Asian Studies Commons^™

The Heart Of Experience: The Education Of A Practitioner's Journey, Tai Mesches

Capstone Collection

This Capstone, The Heart of Experience: The Education of a Practitioner’s Journey, is an illustrative reflection of myself experiencing my learning cycle, taking the reader through my own journey of growth as an experiential education practitioner. To engage the reader, I first shine light on the context of what role experience played in my life as a form of education, specifically reflecting on my time living abroad in China and my cross-cultural work with Chinese youth in Manhattan, New York, emphasizing basketball’s involvement as a tool for engagement. I describe how such experiences helped me return to school. To portray …

A Coffee-Scented Space: Historical, Cultural, And Social Impacts Of The Japanese Kissaten, Claire A. Williamson

Student Work

A 2016-2017 William Prize for best essay in East Asian Studies was awarded to Claire Williamson (Jonathan Edwards College '17) for her essay submitted to the East Asian Studies Program, “A Coffee-Scented Space: Historical, Cultural, and Social Impacts of the Japanese Kissaten.” (William Kelly, Professor of Anthropology and Sumitomo Professor of Japanese Studies, advisor.)

Japan has a long and well-documented history as a tea culture, from everyday practices to the refined aesthetics of the tea ceremony and its associated arts. Yet modern Japan is also a highly developed culture of coffee, and this is the topic that Claire Williamson …

Enclave Of Ingenuity: The Plan And Promise Of The Beijing Intellectual Property Court, Max Goldberg

Student Work

A 2016-2017 William Prize for best essay in East Asian Studies was awarded to Max Goldberg (Pierson College '17) for his essay submitted to the Ethics, Politics, & Economics Program, "Enclave of Ingenuity: The Plan and Promise of the Beijing Intellectual Property Court.” (Frances Rosenbluth, Damon Wells Professor of Political Science, and Paul Gewirtz, Potter Stewart Professor of Law, advisors.)

Max Goldberg’s thesis, Enclave of Ingenuity: The Plan and Promise of the Beijing Intellectual Property Court, examines in depth one of the most interesting institutions in today’s China – an experimental court that stands at the intersection of …

Phenomenal Marks, Ruptured Spaces, Relearning Language, Crossing Cultures, Meelee Ahn

Graduate School of Art Theses

The form of my thesis is one of interruptions, or “Ruptures,” as I call them. These are events of my personal history, or stories from the lives of artists, that intervene against my narrative through graphic and language devices meant to be understood as equivalent to the material affects in my painting. Important artists and movements mentioned are Gerhard Richter, Franz Kline, Helen Frankenhauler, Lee Ufan, Doho Suh, and Abstract Expressionism. Writers and philosophers Maurice Merlou-Ponty, Gaston Bachelard, Joan Banach, Sigmund Freud, John Gage, Brian Massumi, Allen Weiss, Clement Greenburg, Shin-Chulgyu, and Yoon-Dongju are also discussed. The idea discussed include …

How Japan’S Cultural Norms Affect Policing: A Side-By-Side Comparison With The United States, Katrina Tran

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

The ways of policing have been critiqued throughout the years—some have advocated for a direct approach while others value diplomatic techniques. Consideration is emphasized by how culture affects policing in the United States and Japan. In the United States, the customs of policing involve violence, individualism, pragmatism, social mobility, and low power distance, whereas Japan encourages non-violence, face-saving, conservatism, and high power distance. The difference in these cultural norms reflects how policing is conducted in these two countries. To understand how policing in these two countries are different, this paper examines the difference of cultural norms and its impact on …

Goh Chok Tong [Singapore, Prime Minister], Chok Tong Goh

Digital Narratives of Asia

ESM Goh Chok Tong tells DNA how he overcame his reluctance and became the second Prime Minister of Singapore. He believes in consultative, participative decision-making approach, which differs from his political mentor, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. He dealt with leaders of regional countries in his adaptive and pragmatic style.

Delia Albert [Philippines, Secretary Of Foreign Affairs], Delia Albert

Digital Narratives of Asia

Former Philippines Secretary of Foreign Affairs and a respected champion on women’s issues, Delia Albert, tells of how she got her big break entering the foreign services, and set a precedent for gender equality. She also presents the Asian style of leadership, ASEAN way of mitigating conflicts, and describes a highly stressful case of saving a Filipino man in Iraq.

