regression analyses, t-tests and chi-square tests, this study analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 9,587 rural parents aged 60 years and above from the 2006 Sample Survey on Aged Population in Urban/Rural China, which had a 99% response rate.


RESULTS
More than 11% of the subjects regarded the FSA as necessary, and more than 6% have signed it, respectively, representing 160 million and 30.7 million older Chinese. Perceiving the need for the FSA was associated with living arrangement, number of daughters-in-law, care needs, filial piety assessment and concerns, family harmony, sociodemographics, individual characteristics related to rights protection, and the existence of rights protection-related local community organizations. Having signed the FSA was associated with the above last 3 factors, traditional old-age support strategy, and FSA need assessment.


IMPLICATIONS
Individuals regarding the FSA as necessary or using it are characterized by personal, familial, and sociocultural factors that render them more in need of parental support but less likely to receive it. They are also better informed about their rights, are more willing to take actions to protect their rights, and have more exposure to rights protection--related community organizations.
Soil organic matter and microbiological development of technosols in the South Wales Coalfield
Abstract Degraded land (formerly ‘reclaimed’) after surface-coal-mining is a serious problem in South Wales. This project uses forestation to foster soil development on opencast coal-mine spoil technosols. It compares records of humification and the soil microbiological system (microcoenosis) using paired data from the same plantings in 1998 and 2018. Statistical analysis finds no significant difference between samples collected under trees planted by the pit-planting versus trench planting method or trees planted using organic or mineral fertilizer. However, there are strong significant differences in both soil organic matter and microflora components and significant correlations with time since tree planting. Most components of the soil organic carbon (TOC) and the microflora increase, often significantly. However, compared to 2018, 1998 samples contain significantly greater maximum levels of Insoluble Carbon while the microflora had significantly more Ammonifying bacteria. Decreases in Insoluble Carbon explain the relatively small increase in TOC between 1998 and 2018. The % extracted with 0.1 N H2SO4 is significantly larger in 2018, suggesting active weathering. Similarly, both the maxima and minima of total Humic and Fulvic acids content, extracted with 0.1 M Na4P2O7 + 0.1 M NaOH, are significantly greater in 2018. Total microflora shows significant positive correlations with time-since-tree-planting as do the proportions of bacilli and actinomycetes but the correlation with ammonifying bacteria is negative. In 1998, the microflora was dominated by non-spore-forming bacteria while, in 2018, bacilli and actinomycetes prevail; both are involved in the transformation of complex organic compounds and humification. This indicates active transformation of more complex organic compounds and advancing humification. In sum, forestation of these degraded, formerly reclaimed, opencast coal-mine spoils has resulted in a massive increase in both the size and functioning of the soil organic system.