Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Scale Question As An Urban Question: The Making Of Homo Urbanicus Amid State Entrepreneurialism, Yong Zhang

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This research bridges two influential strands of literature on urban China—state entrepreneurialism and homo urbanicus (城市人). By revisiting how China’s post-reform urban transformation has unfolded and connecting it to current development strategies, this research provides a fresh perspective on the country’s urbanization processes and their implications for future governance. The analysis proposes an alternative periodization of three phases: anti-migration urbanism, anti-settlement urbanism, and anti-civitas urbanism. Beyond understanding urbanization as a crisis-driven, state-rescaling phenomenon pivoting around the blending of state and market forces, this research repositions the concept of homo urbanicus, or the urban citizen, as central to understanding the urban …

Uncovering Electric Vehicle Ownership Disparities Using K-Means Clustering Analysis: A Case Study Of Austin, Texas, Seung Jun Choi, Junfeng Jiao

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Transportation electrification is promoted for its environmental and energy efficiency benefits. However, recent studies examining electric vehicle (EV) adoption have revealed complex patterns influenced by race and income disparities. These studies, primarily based on surveys, often overlook regional ownership variations and built environment measures linked to urban form. Our study addresses this gap by analyzing actual EV registration data with spatial details using hot spot and K-means clustering analyses. The analysis results revealed a pronounced East–West divide in EV adoption. In West Austin, clusters indicate a higher number of EVs, greater energy consumption, and residents who are predominantly White, with …

Alternative Agrifood Systems And The Economic Sustainability Of Farmers' Cooperatives: The Chinese Experience, Zhanping Hu, Qian Forrest Zhang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Most registered farmers' cooperatives in China are de facto private enterprises; while many bring economic gains to farmers, they do not function as cooperatives. Among the small minority that started as authentic cooperatives, however, most struggled to provide economic benefits to members, unable to achieve economic sustainability. The failure of true farmers' cooperatives in China has been widely studied; the success of the few that did become economically sustainable, however, remains poorly understood. Using a sample of 70 farmers' cooperatives across the country and comparing three “extreme cases”—cooperatives that are both authentic and economically successful—with the rest, this study argues …

Computer Use Frequency And Cardiovascular Health In Middle-Aged And Older Adults, Meilan Hu, Shu Fen Diong, K. T. A. Sandeeshwara Kasturiratna, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

With increased computer usage amongst midlife and older adults, concerns are emerging with regards to the potential adverse health effects of computer use given the sedentary habits it may encourage. The current study aims to investigate the relationship between computer use and cardiovascular risk in midlife and older adults. From the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States II: Biomarker Project (2004–2009) and the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS II), 2004–2006, we examined five cardiovascular risk biomarkers—high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, interleukin-6, and C-reactive protein—in relation to self-reported general …

Factor Structure Of The Ces-D-20 Scale In Young Adults In Singapore: An Examination Of Six Alternative Structures And Measurement Invariance By Sex, Nadyanna M. Majeed, K. T. A. Sandeeshwara Kasturiratna, Nicole Ruiying Chen, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Building on past research that has indicated cultural variations in the factor structure of the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-20), as well as several limitations validating the CES-D-20 within a Singapore context, this study investigated the CES-D-20's factor structure and sex-based measurement invariance in Singapore. A large young adult sample in Singapore (N = 1008) was utilised, and the original CES-D-20 was administered to all participants. The findings confirmed the four-factor model's robustness over five other alternative models (RMSEA = .05, SRMR = .04), where each of the 20 items loaded significantly onto its respective factor (all …

Us Or Them: How Covid-19 Vaccine Priority Influences Perceptions Of Local-Migrant Worker Relations, Tengjiao Huang, Haochen Zhou, Liz Jones, Chin Wen Cong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare pre-existing societal fault lines, placing immense strain on intergroup relations and giving rise to xenophobic sentiments. Drawing on Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT) and Social Identity Approach (SIA), our study examined how the public allocation of COVID-19 variant vaccines could influence the dynamics between local citizens and migrant workers, and under what conditions. One key idea is that valued resource distribution that favour migrant workers may produce increased perceptions of realistic threats among local citizens which could lead to exacerbated negative attitudes and behaviours of high-status local citizens towards low-status migrants, whereas higher fairness perceptions of …

