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Research Collection School of Social Sciences

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Full-Text Articles in International and Area Studies

Gender Disparities In Self-Employment In Urban China's Market Transition: Income Inequality, Occupational Segregation And Mobility Processes, Qian Forrest Zhang Sep 2013

Gender Disparities In Self-Employment In Urban China's Market Transition: Income Inequality, Occupational Segregation And Mobility Processes, Qian Forrest Zhang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This paper presents the first quantitative analysis of gender disparities in selfemployment in urban China. It documents the extent of gender income inequality in selfemployment. By disaggregating self-employment into three occupational classes, it shows the gender segregation within self-employment—women were concentrated in the financially least rewarding segment—and identifies it as a main source of the gender income inequality. It examines a range of determinants of participation in self employment—family structure, family background, and career history—and how their gender-specific effects contributed to gender segregation. Although using data from a 1996 national survey, this study captures two key processes that shaped the …


The Debate Inside China, William A. Callahan Sep 2013

The Debate Inside China, William A. Callahan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In his recent work Gilbert Rozman explains the growing tensions between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and United States in terms of the symbolic politics of a widening “identity gap.” This identity gap is important, he argues, because it pushes both countries towards more fundamentalist views of themselves and each other, which in turn fosters ideas of an “inevitable” zero-sum geopolitical conflict.


"Smuggled Refugees": The Social Construction Of North Korean Migration, Jiyoung Song Aug 2013

"Smuggled Refugees": The Social Construction Of North Korean Migration, Jiyoung Song

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In this paper, I demonstrate the identity transformation of North Korean women in interaction with state and non-state actors and domestic and regional structures, which I formulate for the purposes of this paper. From a state-centric social constructivist perspective in politics and international relations, I examine how the identities and interests of North Korean women are constituted and reconstituted in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the People's Republic of China and five South-East Asian countries along their migration routes before they reach the Republic of Korea – the so-called “Seoul Train in the Underground Railway”. Back in their country …


Why Do Similar Provinces Approach Development Differently? An Approach To Understanding Central-Local Relations In China, John A. Donaldson Aug 2013

Why Do Similar Provinces Approach Development Differently? An Approach To Understanding Central-Local Relations In China, John A. Donaldson

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

As China decentralized in the 1980s, many provinces received the latitude to implement their own strategies and approaches to economic development. Not surprisingly, such strategies varied regionally as provinces with different levels of wealth and resources implemented different approaches to achieving economic development. Yet, some of these examples are quite puzzling, with provinces that share many similarities implementing markedly different strategies. Moreover, some provinces not only implemented different approaches to economic development, but adopted entirely different goals – interpreting the very definition of economic development differently. To explain these differences, China scholars have focused on different factors, including constraints and …


China’S Harmonious World And Post-Western World Orders: Official And Citizen Intellectual Perspectives, William A. Callahan Jul 2013

China’S Harmonious World And Post-Western World Orders: Official And Citizen Intellectual Perspectives, William A. Callahan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

To explain China’s recent turn from a modest foreign policy to a more assertive global stance, the chapter argues that we need to pay closer attention to how citizen intellectuals are challenging the foreign policy establishment’s monopoly on discussion of China’s place in the world. These new voices emerged as an unintended consequence of President Hu Jintao’s “harmonious world” policy, which created space for citizen intellectuals to talk about new post-western world orders. These official and unofficial sources chart a set of futures ranging from China fitting into the current international system, to China gradually changing international norms, to Beijing …


Kiasu (怕輸) And Its Moderating Effects On Multicultural Experiences On Creativity And Persistence Tasks, Lay See Ong, Chi-Ying Cheng, Ying-Yi Hong Jul 2013

Kiasu (怕輸) And Its Moderating Effects On Multicultural Experiences On Creativity And Persistence Tasks, Lay See Ong, Chi-Ying Cheng, Ying-Yi Hong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Question: Can a cultural norm exert both positive and negative influence on its subscribers? Method: Three experimental studies explored this question in creativity and persistence tasks. Findings: The answer is YES. Kiasu (a Singaporean cultural norm) can either impair creativity performance or help boost persistency.


