International and Area Studies Commons^™

Vol. 6, No. 1 Masthead

Southern African Journal of Policy and Development

No abstract provided.

La Cultura Que No Cambia, Karina Arreola-Gutierrez

MFA in Visual Art

In the text of La Cultura Que No Cambia, I mention how my work has been influenced by becoming more aware of generations of altar making that occur in my family. By collecting stories and photographs of altars, I can observe and create work based on how the legacies can change through generations or stay the same. The memory of my ancestors and family traditions is strengthened. Growing up seeing discrimination towards others has influenced me to highlight my Mexican heritage of traditions, culture, and language through several different methods. Using these elements, I can create work informing audiences about …

Determining The Liability For Carriage Of Goods By Road In West Africa – Can Ohada Uniform Rules On Transport Be A Foundation?, Damilola Osinuga

Southern African Journal of Policy and Development

Economic integration has been on African leaders' lips since the Organization of African Unity was created in 1963. The justification for this is not implausible — to promote regional trade and ensure economic prosperity. On January 1, 2020, African nations opened their borders to duty-free trade of goods and services under the continental free trade agreement. Transport of commodities is without a doubt essential for market access and intra-African trade. The low purchasing power of the populace and the geography of the continent, which is made up of a sizable number of landlocked provinces, favours road transportation. However, in West …

Under What Circumstances Are Chinese Entrepreneurs Reluctant To Go Public, Ting Huang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

As secondary stock markets often overestimate corporate value, many Chinese entrepreneurs seek to achieve their wealth targets by going public. However, some companies in China do not want to go public. This paper utilises multi-case research methods to develop theories about which factors lead to corporate reluctance to go public. Case studies show that compared with entrepreneurs with lower shareholdings, entrepreneurs with higher shareholdings have stronger long-term orientations and a greater desire for control and are more reluctant to go public. Industry characteristics affect entrepreneurs’ long-term orientation, desire for control, and early listing experience, thus influencing their listing decision-making. Empirical …

Were Latinos Undercounted In The 2020 Census? An Assessment Of Latino Demographic Data From 2010 Through 2020, Laird W. Bergad

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction:

This report examines makes estimates about the Latino Population for 2020—in the United States, Los Angeles, New York City, Miami, and Houston—that differ dramatically from those published by the Census Bureau.

Methods:

This report uses population growth rates calculated from the raw data found in the American Community Survey (ACS) five-year files for each year between 2010 and 2019 and 2015 to 2019 to project ‘assumed’ population totals for 2020. It uses the American Community Survey PUMS (Public Use Microdata Series) data for all years released by the Census Bureau and reorganized for public use by the Minnesota Population …

Gauging The Acceptance Of Contact Tracing Technology: An Empirical Study Of Singapore Residents’ Concerns With Sharing Their Information And Willingness To Trust, Ee-Ing Ong, Wee Ling Loo

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, governments began implementing various forms of contact tracing technology. Singapore’s implementation of its contact tracing technology, TraceTogether, however, was met with significant concern by its population, with regard to privacy and data security. This concern did not fit with the general perception that Singaporeans have a high level of trust in its government. We explore this disconnect, using responses to our survey (conducted pre-COVID-19) in which we asked participants about their level of concern with the government and business collecting certain categories of personal data. The results show that respondents had less concern with …

Elements Of Social Disorganization And Environmental Criminology: A Spatial Analysis Of Homicides In Villa Nueva, Guatemala, David J. Topel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study seeks to integrate the main spatial theories of crime, social disorganization, and routine activities theories while investigating the spatial dimension of homicides in Villa Nueva, Guatemala. Empirical relationships at a small unit of analysis, the natural cadaster blocks as defined by the municipality offer a more appropriate unit of analysis for the context of the city. While there is a robust body of work in developed nations synthetizing social disorganization and routine activities theories, the exploration of criminological theory integration and the use of the smallest unit of analysis still needs the addition of empirical research in Latin …

They Don'y Expect You To Know Much: Black African International Students Encountering And Countering The Afropessimistic Attitude Within Academic Spaces, Margaret Sergon

Dissertations

Black African international students in the United States are vulnerable to increased microaggressions because of their minority statuses. In addition to being Black and speaking with non-native accents, African students must contend with Afropessimism which in this study refers to the Western world’s negative perception of Africa. The study is a mixed methods study that seeks to understand how the Afropessimistic attitude impacts the way Black African international students are perceived and interacted with, within the academic spaces. The findings indicate that African international students consistently encounter the Afropessimistic attitude, and it impacts their academic engagement. The findings also suggest …