Longitudinal Bidirectional Relation Between Fear Of Missing Out And Risky Loot Box Consumption: Evidence For Fomo-Driven Loot Boxes Spiral Hypothesis, Andree Hartanto, K Tennakoon Appuhamillage Sandeeshwara Kasturiratna

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Background: The integration of loot boxes has emerged as a significant factor contributing to the increasing revenue in the video gaming industry. However, this integration has also led to widespread engagement in risky loot box consumption. To understand the mechanism that drives and sustains such maladaptive behavior, we propose the FoMO-Driven Loot Boxes Spiral Hypothesis – positing that fear of missing out (FoMO) not only triggers initial engagement in risky loot box consumption but also perpetuates a self-reinforcing cycle, where such engagement intensifies subsequent FoMO, leading to further risky loot box consumption. Method and results: We conducted a 13-week longitudinal …

Positive And Negative Affect Differentially Predict Individual Differences And Intra-Individual Changes In Daily Cognitive Failures In Younger And Older Adults, Ysabel A. Guevarra, Nadyanna M. Majeed, Nur Eva Alisha Binte Mohamed Hisham, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

(1) Background: Cognitive failures, including lapses in attention, memory, and executive functioning, can negatively affect daily performance and well-being. Negative and positive affectivity have been implicated in cognitive functioning, yet their relationship with cognitive failures remains underexplored. This study investigates the impact of positive and negative affect on cognitive failures, using daily diary methods to examine both within-person and between-person associations in a sample of younger adults from Singapore and adults across the lifespan from the United States (US). (2) Methods: Participants (Singapore: N = 253, US: N = 1726) completed daily diaries over seven (Singapore) or eight (US) consecutive …

Advances In Research On Anthropogenic Drivers Of Climate Change, Andrew Jorgenson, Hassan El Tinay, Jared Fitzgerald, Jennifer Givens, Taekyeong Goh, Xiaorui Huang, Orla Kelly, Annika Marie Rieger, Ryan P. Thombs

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This chapter provides an overview of advances in social science research on the anthropogenic drivers of climate change. Anthropogenic drivers refer to the social systems and human actions causing GHG emissions, and societal factors shaping and conditioning those actions. The authors summarize the contemporary drivers research literature on (1) economic growth, (2) income and wealth inequality, (3) environmental load displacement and ecologically unequal exchange, (4) militarization, and (5) corporations. In addition to summarizing recent work, the authors identify future directions for each of these areas of research, as well as ways in which they can be better integrated.

Costly Signaling Theory, Hui Ying Ivy Koh, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Costly signaling theory is the idea that the high costs incurred by an individual to convey information about underlying qualities keeps this signal reliable, as only individuals who truly possess the quality signaled can afford to send the signal.

The Compatibility Of The Substance Over Form Doctrine With Tax And Investment Treaties: A Case Study Of Lone Star V The Republic Of Korea, Blazej Kuzniacki

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

In late August 2022, the Lone Star tribunal concluded one of the latest awards in tax-related investment treaty disputes (the tax-related claims account for almost USD 1.5 billion of the total of almost USD 4.7 billion claimed in compensation). It also is the first award in which the tribunal dealt with the application of the substance over form doctrine (SOFD) by tax authorities and courts of the host state to prevent the abuse of a double tax treaty (DTT), and the impact of the refusal to accord the claimants the benefits under the DTT via a domestic (Korean) SOFD on …

Audit Firms' Entry Into H-Share Audit Market And Mainland Audit Pricing: Evidence From China, Rui Zhang, Gaoliang Tian, Zichen Tian, Liuchuang Li

