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Full-Text Articles in Political Science

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 …


Going Extreme: Systematically Selecting Extreme Cases For Study Through Qualitative Methods, John A. Donaldson, Ju Mae Rosie Ching, Andrew Tsao Ming Tan Aug 2013

Going Extreme: Systematically Selecting Extreme Cases For Study Through Qualitative Methods, John A. Donaldson, Ju Mae Rosie Ching, Andrew Tsao Ming Tan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Oftentimes in social science research, we do not desire to study what is true on average. It may not be as helpful to know, for instance, that poor children from underperforming schools on average perform less well in college than wealthier children from well-managed schools. Especially if the variables in question are not readily amenable to change, it might be more useful to identify and closely examine exceptional cases. That is, studying why some poor children from underperforming schools do very well in college might identify some factors that could help raise performance levels despite unfavorable circumstances. However, the commonly …


Which Policy First? A Network-Centric Approach For The Analysis And Ranking Of Policy Measures, Araz Taeihagh, Moshe Givoni, Rene Bañares-Alcántara Aug 2013

Which Policy First? A Network-Centric Approach For The Analysis And Ranking Of Policy Measures, Araz Taeihagh, Moshe Givoni, Rene Bañares-Alcántara

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In addressing various policy problems, deciding which policy measure to start with given the range of measures available is challenging and essentially involves a process of ranking the alternatives, commonly done using multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) techniques. In this paper a new methodology for analysis and ranking of policy measures is introduced which combines network analysis and MCDA tools. This methodology not only considers the internal properties of the measures but also their interactions with other potential measures. Consideration of such interactions provides additional insights into the process of policy formulation and can help domain experts and policy makers to …


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 …


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 …


Validating Estimates Of Latent Traits From Textual Data Using Human Judgment As A Benchmark, Will Lowe, Kenneth Benoit Jun 2013

Validating Estimates Of Latent Traits From Textual Data Using Human Judgment As A Benchmark, Will Lowe, Kenneth Benoit

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Automated and statistical methods for estimating latent political traits and classes from textual data hold great promise, because virtually every political act involves the production of text. Statistical models of natural language features, however, are heavily laden with unrealistic assumptions about the process that generates these data, including the stochastic process of text generation, the functional link between political variables and observed text, and the nature of the variables (and dimensions) on which observed text should be conditioned. While acknowledging statistical models of latent traits to be "wrong," political scientists nonetheless treat their results as sufficiently valid to be useful. …


On Sen On Comparative Justice, Chandran Kukathas Apr 2013

On Sen On Comparative Justice, Chandran Kukathas

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Against scepticism from thinkers including John Rawls and Thomas Nagel about the appropriateness of justice as the concept through which global ethical concerns should be approached, Amartya Sen argues that the problem lies not with the idea of justice, but with a particular approach to thinking of justice, namely a transcendental approach. In its stead Sen is determined to offer an alternative systematic theory of justice, namely a comparative approach, as a more promising foundation for a theory of ‘global justice.’ But in the end Sen offers no such thing. He does not develop a theory of justice and this …


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 …


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.


The Protective And Developmental Varieties Of Liberal Democracy: A Difference In Kind Or Degree?, Devin K. Joshi Mar 2013

The Protective And Developmental Varieties Of Liberal Democracy: A Difference In Kind Or Degree?, Devin K. Joshi

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Liberal democratic governments may differ in both their kind and degree of democracy. However, the literature too often conflates this distinction, hindering our ability to understand what kinds of governing structures are more democratic. To clarify this issue, the article examines two prominent contemporary models of democracy: developmental liberal democracy (DLD) and protective liberal democracy (PLD). While the former takes a 'thicker' approach to governance than the latter, conventional wisdom holds that these systems differ only in kind rather than degree. The article tests this assumption through an empirical comparison of electoral, legislative, and information-regulating institutions in two representative cases: …


Faith, Freedom, And Us Foreign Policy: Avoiding The Proverbial Clash Of Civilizations In East And Southeast Asia, Eugene K. B. Tan Mar 2013