The Complexity Of North Korean Migration, Jiyoung Song Jun 2013

The Complexity Of North Korean Migration, Jiyoung Song

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Just imagine you’re a North Korean living in a small village. You have no one to compare your condition with. One day, you hear about people who’ve fled to China who are now well off. Some even go to South Korea, a place you know about from smuggled DVDs. You know that if caught, you could be sent to prison and beaten by guards. If successful, such migration promises a better life. In most North Korean migration cases, negative push factors such as absence of political freedom and economic opportunities in North Korea combine with positive pull factors in China …


Converting Houses Into Churches: The Mobility, Fission, And Sacred Networks Of Evangelical House Churches In Sri Lanka, Orlando Woods Jun 2013

Converting Houses Into Churches: The Mobility, Fission, And Sacred Networks Of Evangelical House Churches In Sri Lanka, Orlando Woods

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In this paper I examine the processes and politics associated with the formation of evangelical house churches in Sri Lanka. In doing so, I show how the sacred space of the house church is constructed through the development of sacred networks, which emerge when a group of Christians assemble for prayer and worship. Sacred networks grant the house church an important degree of mobility, but they also encourage church fission. Whilst the house church enables evangelical groups to grow in hostile environments like that of Sri Lanka, it is often a superficial form of growth that is unsustainable in the …


Southeast Asia: Sources Of Regime Support, Alex Chang, Yun-Han Chu, Bridget Welsh Apr 2013

Southeast Asia: Sources Of Regime Support, Alex Chang, Yun-Han Chu, Bridget Welsh

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The authors’ empirical analysis shows both commonalities and variations in the sources of regime support in Southeast Asian countries. Most regimes in the region draw political legitimacy from perceptions that their governance is effective and marked by integrity. These findings lend support to the argument that regime legitimacy—when it is won and when it is lost—is rooted in the output side of the political system. Yet delivering economic prosperity alone will not suffice. In order for political regimes in Southeast Asia to win over their people, they must control corruption, respect the rule of law, treat all citizens fairly and …


Military Service, Exposure To Trauma, And Health In Older Adulthood: An Analysis Of Northern Vietnamese Older Adults, Kim Korinek, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan Apr 2013

Military Service, Exposure To Trauma, And Health In Older Adulthood: An Analysis Of Northern Vietnamese Older Adults, Kim Korinek, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The long-term, indirect effects of war on older adult health are poorly understood, especially in less developed societies where armed conflict concentrates. In this paper we analyse the determinants of self-reported health, chronic conditions, somatoform symptoms and depressive symptoms in a sample of northern Vietnamese ages 55 and older, who encountered mass mobilization for war and widespread exposure to war traumas in early adulthood. Results of multivariate models indicate that service in combat roles predicts poor self-reported health, health complaints and chronic illness in late adulthood. No such relationship is observed for depressive symptoms, a pattern consistent with previous research …


Health Inequalities Among Older Adults In Vietnam: Evidence From The 2011 Vietnam National Aging Survey, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan, Thanh Long Giang Apr 2013

Health Inequalities Among Older Adults In Vietnam: Evidence From The 2011 Vietnam National Aging Survey, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan, Thanh Long Giang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Vietnam’s economic development, change in health infrastructure, demographic and epidemiological transitions, and projected rapid population aging point to the need for understanding issues related to the wellbeing of older adults. Few recent studies that examine old-age health among specific Vietnamese populations notwithstanding, a national profile of older adults’ health, particularly health inequalities among the aged, is still lacking for Vietnam. To address this gap, we analyze nationally representative data from Vietnam’s first national survey of older adults to examine socioeconomic gradients in health at older ages in urban and rural Vietnam. Our specific research questions include: how are various measures …


The Transformation Of Urban Vegetable Retail In China: Wet Markets, Supermarkets, And Informal Markets In Shanghai, Qian Forrest Zhang, Zi Pan Apr 2013

The Transformation Of Urban Vegetable Retail In China: Wet Markets, Supermarkets, And Informal Markets In Shanghai, Qian Forrest Zhang, Zi Pan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The state-monopolised system of vegetable retail in socialist urban China has transformed into a market-based system run by profit-driven actors. Publicly owned wet markets not only declined in number after the state relegated its construction to market forces, but were also thoroughly privatised, becoming venues of capital accumulation for the market operators now controlling these properties. Self-employed migrant families replaced salaried state employees in the labour force. Governments’ increased control over urban public space reduced the room for informal markets, exacerbating the scarcity of vegetable retail space. Fragmentation in the production and wholesale systems restricted modern supermarkets’ ability to establish …