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Purpose: This study aims to investigate whether mainland Chinese audit firms’ entry into the H-share market to provide audit services affects their mainland audit pricing. Design/methodology/approach: Using data on A-share listed companies in China from 2008 to 2018, a difference-in-differences model to test the research question is designed. Robustness tests are conducted to rule out alternative explanations and additional tests to shed light on the extent and inner workings of the main effect. Findings: The entry of mainland audit firms into the H-share audit market leads to a significant decrease in mainland audit pricing. Moreover, this main effect is (i) …

Liberalizing Home-Based Business, Sumit Agarwal, Tien Foo Sing, Changcheng Song, Jian Zhang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Working at home benefits entrepreneurs by lowering fixed costs and allowing them to engage in joint market and household production. We evaluate a large-scale reform in Singapore, the Home Office Scheme, that allowed business creation at one's residential property and study whether home-based entrepreneurship spurs entrepreneurial activities. The difference-in-differences estimate shows that the reform led to a significantly higher level of business creation and that the firms newly created in response to the reform had a higher survival rate. The effect is more pronounced for low-income female individuals and industries with high startup capital, implying that financial constraints and nonpecuniary …

Exploring Students' Computer-Supported Collaborative Argumentation With Socio-Scientific Issues, Wenli Chen, Yiting Han, Jesmine Tan, Aileen Siew Cheng Chai, Qianru Lyu, Lyna

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Background: This study examined the effect of computer-supported collaborative argumentation (CSCA) on secondary school students' understanding of socio-scientific issues (SSI). Engaging students in collaborative argumentation is known to help with deepening their understanding of SSI. Methods: In this study, a mixed-method design is used to investigate 84 students' collaborative argumentation processes and outcomes. The statistical analysis, epistemic network analysis and qualitative uptake analysis results showed that CSCA was effective in supporting secondary school students' evidence-based argumentation skills on SSI. Findings and Conclusion: Several cases were presented to show how students engaged in CSCA to explore meaningful learning opportunities and how …

An Integrative, Systematic Review Of The Situational Judgment Test Literature, Sven Kepes, Sheila K. Keener, Filip Lievens, Michael A. Mcdaniel

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Situational judgment tests (SJTs) are popular assessment approaches that present scenarios describing situations that one may experience in a job. Due to its long history and cross-disciplinary nature, today’s SJT literature is quite fragmented. In this integrative review, we start by systematically taking stock and synthesizing the SJT literature from the different scientific disciplines via bibliometric techniques on 524 unique documents. We identify six literature clusters (i.e., SJTs in the medical sciences, SJTs in personnel selection, methodological issues and SJTs for specific constructs, SJTs to assess emotional intelligence and related constructs, technological advances in SJTs, SJTs for teacher assessment and …

Short-Term Personality Development And Early Career Success: Two Longitudinal Studies During The Post-Graduation Transition, Mary-Louise Hotze, Zihan Liu, Chu Chu, Erica Baranski, Kevin A. Hoff

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Objective: Investigate short-term personality development during the post-graduation transition. Background: Prior research indicates that long-term personality development matters for employment outcomes. However, this evidence is primarily limited to multi-year longitudinal studies. This research switches the focus to personality changes during a shorter, impactful life transition. Method: We examined how short-term personality development during the 14-month post-graduation transition relates to early career outcomes among two diverse samples of graduates from universities (N = 816) and community colleges (N = 567). We used latent growth curve models to examine associations between career outcomes measured 14 months after graduation with initial personality levels …

An Aggregate Matching And Pick-Up Model For Mobility-On-Demand Services, Xinwei Li, Jintao Ke, Hai Yang, Hai Wang, Yaqian Zhou

