Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Arts And Culture Strategic Review Report: Harnessing The Arts For Community-Building, Su Fern Hoe

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The Arts and Culture Strategic Review (ACSR) was initiated in 2010 to chart the next phase of cultural development in Singapore. The final report, which was released in 2012, appears to propose a paradigm shift in focus for arts and cultural policy making in Singapore: from the desire to manage the arts and cultural sectors into profitable creative industries to the utilisation of the arts and culture as expedient tools for social cohesion and community building in Singapore. This shift has resulted in government programmes placing (renewed) importance and emphasis on “community arts” as a cultural activity. This chapter critically …

Nurturing The Cultural Desert: The Role Of Museums In Singapore, Su Fern Hoe, Terence Chong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The absence of official platforms and institutions such as museums and visual arts spaces; while the artistic amateur scene was flourishing, there were no museums or national galleries where collections of the best local and regional artworks could be found, appreciated and studied by artists and citizens. This cultural desert was the result of the government’s attention to bread and butter issues. How, then, did Singapore transform from “cultural desert” of yesteryear to a city with 51 museums and 118 art galleries in 2013, as well as an arts scene that saw more than 3.2 million visitors to the national …

Revealed Traits: A Novel Method For Estimating Cross-Cultural Similarities And Differences In Personality, Cory Costello, Dustin Wood, William Tov

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Cross-cultural research on personality has often led to surprising and countertheoretical findings, which have led to concerns over the validity of country-level estimates of personality (e.g., Heine, Buchtel, & Norenzayan, 2008). The present study explores how cross-cultural differences can be indexed via revealed trait estimates, which index the personality traits of individuals or groups indirectly through their likelihood of responding in particular ways to particular situations. In two studies, we measure self-reports of personality, revealed traits, and revealed preferences for different expected effects (e.g., experiencing excitement) of two cultural groups (U.S. and Singaporean participants). We found typical East–West differences in …

Whose Blue Heaven? Musicality In The Early Japanese Talkies, Richard M Davis

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This article focuses on the advent of synchronized sound production in Japan in 1931 – three years later than the United States – and the generative ambiguities of how sound and music’s relationship to film was figured in that year’s anxious discourse. I argue that this ‘belatedness’ is echoed in relationships of on-screen image and offscreen sound, noise, and music in two important early sound films, The Neighbor’s Wife and Mine (Gosho 1931) and A Tipsy Life (Kimura 1933).

Lessons In Global Commerce (From An Early East India Company Employee), Emily Soon

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

International trade hurts local communities. It causes economic hardship at home and destroys the environment, while the culture of consumerism it fuels is destroying our values and way of life. Similar sentiments to these recur across the media today: this so-called backlash against globalisation is said to have contributed to Brexit and the rise of Trump, and to have transformed the shape of political movements across the world. This pent-up frustration seems to be quintessentially twenty-first century, the disillusioned rant of a world no longer charmed by the siren song of free trade and borderless commerce. And yet, the sentiments …

Global Ambitions: Positioning Singapore As A Contemporary Arts Hub, Su Fern Hoe

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This chapter has two objectives. The first is to critically interrogate the state’s efforts in utilising the visual arts as a means to position Singapore as an international arts hub and marketplace. As Kwok Kian Woon and Low Kee-Hong have noted, “Singapore’s cultural policy has everything to do with staying on top as a focal node in the late-capitalist world system of the new millennium” (Kwok and Low, 2002, p. 154). This chapter offers an overview of the programmes and initiatives introduced by the state from the 1990s to the present in order to encourage the entry of international art …

The Savanna Theory Of Happiness, Satoshi Kanazawa, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This chapter describes the savanna theory of happiness, which posits that it may not be only the consequences of a given situation in the current environment that affect individuals’ happiness but also what its consequences would have been in the ancestral environment. The theory further suggests that the effect of such ancestral consequences on happiness is stronger among less intelligent individuals than among more intelligent individuals. Consistent with the theory, being an ethnic minority, living in urban areas, and socializing with friends less frequently all reduce happiness, but the effects of these conditions are significantly stronger among less intelligent individuals …

Public And Private Enforcement Of Corporate And Securities Laws: An Empirical Comparison Of Hong Kong And Singapore, Wai Yee Wan, Christopher C. H. Chen, Say Hak Goo

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

No abstract provided.