Threats And Opportunities For The Aec, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Gains need to be redistributed equitably to keep societies invested in the AEC's success

Trump And Asia, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

The American president is off to an uncertain start in his first 100 days in office but his administration could yet develop a coherent foreign policy

Accepting Differences For An Inclusive Society, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Everyone has a role in upholding values and having tough conversations to build inclusion

Reconstruction Of The Destroyed Sinjali Secondary School, Isabella Kaganowski

Sustainability and Social Justice

This practitioner paper chronicles my involvement of the grant writing proposal that was designed on behalf of a non-for-profit organization, the Association of Dalit Women’s Advancement of Nepal (ADWAN), in order to secure funding and donations for the reconstruction of the destroyed Sinjali Secondary School in Gorkha district, Taklung village, after a 2015 earthquake struck Nepal. The proposal was guided by and collaborated with Professor Jude Fernando of Clark University, as Professor Fernando was able to visit Taklung village and gather information about the needs in the educational sector damaged by the earthquake. Literature review and research was gathered to …

Hanoi Vietnam’S Peri-Urban Space And Its Impact On People’S Livelihoods, Collin V. Sumera

Sustainability and Social Justice

ABSTRACT

Hanoi Vietnam’s Peri-urban Space and Its Impact on People’s Livelihoods

Collin V. Sumera

Peri-urban is both a space and a process, yet there is no cookie cutter definition that may be applied to developing cities encountering this phenomenon. Each space is constructed differently, and each process has different actors. This paper examines the role that the Communist Party of Vietnam plays in the creation of peri-urban space in Hanoi, and how this space affects residential and former agricultural Land Use Right holder’s livelihood opportunities. The notion of the peri-urban space has not fully been developed for Hanoi, thus I …

The Effects Of Historical Trauma And Gender On National Identity Within The Hmong Diaspora, Kalia Vang

All College Thesis Program, 2016-2019

Since 1975 the Hmong have settled in the West as a diasporic group. Their involvement in the Vietnam and Secret Wars with the United States in Southeast Asia had forced the group to flee their homes in the mountain tops of Laos. This political migration has since forced Hmong leaders to reframe Hmong national identity in the diaspora, specifically in the United States. With this, certain aspects and perspective from Hmong women on the Secret War were marginalized. Thus, this research asks the following question: why is national identity interpreted differently within the Hmong diaspora? This research project is broken …

The Revival Of The Philippine Economy, Cesar V. Purisima, Philip Charles Zerrillo

Asian Management Insights

The former Secretary of Finance for the Philippines and Chair of the Economic Development Cluster from 2010 to 2016, Cesar V. Purisima, talks about the turning around of the Philippine economy and restoring investor confidence, in this interview with Philip Zerrillo.

Why Every Manager Needs A Sponsor, Jovina Ang, Jochen Reb

Asian Management Insights

The truth is—apart from being greatin their jobs, many successful managersoften credit their success to someone,somewhere along the way—who not onlygave them a pivotal career break, butalso pushed them, inspired them andhelped them grow.

Navigating Innovation: A Leader's Guide, Gerard George

Asian Management Insights

Despite the newfangled businessmodels and market game changers,the old axiom of industry continuesto ring true: leadership matters.

Skills 4.0: How Ceos Shape The Future Of Work In Asia, Florian Kohlbacher

Asian Management Insights

Companies need to ensure that they are ready to embrace disruptions and fend off potential skills gaps and talent shortages.

Building Capacity In Asia, Julie Kozack

Asian Management Insights

Policymakers need to be equipped with tools to analyse economic developments and make sound policy decisions.

Harnessing The Youth Bulge, Sarah Harper

Asian Management Insights

How Asia can take advantage of its changing age composition.

Managing The Inter-Cultural Dimensions Of A Mediation Effectively: A Proposed Pre-Mediation Intake Instrument, Dorcas Quek Anderson, Diana Knight

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Being a culturally responsive mediator has become increasingly challenging amidst the growing cultural complexity within many societies. Drawing on the existing research on culture and the authors’ experiences of mediating disputes amongst diverse disputants in Australia and Singapore, this paper proposes an emic-constructivist approach for the mediator to understand the individual disputant’s unique cultural preferences. It also recommends bringing forward the exercise of understanding cultural preferences through conducting pre-mediation intake interviews. It is argued that this approach enables the mediator to embrace the parties’ cultural complexity and to design the mediation process based on their rich milieu of preferences. Finally, …

A Domestic Solution For Transboundary Harm: Singapore's Haze Pollution Law, Mahdev Mohan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Toxic ‘haze’ from fires, often burning over dry peatland in Indonesia, has affected millions across Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, as well as parts of the Philippines and Thailand. For Singapore in particular, this slash-and-burn method of clearing land in Indonesia to cultivate crops such as oil palm has been an annual problem since 1972. However, 2015 stands out as the year Singapore experienced one of its worst episodes of haze pollution. Air quality based on the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) plummeted to the ‘very unhealthy’ and ‘hazardous ranges’ for close to 50 days. Singapore suffered an estimated SGD $700 million …

Skyscanner: Globalising A Business Model, Richard Raymond Smith, Adina Wong

Asian Management Insights

In order to compete in Asia Pacific’sone-stop travel market, Skyscannerreinvented itself from the inside out.