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper presents an Aggregate Matching and Pick-up (AMP) model to delineate the matching and pick-up processes in mobility-on-demand (MoD) service markets by explicitly considering the matching mechanisms in terms of matching intervals and matching radii. With passenger demand rate, vehicle fleet size and matching strategies as inputs, the AMP model can well approximate drivers’ idle time and passengers’ waiting time for matching and pick-up by considering batch matching in a stationary state. Properties of the AMP model are then analyzed, including the relationship between passengers’ waiting time and drivers’ idle time, and their changes with market thickness, which is …

Modeling And Regulating A Ride-Sourcing Market Integrated With Vehicle Rental Services, Dong Mo, Hai Wang, Zeen Cai, W. Y. Szeto, Xiqun (Michael) Chen

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

With the popularity of on-demand ride services worldwide, ride-sourcing platforms must maintain an adequate fleet size and cope with growing travel demand. Recently, platforms have attempted to provide vehicle rental services to drivers who do not own cars, then recruited them to provide on demand ride services. This helps lower the entry barrier for drivers and offers another profitable business for platforms. From the government's perspective, however, it is challenging to coordinately regulate a ride-sourcing business and vehicle rental business. This paper proposes a bi-level optimization model to investigate how the government regulates the ride-sourcing market integrated with vehicle rental …

“No One Left Behind!” First Year Transition Programmes: Collaborations Between Smu Libraries And Student Success Centre, Rajendra Munoo, Zhenyan Li, Siying Ong, Phyllis Pang

Research Collection Library

No one left behind! Diversity and inclusion! Level-playing field!

Clichéd or fact?

This is a fact at Singapore Management University (SMU) as student demographics have started to change and classrooms have become more intergenerational, comprising first-generation adult learners, students returning from National Service, increasing enrolment of IB graduates, international students, and those wanting to pursue a higher degree beyond a polytechnic diploma. This diverse learner profile warrants the need to ensure that no one is left behind. SMU’s Holistic Student Development Framework (HSDF) emphasises inclusivity beyond the classroom to recognise out-of-classroom learning through a variety of learning programmes focusing on …

Empowering Ageing-In-Place, Zidane Tiew, Wei Tin Hiah, Rachel Wen Yi Ngu, Wensi Lim

ROSA Research Briefs

In the past year, three governmental ministries – the Ministry of Health, Ministry of National Development, and Ministry of Transport – have jointly led Age Well SG, a national programme that seeks to support older Singaporeans in ageing well in their homes and their communities. This programme reflects the government’s priority in enabling ageing-in-place, a trend that has been increasingly welcomed by older Singaporeans. Current policies that seek to enable ageing-in-place are centred on three forms of enhancements in the environments in which older Singaporeans live, such as the implementation of Active Ageing Centres, strengthening of support for care needs, …

Digital India, Rajendra Srivastava, Vijay Shankar S, Aman Rajeev Kulkarni

Asian Management Insights

At the heart of India’s ongoing digital transformation lies a ‘perfect storm’ of pivotal elements: a robust telecom industry, groundbreaking digital technologies, an evolving payments ecosystem, and widespread smartphone adoption. Together, these elements have redefined connectivity, communication, and financial transactions, positioning India as a leader in the digital age.

From Congestion To Connectivity, Shoeb Kagda

Asian Management Insights

Southeast Asia is betting on new urban transit systems to solve its urban gridlock problems.

Getting On Board With Incentivising Esg, Shai Ganu

Asian Management Insights

What gets rewarded gets measured and done. Shai Ganu, Managing Director and Global Leader of the Executive Compensation and Board Advisory business at WTW, discusses the increasing adoption of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) metrics in structuring executive compensation. He explores how incorporating ESG goals into incentive plans drives accountability and aligns leadership performance with long-term sustainability objectives.

Pigs And The City, Sayd Randle

Asian Management Insights

Urban greening requires a re-look at sharing space with animals and nature.

1. There are several challenges when balancing urban development with ecological sustainability, as seen in Singapore’s struggles with human-wildlife interactions like wild boars entering populated areas.

2. Opinions on managing wildlife diverge between calls for stricter population control and concerns over habitat loss. This shows the need for balanced approaches that cater to both humans and ecology alike.

