The growth of China's foreign trade in recent years has been widely attributed to its economic reforms and open door policies. This book outlines the process of China's trade reforms over the past two decades and assesses the impact of these reforms on the economy. The author provides a quantitative analysis to trace China's evolving commodity pattern of trade and changing comparative advantage structure over the entire reform period. Comparison is made between the trade patterns and comparative advantage to reveal the dynamic effects of the recent economic reform on resource allocation efficiency.

This volume brings together scholars from different disciplines and nations to examine and assess the effectiveness of China's soft power initiatives in Africa. It throws light not only on China's engagement with Africa but also on how China's increasing influence is received in the African media.

Coming to America to make a better life has long been a dream of many from around the world, even if it means being voluntarily smuggled into the country to gain entry. Perhaps more ominously, various criminal elements now traffic people to the United States--especially vulnerable groups like women and children from poor nations--against their will for sexual exploitation, slavery, and other illicit, underground purposes. The implications for the United States are potentially staggering. This book examines how for-profit human smuggling and trafficking activities to the United States are carried out and explores the legal and policy challenges of dealing with these problems. Zhang covers the scope and patterns of global human trafficking and smuggling activities; the strategies and methods employed by various groups to bring individuals into the United States; major smuggling routes and venues; the involvement of organized criminal organizations in transnational human smuggling activities; and the challenges confronting the U.S. government in combating these activities.

In this book, Xiaoke Zhang addresses two fundamental political and policy questions: why do politicians have heterogeneous incentives to pursue public-regarding policies through capital market reforms and why do they differ in their abilities to initiate and implement market reform policies decisively and resolutely?

By the year 2000, annual sales of computer products to China may well reach $15-18 billion, making China one of the largest computer markets in the world. At the same time, China's own computer industry is expected to become world-class and internationally competitive. How this will come about, the market and economic trends that are presently developing, and the opportunities they present for Western businesses are explored here by two insiders, offering not only useful analysis but hands-on guidance to the ways in which China's computer market works. With an appendix listing more than 500 of the most important Chinese computer companies, industrial and professional organizations, and related consulting and law firms, the book will be essential reading for computer industry management and top sales executives, and for investment bankers and others with important stakes in the China market.

China's computer market is not easy to enter. The key to doing so, according to the authors, is to understand not only China's unique historical, cultural, and environmental factors that condition the way business is done there, but the way Chinese businesspeople think and act. China is a low-income and transitional economy, much different from Japanese and other Asian economies, and incentives and price structures are distorted and the rules of the game are not clearly written. The legal infrastructure is incomplete, and laws are not rigorously enforced. Using the latest data available only from local Chinese sources, Zhang and Wang dissect the Chinese computer market in terms that Westerners can understand and relate to: its opportunities, but also its risks. Academics teaching and studying international business, marketing, and investment will also benefit from the authors' insights.

'Chinese in Steps' is a series of textbooks designed for English-speaking adults who learn Chinese either as part of their degree study at university, or simply as part of their professional or self-development programme for practical purposes.

"Genre in Asian Film and Television takes a dynamic approach to the study of Asian screen media previously under-represented in academic writing. It combines historical overviews of developments within national contexts with detailed case studies on the use of generic conventions and genre hybridity in contemporary films and television programmes"--

The unique properties and functionalities of chalcogenide glasses make them promising materials for photonic applications. Chalcogenide glasses are transparent from the visible to the near infrared region and can be moulded into lenses or drawn into fibres. They have useful commercial applications as components for lenses for infrared cameras, and chalcogenide glass fibres and optical components are used in waveguides for use with lasers, for optical switching, chemical and temperature sensing and phase change memories. Chalcogenide glasses comprehensively reviews the latest technological advances in this field and the industrial applications of the technology.
Part one outlines the preparation methods and properties of chalcogenide glasses, including the thermal properties, structure, and optical properties, before going on to discuss mean coordination and topological constraints in chalcogenide network glasses, and the photo-induced phenomena in chalcogenide glasses. This section also covers the ionic conductivity and physical aging of chalcogenide glasses, deposition techniques for chalcogenide thin films, and transparent chalcogenide glass-ceramics. Part two explores the applications of chalcogenide glasses. Topics discussed include rare-earth-doped chalcogenide glass for lasers and amplifiers, the applications of chalcogenide glasses for infrared sensing, microstructured optical fibres for infrared applications, and chalcogenide glass waveguide devices for all-optical signal processing. This section also discusses the control of light on the nanoscale with chalcogenide thin films, chalcogenide glass resists for lithography, and chalcogenide for phase change optical and electrical memories. The book concludes with an overview of chalcogenide glasses as electrolytes for batteries.
Chalcogenide glasses comprehensively reviews the latest technological advances and applications of chalcogenide glasses, and is an essential text for academics, materials scientists and electrical engineers working in the photonics and optoelectronics industry.
Outlines preparation methods and properties, and explores applications of chalcogenide glasses.Covers the ionic conductivity and physical aging of chalcogenide glasses, deposition techniques for chalcogenide thin films, and transparent chalcogenide glass-ceramicsDiscusses the control of light on the nanoscale with chalcogenide thin films, chalcogenide glass resists for lithography, and chalcogenide for phase change optical and electrical memories

