Asian Studies Commons^™

Privilege In A Pandemic: An International Student's Perspective, Athena Macatangay

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And just like that, Singapore is approaching the end of its national circuit breaker.

These days, my university dorm has become my little universe. With COVID-19 showing no signs of abating, my schoolmates and I have been spending our semester break indoors. All the action takes place within the four walls of my room, where I clock my hours at a virtual internship, read, exercise and FaceTime with friends and family.

Now You Seaweed, Now You Don't: Photographing Rongcheng's Disappearing Seaweed Houses, Yanjing Liu

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This county-level city is known not only for its picturesque beauty, but also for being the site of seaweed houses— traditional homes built from natural seaweed and stones. Inhabited mainly by local fishermen, these structures are a reflection of northern Chinese marine culture and fishery customs.

In All Fairness: Two Decades Of Cedaw And The State Of Gender Equality In Singapore, Ning Qian

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In an inclusive society, all women would have equal opportunities as men to participate socially, politically and economically. They would be valued and recognised as individuals in their own right and not primarily defi ned by their marital and reproductive status. Has this been achieved in Singapore? Contrary to common belief, the nation still has some ways to go in this regard, for signifi cant groups of women in Singapore continue to be marginalised and disadvantaged.

Generation "P": Philippines' Millennial Impact Entrepreneurs, Jinky Tuliao, Zen Bin, Vivienne Zerrudo

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"Millennials"—broadly defined as those born between 1980 and 2000— are a dynamic driving force behind any country’s economic progress, but particularly so in the Philippines. Making up about 50 per cent of the national population, Philippine millennials are mainly employed in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which in turn account for over 99 per cent of all local businesses.

Voices That Care: Bringing Speech, Weh Yeoh

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Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” The only issue is, not everyone has access to education.

Pay For Social And Impact Bonds In Singapore, Richard Edwards, Kevin Tan

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Measurably Improving the Lives of People Most in Need

Increasing Energy Acces In Southeast Asia Through Social Enterprises, Haneol Jeong

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The 21st century has seen cars go driverless and virtual reality become a reality—yet one fact remains: one in seven people still do not have access to electricity.1 In an age where more people have access to mobile phones than toilets,2 electricity has become as vital a necessity as clean water. To address this issue, social enterprises such as M-KOPA and Sunlabob have pioneered efforts to provide renewable energy for off-grid communities, and yielded innovative energy alternatives and financing solutions. Southeast Asia, however, remains a largely untapped market, with approximately 19 per cent of its population still without access to …

The Macro Behind Microfinance: Cambodia's Financial Inclusion Success Story, Jonathan Chang

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Financial inclusion refers to the delivery of affordable financial services to disadvantaged and low-income segments of society. However, as it also involves striking a fine balance between managing businesses’ credit risks and improving customers’ access to credit, different countries have made varied progress in their financial inclusion efforts. To date, across both developed and developing nations, SMEs and individuals still struggle in the face of limited access to adequate financing. Yet there is one country that has made considerable strides in this area: judging from the tremendous success of its microfinance sector, Cambodia seems to have found the sweet spot …

Measuring Poverty In Singapore: Frameworks For Consideration, John A. Donaldson, Jacqueline Loh, Sanushka Mudaliar, Mumtaz Md Kadir, Biqi Wu, Lam Keong Yeoh

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Singapore does not have an official poverty line. Should there be one? And what are the frameworks that have used or could be adopted for the measurement of poverty in this country? The Lien Centre for Social Innovation and SMU School of Social Sciences report on their investigation into the complex issue of domestic poverty.

The Future Of Singapore's Civil Society, Gillian Koh, Debbie Soon

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Civil society activists are now in open disagreement with citizens and sometimes, other civil society groups. Gillian Koh and Debbie Soon explore how that horizontal relationship might develop.

Media And The Non Profit World: A Case-Study On Wwf-Malaysia's Use Of Media Tools To Champion Advocacy, Anita Devasahayam

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As issues and campaigns for various causes in the non-profit space have begun to proliferate across Asia, the struggle to remain relevant and gain critical attention is growing. Author Anita Devasahayam discusses how the Malaysian chapter of the World Wide Fund for Nature tackled the challenge by devising new media strategies and advocacy campaigns to remain relevant in an increasingly connected and cause-conscious world.