3. Cities like Houston, Barcelona, and Hong Kong offer different models for human-wildlife management, showing that local contexts shape approaches to achieving peaceful coexistence with urban wildlife.

Optimal Har Inference, Liyu Dou

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper addresses the problem of deriving heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation robust (HAR) inference for a scalar parameter of interest, under the assumption of a known upper bound on data persistence. Finite-sample optimal tests are derived within the Gaussian location model, revealing that robustness-efficiency tradeoffs are primarily determined by the maximal persistence. With a suitable adjustment to the critical value, the equal-weighted cosine (EWC) test emerges as nearly optimal, wherein the long-run variance is estimated through projections onto q type II cosines. This approach establishes a direct link between the choice of q and persistence assumptions, accompanied by adjustments to the …

Media Use, Interpersonal Communication, And Personal Relevance As External And Internal Representations Of Climate Change, Sonny Rosenthal, Pengya Ai

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Personal relevance is a key driver of individual climate action. It is also related to media use and interpersonal communication, which the current study examines from two perspectives. First, individuals may find climate change personally relevant because they experience it vicariously through the media and other information sources. Second, they may engage with climate change information because the issue is personally relevant. This study tested these models using structural equation modeling of online survey data from representative samples in Singapore (n = 1,997) and the United States (n = 2,009). Findings supported both models, albeit the first one more strongly. …

Uncovering Merchants’ Willingness To Wait In On-Demand Food Delivery Markets, Jian Liang, Ya Zhao, Hai Wang, Zuopeng Xiao, Jintao Ke

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

While traditional on-demand food delivery services help restaurants reach more customers and enable doorstep deliveries, they also come with drawbacks, such as high commission fees and limited control over the delivery process. White-label food delivery services have emerged as an alternative, ready-to-use platform for restaurants to arrange delivery for customer orders received through their applications or websites, without the constraints imposed by traditional on-demand food delivery platforms or the need to develop an in-house delivery operation. Although several studies have investigated consumer behavior when using traditional on-demand food delivery services, there is limited research on merchants’ behavior when adopting white-label …

Finding Purpose In Higher Education: Insights From The Distinctive Career Of Professor Rajani Naidoo, Howard Thomas

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The author explores Professor Rajani Naidoo’s inspiring journey in higher education, marked by advocacy, leadership, and a commitment to social justice. Born in apartheid South Africa, Rajani’s formative experiences with inequality shaped her lifelong dedication to equity in education. Her academic path took her to the University of Bath, where she directed the International Centre for Higher Education Management, emphasising interdisciplinary research and ethical leadership. Now Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Exeter, she drives cultural change and inclusivity. Rajani’s work challenges competitive norms, advocates global collaboration, and envisions universities as agents of societal good. Her story exemplifies purpose-driven academic …

China In The Unclos And Bbnj Negotiations, Yesterday Once More?, Nengye Liu, Shirley V. Scott

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This paper compares China’s stance during the UNCLOS negotiations – the starting point of contemporary law of the sea, with its engagement in the latest development of BBNJ negotiations. It answers the question, how does China participate in these two important rules-making processes of the international law of the sea? By identifying salient positions China took in each set of lengthy negotiations and explaining the reasons behind, the paper also aims to reflect what a rising China may bring to the international legal maritime order in the foreseeable future. The first part of this paper, on the nature of China’s …

A Practical Guide To Driving Financial Inclusion Through Cbdcs, Heng Wang

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Welcome back to our blog series exploring the potential that central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) hold to positively impact individuals that are currently unserved or underserved by financial systems globally. Together with Professor Wang, we first delved into the challenges and opportunities of driving financial inclusion, and how CBDCs could serve as an important mechanism in ensuring that no one is excluded from financial services – or our increasingly digital economies and societies. In our second blog we then examined how CBDCs can be intentionally designed to drive financial inclusion. In this third and final piece, Professor Wang offers a …