Graphic depictions of crime in Mexico abound in the global imagination, fueled not merely by media representations, but also by an abundant body of scholarship that reproduces grotesque, simplistic characterizations of Mexico’s people, cities and towns as crime-ridden and almost inherently violent. These representations, however, often lack evidence and forgo important contextual analyses, not to mention fail to incorporate the perspectives of its actors in the research development process. This collection of essays shows how community-based research efforts to examine practices like kidnapping, migrant smuggling, human trafficking, sex work and citizen-led forensics in Mexico can effectively correct methodological and conceptual gaps present in Mexico’s dominant organized crime narrative, while providing effective mechanisms to inform academic and policy debates. This easy-to-read volume provides a much-needed re-assessment of Mexico’s organized crime rhetoric, and also outlines a pathway for those interested in developing critical empirical research on illicit and criminalized practices. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the journal Victims & Offenders.

Graphic depictions of crime in Mexico abound in the global imagination, fueled not merely by media representations, but also by an abundant body of scholarship that reproduces grotesque, simplistic characterizations of Mexico's people, cities and towns as crime-ridden and almost inherently violent. These representations, however, often lack evidence and forgo important contextual analyses, not to mention fail to incorporate the perspectives of its actors in the research development process. This collection of essays shows how community-based research efforts to examine practices like kidnapping, migrant smuggling, human trafficking, sex work and citizen-led forensics in Mexico can effectively correct methodological and conceptual gaps present in Mexico's dominant organized crime narrative, while providing effective mechanisms to inform academic and policy debates. This easy-to-read volume provides a much-needed re-assessment of Mexico's organized crime rhetoric, and also outlines a pathway for those interested in developing critical empirical research on illicit and criminalized practices. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the journal Victims & Offenders.

The Routledge Handbook of International Criminology brings together the latest thinking and findings from a diverse group of both senior and promising young scholars from around the globe. This collaborative project articulates a new way of thinking about criminology that extends existing perspectives in understanding crime and social control across borders, jurisdictions, and cultures, and facilitates the development of an overarching framework that is truly international. The book is divided into three parts, in which three distinct yet overlapping types of crime are analyzed: international crime, transnational crime, and national crime. Each of these perspectives is then articulated through a number of chapters which cover theory and methods, international and transnational crime analyses, and case studies of criminology and criminal justice in relevant nations. In addition, questions placed at the end of each chapter encourage greater reflection on the issues raised, and will encourage young scholars to move the field of inquiry forward. This handbook is an excellent reference tool for undergraduate and graduate students with particular interests in research methods, international criminology, and making comparisons across countries.

The Routledge Handbook of International Criminology brings together the latest thinking and findings from a diverse group of both senior and promising young scholars from around the globe. This collaborative project articulates a new way of thinking about criminology that extends existing perspectives in understanding crime and social control across borders, jurisdictions, and cultures, and facilitates the development of an over-arching framework that is truly international. The book is divided into three parts, in which three distinct yet overlapping types of crime are analyzed: international crime, transnational crime, and national crime. Each of these perspectives is then articulated through a number of chapters which cover theory and methods, international and transnational crime analyses, and case studies of criminology and criminal justice in relevant nations. In addition, questions placed at the end of each chapter encourage greater reflection on the issues raised, and will encourage young scholars to move the field of inquiry forward. This Handbook is an excellent reference tool for undergraduate and graduate students with particular interests in research methods, international criminology, and making comparisons across countries.

This volume brings together scholars from different disciplines and nations to examine and assess the effectiveness of China's soft power initiatives in Africa. It throws light not only on China's engagement with Africa but also on how China's increasing influence is received in the African media.

DON'T MISS THE STUNNING FIRST COLLECTION OF THE TWELFTH DOCTOR'S ALL-NEW COMICS ADVENTURES! New Doctor! New Beginning! Offering shocks, surprises, and timestream-shaking revelations, don't miss your chance to get on board this amazing ongoing series!

