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The China Journal Volume 67, Issue 1, Jan 2012 1. Title: Migration, Householding and the Well-Being Of Left-Behind Women in Rural Ningxia Authors: Jacka, Tamara Abstract: These recently published studies are important, for, although rural migration, especially rural-to-urban migration, has been attracting widespread attention from observers within and outside China for more than 20 years, most of that attention has been directed toward the significance of migration for national development, its impact on urban communities, and the experiences of migrants themselves.4 The new studies represent the first sustained effort on the part of Chinese scholars to understand the social consequences of migration for rural communities of origin, and the situation of those who remain in the countryside.5 In this paper, however, I argue that the scholarly contribution which these studies make is limited by a lack of appreciation of the embeddedness of migration patterns and left-behind peoples responses to them in rural householding: that is, the strategies and processes through which rural households create and reproduce themselves. 2. Title: Are Beijings Equalization Policies Reaching the Poor? An Analysis of Direct Subsidies Under the Three Rurals (Sannong) Authors: Lin, Wanlong; Wong, Christine Abstract: Even though it has rightly been pointed out that, in the aggregate, the direct-subsidy programs for farmers have had a positive impact on reducing the incidence of absolute poverty in recent years,3 we are concerned that Chinas decentralized policy-making approach and the absence of a rigorous vetting of new programs may mean that, as the subsidies have grown, an increasing proportion of them may go to the wealthier households, subverting one of the governments key goals: reducing income disparities in rural areas. [...] as the costs of direct-subsidy programs rise, they impose a growing burden on local governments for co-financing, and the differences in local fiscal ca