China’S Agrarian Reform And The Privatization Of Land: A Contrarian View, Qian Forrest Zhang, John A. Donaldson Mar 2013

China’S Agrarian Reform And The Privatization Of Land: A Contrarian View, Qian Forrest Zhang, John A. Donaldson

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Many media and scholars outside China are advocating for the privatization of land ownership in China, claiming it to be a necessary step before China can transform its agriculture into large-scale, market-oriented and technology-intensive modern agriculture. Chinese scholars advocating land privatization, on the other hand, typically argue that land privatization would offer farmers more protection of their rights. In this paper, we present a contrarian view to these calls for land privatization published in both mainstream media and academic journals. We argue that, under China’s current system of collective land ownership and individualized land use rights, the aforementioned goals can …


Singapore Food Seriously On My Mind, Margaret Chan Mar 2013

Singapore Food Seriously On My Mind, Margaret Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

No abstract provided.


Walmart In China [Book Review], John A. Donaldson Mar 2013

Walmart In China [Book Review], John A. Donaldson

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

No abstract provided.


Asean–Eu Relations: From Regional Integration Assistance To Security Significance?, Anja Jetschke, Clara Portela Mar 2013

Asean–Eu Relations: From Regional Integration Assistance To Security Significance?, Anja Jetschke, Clara Portela

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

No abstract provided.


Population Priorities And Perceptions, David Chan Feb 2013

Population Priorities And Perceptions, David Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

No abstract provided.


The Spirit-Mediums Of Singkawang: Performing Peoplehood Of West Kalimantan, Margaret Chan Jan 2013

The Spirit-Mediums Of Singkawang: Performing Peoplehood Of West Kalimantan, Margaret Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Chinese New Year in the West Kalimantan town of Singkawang is marked by a parade featuring hundreds of possessed spirit-mediums performing self-mortification and blood sacrifice. The event is a huge tourist draw, but beyond the spectacle, deeper meanings are enacted. The spirit-medium procession stages a fraternity of Dayak, Malay and Chinese earth gods united in the purpose of exorcising demons from the neighborhood. The self-conscious presentation of the Chinese as brethren among pribumi [sons-of-the-soil] Dayak and Malay, proposes the Chinese as belonging to the ‘peoplehood’ of West Kalimantan.


Secularity, Religion And The Possibilities For Religious Citizenship, Lyn Parker, Chang Yau Hoon Jan 2013

Secularity, Religion And The Possibilities For Religious Citizenship, Lyn Parker, Chang Yau Hoon

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Scholarly predictions of the secularization of the world have proven premature. We see a heterogeneous world in which religion remains a significant and vital social and political force. This paper reflects critically upon secularization theory in order to see how scholars can productively respond to the, at least partly, religious condition of the world at the beginning of the twenty first century. We note that conventional multiculturalism theory and policy neglects religion, and argue the need for a reconceptualization of understanding of religion and secularity, particularly in a context of multicultural citizenship — such as in Australia and Indonesia. We …


Cultural Differences And Switching Of In-Group Sharing Behavior Between An American (Facebook) And A Chinese (Renren) Social Networking Site, Lin Qiu, Han Lin, Angela K. Y. Leung Jan 2013

Cultural Differences And Switching Of In-Group Sharing Behavior Between An American (Facebook) And A Chinese (Renren) Social Networking Site, Lin Qiu, Han Lin, Angela K. Y. Leung

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Prior research has documented cultural dimensions that broadly characterize between-culture variations in Western and East Asian societies and that bicultural individuals can flexibly change their behaviors in response to different cultural contexts. In this article, we studied cultural differences and behavioral switching in the context of the fast emerging, naturally occurring online social networking, using both self-report measures and content analyses of online activities on two highly popular platforms, Facebook and Renren (the “Facebook of China”). Results showed that while Renren and Facebook are two technically similar platforms, the Renren culture is perceived as more collectivistic than the Facebook culture. …


Comparing Local Models Of Agrarian Transition In China, Qian Forrest Zhang Jan 2013