Country 2.0: Upgrading Cities With Smart Technologies, Steven M. Miller

Asian Management Insights

Advancements in technology are being used to transform our cities into smart cities, but the process is not without its risks.

Using Student-Generated Videos To Learn Internal Control In Accounting Information Systems Courses, Poh Sun Seow, Gary Pan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Educators consider the video learning approach an effective method to deliver educational content as compared to the traditional method of books and written materials. This paper presents a project that involves student-generated videos to learn internal control in an undergraduate accounting information systems course. We believe that this video learning approach is an engaging way for students to be self-directed learners in learning internal control and complements the written materials in the textbook. The survey results show that most of the respondents viewed the learning experience of the video project positively. The results also indicate that the video project was …

Why Do Publicly Listed Firms Evade Taxes: Evidence From China, Travis Chow, Bin Ke, Hongqi Yuan, Yao Zhang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Taking advantage of the mandatory disclosure of detected corporate tax evasions in China, we examine why publicly listed firms evade taxes. Different from most prior studies that focus on corporate income tax avoidance, we consider tax evasions related to both income taxes and non-income taxes. We also use a bivariate probit model to account for the partial observability of corporate tax evasion. Many of our regression results using the bivariate probit model are different from the results using the reduced form probit model that ignores the partial observability of tax evasion. Many of our results are also different from those …

Singapore’S Life Program: Actuarial Framework, Longevity Risk And Impact Of Annuity Fund Return, Koon Shing Kwong, Yiu Kuen Tse, Wai-Sum Chan

Research Collection School Of Economics

The Central Provident Fund (CPF) is a defined-contribution savings plan forming the key pillar of the pension system in Singapore. The CPF Lifelong Income For the Elderly (LIFE) program, which provides lifetime income for retirees, is a mandatory pension scheme for all Singapore residents. In this paper we construct an actuarial framework to analyze the LIFE program. We use this framework to study the plan payout outcomes with respect to changes in mortality and annuity fund return assumptions. We also examine the effects of some possible changes in the program on the payouts and bequests.

Policy Learning And Policy Networks In Theory And Practice: The Role Of Policy Brokers In The Indonesian Biodiesel Policy Network, Michael Howlett, Ishani Mukherjee, Joop Koppenjan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This paper examines how learning has been treated, generally, in policy network theories and what questions have been posed, and answered, about this phenomenon to date. We examine to what extent network characteristics and especially the presence of various types of brokers impede or facilitate policy learning. Next, a case study of the policy network surrounding the sustainability of palm oil biodiesel in Indonesia over the past two decades is presented using social network analysis. This case study focuses on sustainability-oriented policy learning in the Indonesian biodiesel governance network and illustrates how network features and especially forms of brokerage influence …

Sector-Specific Development And Policy Vulnerability In The Philippines, Jacob I. Ricks

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Why does a state build institutional capacity in certain sectors rather than others? Despite having gained leverage explaining the emergence of institutions in the developmental states of East Asia, we have comparatively weak accounts for sub‐national variation in institutional strength, a much more common phenomenon. Investigating the surprising achievements of the Philippines’ National Irrigation Administration, this article advances a theory of sectoral success in the face of a generally poor developmental record. The author demonstrates that executives will only construct institutional capacity when facing strong political pressure combined with resource scarcity. Such vulnerability permits politicians to exercise discretion in choosing …

The Asian Perspective On Smes In International Economic Law: Opportunities And Challenges Arising From The Tpp, Heng Wang

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is likely to have profound implications for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within and beyond the free trade area. The key question will be analysed: what are the challenges and opportunities that the TPP hold for SMEs? It is argued that, first, the key benefits the TPP can be expected to bring for SMEs are enhanced market liberalization and a more predictable regulatory environment. Second, the TPP poses serious challenges for SMEs (eg insufficiency of the opportunities to SMEs, the complexity of rules, difficulties in rule interpretation and implementation, and remaining regulatory differences), but different types …

Navigating The New Terrain Of A Reserved Election, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In a commentary, SMU Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan discussed the workings of the upcoming Singapore presidential election. He noted that as the next election is a reserved one, all the more voters should specially consider a candidate’s commitment and contributions to multiracialism. On the reserved election mechanism, Associate Prof Tan noted that it helps ensure that the presidency is not only accessible, but is seen to be accessible to all the major racial communities in Singapore.“It functions as an inter-generational safeguard for minority representation, while not going as far as mechanically rotating the presidency among the major races, …