Frontmatter (Volume 42, Issue 5), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Cultivation, Conflict, And Consumption: Food Systems In Syria, 1920–1946, Sara Pekow

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation examines Syria during the French Mandate using food as a primary unit of analysis. The exploration of food pushes this project beyond the boundaries of political and diplomatic histories of Syria during the French Mandate, bringing forward the hidden voices of the nonelite. Nonelites are often not visible in archives, but their absence in most written sources permits us to ascertain their experiences in studying the materials that comprised their everyday lives. The sources consulted for this work include memoirs, print media, and state archives, to name a few.

Each chapter of this dissertation follows a different link …

Three Essays On Development Economics And Human Capital, Arpita Khanna

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In the first chapter, we estimate the impact of exposure to the 2015 Nepal Earthquake on intimate partner violence with two rounds of Demographic and Health Surveys data. Using differences-in-differences estimation, we find that exposure to the earthquake lead to a statistically and economically significant increase in intimate partner violence in the urban areas but not in the rural areas. This is possibly due to an increase in the stress felt by the victims. We also offer some evidence that the impact heterogeneity between the urban and rural areas is attributable to the differences in the reconstruction processes and assistance …

The Influence Of The Mothers Of The Plaza De Mayo On Contemporary Feminist Movement In Argentina, Ni Una Menos, Alexandria Blackwill

University Honors Theses

This thesis aims to explore the development of Argentine feminism between the Madres Plaza de Mayo and Ni Una Menos movements. This study will examine the extent to which the Madres have established a permanent human rights framework that provides a structure for contemporary movements in Argentina. First, the socio-cultural and economic conditions in which the Madres emerged are dissected, including the results of Peronism and Eva Perón's influences on Argentine culture as explored through a feminist lens. Next, the tactics used by the Madres to subvert patriarchy and instead use oppression to their advantage are analyzed through their conceptions …

Effectiveness Of Foreign Aid In Poverty Reduction In Africa: The Role Of Fiscal Policy, Iwegbu Onyebuchi, Risikat O. S. Dauda

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

This study examines foreign aid effectiveness in poverty reduction in Africa with focus on the role of regional fiscal policy on education and health. The study employs panel dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) estimation technique and covers the period 1980-2017. The results reveal that foreign aid augmented with effective fiscal policy on education significantly improves the income level in all the regions except Central Africa, and consumption in the Western and Central regions. When augmented with effective fiscal policy on health foreign aid enhances households’ income in West and Central Africa and consumption in West and Southern regions. Furthermore, foreign …

Empowering The Courts To Order The Use Of Amicable Dispute Resolution: The Singapore Rules Of Court 2021, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The civil justice regime in Singapore entered a new phase of radical reforms with effect from 1 April 2022. The reforms have substantially expanded the role of amicable dispute resolution (ADR). Parties have a duty to consider ADR prior to and during civil proceedings. More significantly, the courts have been empowered to order parties to attempt ADR, taking into account the ideals of the Rules of Court and all relevant circumstances. This note analyses the key reforms relating to the use of ADR with reference to comparable English developments. It discusses the broad yet ambivalent scope of ADR that could …

Legitimizing Viewing Publics Through Nostalgia: The Mediated Tropicality Of Singapore's 'Kampong Spirit', John Lowe, George Wong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Using two recent films-Long Long Time Ago and Diam Diam Era-this article analyses how Jack Neo communicates a sanitized nostalgia for the "kampong spirit" through his films, which calibrates willing acceptance of the Singapore government's authoritarian rule. In supporting the state's presentist historiography, the films of Jack Neo induce a depoliticization of unpleasant memories arising from the ruling party's unpopular housing and language policies of the past. The nostalgia mediated in both films is aligned towards an imaginary geography and mental map of a First World nation, which exhorts Singaporeans to disavow "the tropics" by nostalgizing the state's modernization efforts. …

Table Stakes In The War For Talent: Examining The Role Of Educational Assistance Programs Among The Fortune 1000, Noah Hubbard