Comparing Local Models Of Agrarian Transition In China, Qian Forrest Zhang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The development of markets and the penetration of capital into agriculture have started the agrarian transition in rural China, which is transforming smallholding, household-based agriculture into various forms of capitalistic production. This again raises in a new historical and social context the long-debated question in the agrarian transition literature: Can family farms survive the onslaught of capitalist agriculture based on wage labor and what shapes the confrontation between family farms and agro-capital? I argue that it is the local political economy—rather than some natural obstacles in agriculture to the penetration of capitalism—that shapes this confrontation and gives rise to a …


Quick And Dirty: Some Psychosocial Costs Associated With The Dark Triad In Three Countries, Peter K. Jonason, Norman P. Li, Anna Z. Czarna Jan 2013

Quick And Dirty: Some Psychosocial Costs Associated With The Dark Triad In Three Countries, Peter K. Jonason, Norman P. Li, Anna Z. Czarna

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The current study provides the first examination of the relationship between life history indicators and the Dark Triad traits in an international sample drawn from the U.S. (n = 264), Singapore (n = 185), and Poland (n = 177). In all three samples, the Dark Triad traits were associated with psychosocial costs, although there were more links in the Singaporean and Polish samples than in the American sample. In the U.S., the quality of one’s romantic relationships and psychopathy were negatively correlated. Narcissism was higher in the Polish and American samples than in the Singaporean sample. Men scored higher than …


International Conventions And The Failure Of A Transnational Approach To Controlling Asian Crime Business, Mark Findlay, Nafis Hanif Jan 2013

International Conventions And The Failure Of A Transnational Approach To Controlling Asian Crime Business, Mark Findlay, Nafis Hanif

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The paper argues that without a realistic understanding of criminal enterprise located against the commercial forces shaping contemporary Asian market contexts, then domestic, bi-lateral, regional and international control initiatives are not only likely to fail in their regulatory objectives, but the premises on which they are constructed may heighten the market conditions for crime business profitability.The international convention-based approach to regulating transnational and organized crime is the framework from which a critique of non-market centred law enforcement control concentrations is developed. This critique reveals the transposition of flawed normative control considerations from domestic to supra-national control contexts, and shows how …


Aesthetic Constructions Of Korea Nationalism: Spectacle, Politics And History, Yooil Bae Dec 2012

Aesthetic Constructions Of Korea Nationalism: Spectacle, Politics And History, Yooil Bae

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

No abstract provided.


Who Is Xi Jinping, And Where Will He Lead China?, William A. Callahan Nov 2012

Who Is Xi Jinping, And Where Will He Lead China?, William A. Callahan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The imminent accession to power of China's fifth generation of leaders since 1949 focuses attention on the background and character of its new president. Xi Jinping's route to the summit, and the crucial fall of his fellow princeling Bo Xilai along the way, is assessed by William A Callahan.


Singaporeans' Well-Being: It's Not Just About Emotions, David Chan Nov 2012

Singaporeans' Well-Being: It's Not Just About Emotions, David Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

No abstract provided.


Local Successes In Encouraging Participatory Irrigation Management: Policy Lessons From Indonesia, Jacob I. Ricks, Sigit Supadmo Arif Oct 2012

Local Successes In Encouraging Participatory Irrigation Management: Policy Lessons From Indonesia, Jacob I. Ricks, Sigit Supadmo Arif

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Despite decades of promotion, efforts to encourage participatory irrigation management often falter. Nowhere is this more true that on the island of Java, Indonesia where multiple programmes and millions of dollars have resulted in few effective water user associations. Even so, pockets of participatory success exist. We present findings from one locally developed water user association training programme found in Yogyakarta, Indonesia that has experienced relative success in encouraging farmer participation. We then derive policy lessons from this case.


Future Of Jobs, Li Peng, Ning Wang, Phei Sunn Sim Oct 2012

Future Of Jobs, Li Peng, Ning Wang, Phei Sunn Sim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This article highlights three trends that are disruptingthe job market’s ability to link education, jobs andincomes, examining the implications of these trendsand identifying possible early signposts.


China Vs India: A Democracy Battle, William A. Callahan Oct 2012

China Vs India: A Democracy Battle, William A. Callahan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The last war between Asia's giants erupted in October 1962. Fifty years on the respective works of a Chinese and an Indian intellectual define the shape of their 21st-century contest, says William A Callahan.


What's Keeping Malaysia's Opposition Together?, Bridget Welsh Oct 2012

What's Keeping Malaysia's Opposition Together?, Bridget Welsh

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

No abstract provided.