The Contribution Of Comparative Policy Analysis To Policy Design: Articulating Principles Of Effectiveness And Clarifying Design Spaces, Michael Howlett, Ishani Mukherjee

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Policy analysis has always been interested in better understanding and improving the sets of policy tools adopted by governments to correct policy problems. Comparative policy studies have contributed much towards clarifying the nature of the processes of policy analysis and policy formulation which result in the construction of these policy portfolios. Past studies have helped clarify the role of historical processes, policy capacities and design intentions in affecting policy formulation processes - from design to non-design ones - and more recently have begun to articulate basic principles for better policy designs. Effectiveness in this work has been evaluated at three …

Smu Will Ensure That Every Graduate Enters The Workforce With Overseas Experience, Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases and News

In view of the strong competitive edge that its undergraduates stand to gain from global exposure, the Singapore Management University (SMU) will ramp up opportunities and support for its students, and ensure that every single one of them enters the workforce with overseas experience.

It officially announced today that beginning with the incoming cohort joining the University from August 2018, global exposure participation will be a graduation requirement. To this end, the University will augment its existing opportunities, introduce new forms of global exposure activities, as well as enhance its support to make sure no student will miss out on …

House Price And Co-Residence With Older Parents: Evidence From China, Daichun Yi, Xiaoying Deng, Gang-Zhi Fan, Seow Eng Ong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Numerous Chinese families choose to reside together with their elderly parents due to the considerable impacts of conventional values such as filial duty in Chinese society. However, as house prices rocketed up in major Chinese cities over the past decade, this arrangement is facing a sizeable challenge, therefore also raising new research question about it. This paper attempts to investigate the phenomenon of co-residence of adult children with their elderly parents in China. Using the 2013 data of China Household Finance Survey (CHFS), we document that house price is indeed a significant determinant for the pattern of intergenerational co-residence. Our …

Using Data Analytics To Raise Productivity And Profitability: 4 Key Steps For Smes, Gary Pan, Poh Sun Seow

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

It is widely believed that effective data analysis may create newbusiness opportunities as technological advancement may offercompanies greater ability to predict what their customers want.

Resource Scarcity, Effort, And Performance In Physically Demanding Jobs: An Evolutionary Explanation, Marko Pitesa, Stefan Thau

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Based on evolutionary theory, we predicted that cues of resource scarcity in the environment (e.g., news of droughts or food shortages) lead people to reduce their effort and performance in physically demanding work. We tested this prediction in a 2-wave field survey among employees and replicated it experimentally in the lab. In Study 1, employees who perceived resources in the environment to be scarce reported exerting less effort when their jobs involved much (but not little) physical work. In Study 2, participants who read that resources in the environment were scarce performed worse on a task demanding more (carrying books) …

The Relevance Of Sleep And Circadian Misalignment For Procrastination Among Shift Workers, Jana Kuhnel, Sabine Sonnentag, Ronald Bledow, Klaus G. Melchers

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This daily diary study contributes to current research uncovering the role of sleep for employees' effective self-regulation at work. We focus on shift workers' effective self-regulation in terms of their general and day-specific inclination to procrastinate, that is, their tendency to delay the initiation or completion of work activities. We hypothesized that transitory sleep characteristics (day-specific sleep quality and sleep duration) and chronic sleep characteristics in terms of circadian misalignment are relevant for procrastination. Sixty-six shift workers completed two daily questionnaires over the course of one work week, resulting in 332 days ofanalysis. Results of multilevel regression analyses showed that …

What Does "Happiness" Prompt In Your Mind? Culture, Word Choice, And Experienced Happiness, Ji Eun Shin, Eunkook M. Suh, Kimin Eom, Heejung S. Kim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

What three words come to your mind in association with ‘‘happiness’’? We analyzed the 1563 words reported by 521 Korean and American participants in this free association task. The most frequently endorsed word was ‘‘family’’ in Korea, whereas the most popular word among Americans was ‘‘smile.’’ The overall frequency of social words(e.g., relationships, social emotions) reported by Koreans was higher, and the most often mentioned relationship type differed between the two groups (family in Korea; friend in the US). Nonetheless, both in Korea and the US, individuals who mentioned more social words were significantly more satisfied with their lives. The …