Honors Theses

This study gathered stakeholder viewpoints regarding the role of educational assistance programs among the Fortune 1000 companies during the war for talent. Thirteen semi-structured interviews revealed themes that addressed four guiding research questions. After analyzing the results of the interviews and reading relevant literature, I created recommendations for each of the questions. From the first guiding research question (How do educational assistance programs help attract and retain employees and differentiate companies from one another?), recommendations include: offer a broad range of programs from G.E.D. to master’s degrees, utilize tuition assistance models to improve access to educational assistance programs, and allow …

Survival Politics: Regime Security And Alliance Institutionalization, Inwook Kim, Jackson Woods

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

What determines states’ willingness to institutionalize alliances? Contrary to conventional emphasis on system-level conditions, we argue that states pay close attention to the domestic political consequences of institutionalizing alliances. This is particularly true for unequal allies. Client regimes are disproportionately sensitive to alliance design, as it affects patron allies’ ability to influence their military, distribute finance and arms, and legitimate preferred political groups. Two factors—power consolidation and political compatibility—determine whether the client views alliance institutionalization as complementary or conflictual with regime survival. The divergent alliance designs North and South Korea chose after the Korean War support our argument. An unresolved …

Learnings From A Pilot Hybrid Question Answering System: Cqas: Case Study Based On A Singapore Government Agency's Customer Service Centre, Hui Shan Lee, Shankararaman, Venky, Eng Lieh Ouh

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The Singapore Government first released their digital government blueprint in 2018 with the key message for all their agencies to be "digital to the core and served with heart". With this push, agencies are moving towards human-centric digital services, especially for individual citizens. During COVID-19, Singapore government agencies introduced many COVID-19 digital initiatives resulting in more incoming inquiries from citizens to respective agencies. This surge in inquiries created the challenge on the agencies' end to meet service level agreements. One widely adopted solution is the use of chatbot technology that directly interfaces with the customer. However, several organisations have faced …

The Effects Of Dangerous World Beliefs On Covid-19 Preventive Behaviors In Singapore: The Moderating Role Of Public Health Communication, Su Lin Yeo, Desiree Y. Phua, Ying-Yi Hong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This research purposes to examine the role of strategic communication, specifically the effectiveness of government's crisis communication messages at the onset of COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, on disease preventive behaviors. It employed a mixed method research approach by first carrying out a content analysis of 7128 news headlines on COVID-19 to confirm our presupposition that the media may be communicating messages that the world order is being threatened. Informed by our findings that 90% of news reports were framed to suggest a dangerous world, we surveyed 453 respondents in the main study, and tested if people's beliefs in a dangerous …

The Killing Machine Of Juarez: A Literature Review On The Maquiladora Industry And Femicide In The City, Karla Kinzie Munoz

University Honors Theses

In Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, since 1993, more than 400 women have been killed, a conservative estimate due to the hundreds more that are still missing. These women were often employees at tariff and duty-free factories in the area. The factories, also known as maquiladoras contribute to the economy of the city after they were implemented in the Border Industrialization Program. Case studies and news articles reveal the connection between the maquilas and the growing number of femicides in the city. The working conditions and constant harassment of female employees contribute to the abuses the predominantly young women suffer. With the …

The Anti-Money Laundering Framework For Precious Stones And Metals Dealers In Singapore, Vincent Ooi

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Precious stones and metals have commonly been used throughout the world as a conduit for terrorism and money laundering activities. Such illicit use of these assets has called for its much-needed attention from a regulatory perspective. This is particularly relevant in a financial haven such as Singapore. Accordingly, this article seeks to explore how several of the most common trading and investment activities involving precious stones and metals in Singapore are regulated.

Comparative Lessons In Sectional Title Laws: Mitigating Urban Inequality In South Africa, Edward S. W. Ti

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Urban inequality in South Africa is a formidable problem that is linked to the injustices of its historical apartheid past. This paper identifies sectional titles, a form of property ownership where proprietors wholly own their apartment unit while co-owning the land and common property, as critical to providing more affordable housing. Sectional title schemes mitigate urban inequality by giving a greater proportion of the country the opportunity to own legally secure, well-located dwellings while serving as a platform where communal living could take place. Two suggestions how sectional title legislation can further alleviate aspects of urban inequality are made (1) …

A Plea For Survival: Can The Return To Eco-Centrism Strengthen The Legal Protection Of Nature In Sri Lanka?, Asanka Edirisinghe, Michelle Mei Ling Lim