Mechanics of Hydraulic Fracturing Comprehensive single-volume reference work providing an overview of experimental results and predictive methods for hydraulic fracture growth in rocks Mechanics of Hydraulic Fracturing: Experiment, Model, and Monitoring provides a summary of the research in mechanics of hydraulic fractures during the past two decades, plus new research trends to look for in the future. The book covers the contributions from theory, modeling, and experimentation, including the application of models to reservoir stimulation, mining preconditioning, and the formation of geological structures. The four expert editors emphasize the variety of diverse methods and tools in hydraulic fracturing and help the reader understand hydraulic fracture mechanics in complex geological situations. To aid in reader comprehension, practical examples of new approaches and methods are presented throughout the book. Key topics covered in the book include: Prediction of fracture shapes, sizes, and distributions in sedimentary basins, plus their importance in petroleum industry Real-time monitoring methods, such as micro-seismicity and trace tracking How to uncover geometries of fractures like dikes and veins Fracture growth of individual foundations and its applications Researchers and professionals working in the field of fluid-driven fracture growth will find immense value in this comprehensive reference on hydraulic fracturing mechanics.

A thorough and complete examination of LTE networks, their operating principles and key insights to performance optimization. * A complete guide to the latest optimization engineering technologies of LTE networks * Features the latest and most industrially relevant applications, such as VoLTE and HetNets * Highlights include detailed scenarios and optimization case studies

A timely and comprehensive introduction to CO2 heat pump theory and usage A comprehensive introduction of CO2 application in heat pump, authored by leading scientists in the field CO2 is a hot topic due to concerns over global warming and the greenhouse effect . Its disposal and application has attracted considerable research and governmental interest Explores the basic theories, devices, systems and cycles and real application designs for varying applications, ensuring comprehensive coverage of a current topic CO2 heat transfer has everyday applications including water heaters, air-conditioning systems, residential and commercial heating systems, and cooling systems

In this book, Xiaoke Zhang addresses two fundamental political and policy questions: why do politicians have heterogeneous incentives to pursue public-regarding policies through capital market reforms and why do they differ in their abilities to initiate and implement market reform policies decisively and resolutely?

Genre in Asian Film and Television takes a dynamic approach to the study of Asian screen media previously under-represented in academic writing. It combines historical overviews of developments within national contexts with detailed case studies on the use of generic conventions and genre hybridity in contemporary films and television programmes.

In a country long associated with the trade in opiates, the Chinese government has for decades applied extreme measures to curtail the spread of illicit drugs, only to find that the problem has worsened. Burma is blamed as the major producer of illicit drugs and conduit for the entry of drugs into China. Which organizations are behind the heroin trade? What problems and prospects of drug control in the so-called "Golden Triangle" drug-trafficking region are faced by Chinese and Southeast Asian authorities? In The Chinese Heroin Trade, noted criminologists Ko-Lin Chin and Sheldon Zhangexamine the social organization of the trafficking of heroin from the Golden Triangle to China and the wholesale and retail distribution of the drug in China. Based on face-to-face interviews with hundreds of incarcerated drug traffickers, street-level drug dealers, users, and authorities, paired with extensive fieldwork in the border areas of Burma and China and several major urban centers in China and Southeast Asia, this volume reveals how the drug trade has evolved in the Golden Triangle since the late 1980s. Chin and Zhang also explore the marked characteristics of heroin traffickers; the relationship between drug use and sales in China; and how China compares to other international drug markets. The Chinese Heroin Trade is a fascinating, nuanced account of the world of high-risk drug trafficking in a tightly-controlled society.

Based on years of fieldwork and interviews with 129 human smugglers as well as scores of government and law enforcement officials, this book presents a rare look into the secretive world of the snakeheads (human smugglers), whose ingenious endeavors have transported hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants into the United States and other Western countries.The book is rich with vivid accounts of how groups of opportunistic entrepreneurs form loosely connected social circles to accomplish seemingly complex transnational negotiations. Zhang's findings and analyses challenge many widespread misconceptions about these smugglers in particular and Chinese organized crime in general. Bound together by little more than the pursuit of profit, these otherwise ordinary men and women have demonstrated remarkable flexibility in adapting to market and socio-legal constraints.The author's concept of the dyadic cartwheel network integrates major theoretical constructs to explain how and why freelance operators have come to dominate the human smuggling enterprise instead of a traditional crime syndicate.