The Quest For Recognition: Taiwan’S Military And Trade Agreements With Singapore Under The One-China Policy, Pasha L. Hsieh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article examines the evolution of Taiwan’s relationship with Singapore since the 1960s as a unique case study in the Asia-Pacific. The theoretical concept of recognition in international relations (IR) and its nexus with international law are used to analyze the conclusion of the bilateral military and trade agreements absent diplomatic relations. The article argues that beyond security dimensions, the two states’ struggles for recognition exhibit the formation of national identities, which invigorate the claims for sovereign state status in global politics. First, this article explores the emerging notion of recognition in IR and sheds light on the significance of …

The New Additional Conveyance Duties Regime In The Stamp Duties Act, Vincent Ooi

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The new additional conveyance duties regime has gone beyond attempting to achieve tax neutrality between direct transfers of residential property and indirect transfers through the use of property-holding entities. It taxes an entirely new tax base and raises issues such as: the extremely broad concept of an “associate” relationship; definition of “unit in a property trust”; anti-avoidance provisions; liability for providing false information; tax neutrality; and the considerable flexibility that the section 23 Order provides the Government. This article analyses the regime in detail and considers the implications of various changes to the prescribed values in the section 23 Order.

Review: How China Escaped The Poverty Trap By Yuen Yuen Ang, John A. Donaldson

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Two contrasting mistakes plague contemporary China studies as we try to fit Chinainto social science theory. On the one hand, we tend to apply theories derived fromthe West, fitting China’s square peg into theory’s round hole. In the process, wemiss something important about China, or conclude that China simply doesn’t fit.Dissatisfied with this, we sometimes conclude that China is unique, studying it in atheoretical vacuum, or inventing China-specific theories and concepts that are difficult to apply elsewhere.

Innovating At Cultural Crossroads: How Multicultural Social Networks Promote Ideas Flow And Creativity, Roy Y. J. Chua

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Diversity in social networks is often linked to enhanced creativity. Emerging research on exposure to diverse informational resources (e.g., ideas and knowledge) however has painted a more complex picture regarding its effect on individuals’ creative performance. This research examines the effects of culturally diverse networks on the flow of ideas and individuals’ creativity. Combining social network analysis with experimental methods, two studies using different samples found that a culturally diverse network increases the likelihood of receiving culture-related novel ideas (but not other types of novel ideas) from network contacts, whether or not these contacts share one’s own culture of origin. …

Extremal Quantile Regressions For Selection Models And The Black-White Wage Gap, Xavier D'Haultfoeuille, Arnaud Maurel, Yichong Zhang

Research Collection School Of Economics

We consider the estimation of a semiparametric sample selection model without instrument or large support regressor. Identification relies on the independence between the covariates and selection, for arbitrarily large values of the outcome. We propose a simple estimator based on extremal quantile regression and establish its asymptotic normality by extending previous results on extremal quantile regressions to allow for selection. Finally, we apply our method to estimate the black-white wage gap among males from the NLSY79 and NLSY97. We find that premarket factors such as AFQT and family background play a key role in explaining the black-white wage gap.

How Do Small Business Innovate And Improve Competitiveness, Anirban Mukherjee, Hannah H. Chang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.

Perceived Entitlement Causes Discrimination Against Attractive Job Candidates In The Domain Of Relatively Less Desirable Jobs, Margaret Lee, Marko Pitesa, Madan M. Pillutla, Stefan Thau

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

People generally hold positive stereotypes of physically attractive people and because of those stereotypes often treat them more favorably. However, we propose that some beliefs about attractive people, specifically, the perception that attractive individuals have a greater sense of entitlement than less attractive individuals, can result in negative treatment of attractive people. We examine this in the context of job selection and propose that for relatively less desirable jobs, attractive candidates will be discriminated against. We argue that the ascribed sense of entitlement to good outcomes leads to perceptions that attractive individuals are more likely to be dissatisfied working in …

Liquid Futures: Water Management Systems And Anticipated Environments, Sayd Randle, Jessica Barnes