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The right to life of all living beings and the duty of humans to co-exist with nature have been recognized in Sri Lankan tradition and religious practice for centuries. Yet, environmental destruction, degradation and pollution due to human activities have become a common phenomenon in contemporary Sri Lanka. Anthropocentric thinking pervades Sri Lankan jurisprudence. Laws and judicial decisions have largely failed to recognize the rights of nature to be protected for its relational and intrinsic values. There is also limited acknowledgement that the very survival of human beings depends on the continuous existence of Mother Earth. Significant shifts from human-centred …

Do Large Gains Make Willing Sellers?, Dong Hong, Roger Loh, Mitch Warachka

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Using unique real estate data that allow for accurately-measured capital gains, we examine whether sell propensities depend on the magnitude of a seller's capital gain. We find that short-term sell propensities are flat over losses and increasing in gains. Consistent with their higher sell propensities, selling prices are lower for properties with larger gains. Large-sized short-term stock investments also have sell propensities that are flat over losses and increasing in gains, although the sell propensities of typical-sized short-term stock investments are V-shaped (Ben-David and Hirshleifer (2012)). Our findings provide empirical support for the realization utility theories of Barberis and Xiong …

A Cross-Country Investigation Of Social Image Motivation And Acceptance Of Lab-Grown Meat In Singapore And The United States, Mark Chong, Angela K. Y. Leung, Verity Lua

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This research has three goals. First, it sets out to compare consumer acceptance of lab-grown meat in the U.S. and in Singapore. Second, it seeks to explain the difference in Americans' and Singaporeans' acceptance of lab-grown meat by examining their eating motivations. Specifically, we focused on social image motivations – the motivations to present oneself positively in social contexts. Third, this study also aims to assess if exposure to information about lab-grown meat communicated by celebrity versus expert social media influencers (SMIs) can impact people's acceptance of lab-grown meat products. Our analysis showed that Singaporean participants had greater acceptance of …

Between The Commons And The Cosmos: The Sacred Politics Of The Bri In Southeast Asia And Beyond, Orlando Woods

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This paper explores how political ecology can advance existing understandings of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its effects, and how the BRI can contribute to recent shifts in the study of political ecology. It argues that the idea of infrastructural overlap can sensitize discourse to the ways in which the materializations of the BRI, as a series of infrastructural megaprojects, intersect with other infrastructural formations, such as the environment and religion. By focusing on the effects of the BRI on resource- dependent communities located between the ‘commons’ and the ‘cosmos’ we can appreciate the sense of existential crisis …

Singapore Elites Must Tackle Sustainability, Alwyn Lim, Kenneth T. Goh

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In a commentary, SMU Associate Professor of Sociology Alwyn Lim and SMU Assistant Professor of Strategic Management (Education) and Academic Director of the SMU Business Families Institute Kenneth Goh discussed the extent elites extract value and whether they actually create value for society. They shared their views on how Singapore's elites can give back to society by taking the lead on sustainability.

Damming Sustainability: How Social And Environmental Networks Influence The Construction And Management Of Large Dams In The Amazon Basin, V. Miranda Chase

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

,p>Dams are powerful structures that engender a flood of controversies. These projects face great criticism from numerous groups, many of whom succeed in influencing such enterprises. This research is an in-depth study on dam-related social and environmental movements in the Amazon: how they are created and internally organized; how members share information and resources, how they identify alternatives; and how they design strategies and implement agendas. Social movements include, but are not limited to, domestic and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), academic researchers, journalists, religious organizations, grassroots associations, and large private foundations. They create formal or informal coalitions and design …

The Powerful Myth Of Racial Equality: A Review Of Colombia’S Mestizaje, Adriana Fajardo Mazorra

CLAMANTIS: The MALS Journal

No abstract provided.

Fentanyl In The Global Market: Examining The New Opioid Epidemic At An International Level, Katherine Rejer

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Drug use and subsequent addiction is a major global health concern that transcends culture, borders, and generations. The production of synthetic opioids, particularly fentanyl, has exacerbated the worldwide opioid epidemic that is endangering public health, economic output, and national security. The ease of manufacture of synthetic opioids facilitates clandestine production and trafficking, while their higher potency leads to higher rates of overdose. This research seeks to analyze the dramatic increase in opioid overdoses around the world and explain the transnational variation of the epidemic. In particular, this study aims to compare the epidemic in the U.S and Estonia in contrast …