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Climate change and its impact on hydrological dynamics have become key topics of concern among water managers and policy makers in many parts of the world. Yet while practitioners often frame adaptation to a climate-changed future as a novel issue, ideas about future environments have long influenced systems of water management. Reviewing ethnographic and historical accounts of waterscapes across the globe, this article examines the relationship between imagined environmental futures and the policies, practices, infrastructures of water management and legal frameworks. We show, first, how conflicting ideas about environmental stasis and perturbation have been built into water networks across space …

Deadlier Road Accidents? Traffic Safety Regulations And Heterogeneous Motorists’ Behavior, Christine Ho, Madhav S. Aney

Research Collection School Of Economics

In 2003, China enacted the Road Traffic Safety Law in an attempt to promote traffic safety.We employ a difference-in-differences strategy on province level data, where fire accidentsare used as a control group for road accidents, to estimate the effects of the law on road accidents and casualties. Our findings suggest that while the law was successful in decreasing thenumber of accidents and casualties, the ratio of deaths to accidents and injuries to accidentsincreased. Exploring the potential channels, we find no evidence that “hit-and-kill” incentives,that is, incentives for motorists to kill the pedestrians that they hit due to China’s peculiar personal …

Resilience Of The Us Securities Industry To The Global Financial Crisis, Dariusz Wójcik, Theodor Florian Cojoianu

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

The global financial crisis was underpinned by the securitization of subprime mortgages led by US investment banks, and its outbreak was marked by the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers on 15 September 2008. This paper investigates the resilience of the US securities industry to this shock and its evolution between 2008 and 2016, with focus on employment, location, remuneration, sell-side versus buy-side dynamics, and gender. Results show that the US securities industry has suffered significant losses in terms of employment and its recovery has been slow. Under the pressures of depressed demand, new regulation and cost cutting, the industry has gone …

Public Support For Censorship In A Highly Regulated Media Environment: The Influence Of Self-Construal And Third-Person Perception Over Time, Benjamin H. Detenber, Sonny Rosenthal

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This study represents the first longitudinal examination of third-person effects and uses a rigorous specification of the relative contribution of perceptions of influence on self and others (viz., the diamond method). Using nationally representative samples from Singapore gathered in 2001 (n = 626) and 2013 (n = 1,012), it examines perceptions of sex and nudity in films, content that the government allows but regulates. As expected, interdependent self-construal and third-person perceptions predicted support for censorship, as did perceived total media influence. The pattern of prediction was quite consistent with a slight increase in support for censorship. The discussion considers implications …

Revisiting Image Of The City In Cyberspace: Analysis Of Spatial Twitter Messages During A Special Event, Junfeng Jiao, Michael Holmes, Greg P. Griffin

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This research investigated people’s communication of urban space as reflected in Twitter messages (tweets) during the 2012 Super Bowl. The authors archived over 600,000 tweets related to the Super Bowl from January 23 through early February 6. The authors identified 78 Indianapolis-area places or routes named in the tweets. Based on occurrence of these terms, the authors retained 9,103 city-specific messages for analysis. The frequency of such tweets changed over the two-week period and peaked two days before game day. Instances of all of Lynch’s (1960) The Image of the City elements (node, district, landmark, path, and edge) were found …

Interview With Ho Kwong Ping: Creating A New Management University, Kwon Ping Ho

Oral History Collection

The interview covered:

• SMU history
• SMU startups
• Singapore education system
• Autonomous universities
• Strategic decisions
• Differentiating SMU
• Millennials
• Top ranking institutions
• Board of trustees

Interview With Lily Kong: Creating A New Management University, Lily Kong

Oral History Collection

The Interview covered:

• Liberal arts education
• Business schools
• Professional education
• Liberal management education
• Education management
• Ethics courses

The Value Of Green Certification In The Singapore Housing Market, Eric Fesselmeyer

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

In Singapore, a real estate developer sells new apartments in the same high-rise development before and after obtaining green certification. This allows the use of within-development variation in prices over time to measure the effect of green certification on housing prices, controlling for differences across developments. I find that green certification increases prices by around 3%, suggesting that buyers value certification, possibly because it signals the presence of less-salient green features. Moreover, the effect of certification is biggest for developments that receive the lowest green rating, which likely have fewer green features and are thus less obviously green.