Faith, Freedom, And Us Foreign Policy: Avoiding The Proverbial Clash Of Civilizations In East And Southeast Asia, Eugene K. B. Tan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the primary weakness of US foreign policy, particularly in Southeast Asia which is home to the largest Muslim community in the world, was that it was driven by concerns over archipelagic Southeast Asia as the “second front” in the “global war against terror.” Military warfare and coercive legislation and enforcement are grossly inadequate in winning the hearts and minds of a community. Religion-wise, Asia is not a tabula rosa. Many religions have long co-existed in Asia. The virtues of religious freedom are not alien to Asia but need nurturing given the dominant imperatives of …


Faith, Freedom, And Us Foreign Policy: Avoiding The Proverbial Clash Of Civilizations In East And Southeast Asia, Tan K. B. Eugene Mar 2013

Faith, Freedom, And Us Foreign Policy: Avoiding The Proverbial Clash Of Civilizations In East And Southeast Asia, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the primary weakness of US foreign policy, particularly in Southeast Asia which is home to the largest Muslim community in the world, was that it was driven by concerns over archipelagic Southeast Asia as the “second front” in the “global war against terror.” Military warfare and coercive legislation and enforcement are grossly inadequate in winning the hearts and minds of a community. Religion-wise, Asia is not a tabula rosa. Many religions have long co-existed in Asia. The virtues of religious freedom are not alien to Asia but need nurturing given the dominant imperatives of …


The Anti-Federalist Strand In Progressive Politics And Political Thought, Elvin T. Lim Feb 2013

The Anti-Federalist Strand In Progressive Politics And Political Thought, Elvin T. Lim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In this article, the author argues that the Progressives can be as much characterized as the anti statists of the nineteenth century as the statists of the twentieth century because their overriding goal was the destruction of the party state and not, directly, the creation of the bureaucratic state. They found in Anti-Federalist political thought a general anti statist template that they used to articulate their specific objection to the nineteenth-century party state. This template comprised a mutual commitment to simple government, the common good as a pre-institutional reality, democracy, direct and responsive government, fear of elite rule, civic education, …


Show Me The Money!, Singapore Management University Jan 2013

Show Me The Money!, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Governments worldwide are accumulating reserves to guard against financial turmoil. Could they be contributing to it?


From Fragmentation And Silos To Tri-Sector Collaboration: Social Innovation In Hong Kong, Ada Wong Jan 2013

From Fragmentation And Silos To Tri-Sector Collaboration: Social Innovation In Hong Kong, Ada Wong

Social Space

Social innovation is gathering momentum in Hong Kong. It is connecting silos and developing partnerships for change. Ada Wong describes how five social innovators are approaching social change to bring about cohesion amidst a fragmented political landscape.


Mapping Dissent: The Responsibility To Protect And Its State Critics, Patrick Quinton-Brown Jan 2013

Mapping Dissent: The Responsibility To Protect And Its State Critics, Patrick Quinton-Brown

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Addressing dissent, also known as ‘rejectionism’, will broaden and deepen the global consensus on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) principle. However, how should scholars understand the objections raised by state critics? To answer this question, I analyse R2P opposition as presented in official UN transcripts, voting records, and resolutions. The article reveals that six related themes of dissent exist with varying degrees of emphasis amongst opponents. Conventional depictions of R2P opposition, such as the absolute sovereignty or North vs. South explanations, are therefore inadequate representations of the diverse range of arguments employed by dissenters. Ultimately, I conclude that in order …


South Africa’S First Five Years On The United Nations Human Rights Council, Eduard Christiaan Jordaan Dec 2012

South Africa’S First Five Years On The United Nations Human Rights Council, Eduard Christiaan Jordaan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In June 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted its first resolution on sexual orientation and human rights. Resolution 17/19 expressed grave concern at violence and discrimination committed against people because of their sexual orientation and tasked the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to report on such abuses. In a body marred by regional bloc voting, Resolution 17/19 passed with support from states in all five of the official regions of the UN. South Africa was widely praised for leading such a progressive resolution through the Council, especially in the face of considerable pressure from African and …


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.


Social And Adversarial Varieties Of Democracy: Which Produces Fewer Criminals?, Devin K. Joshi Dec 2012

Social And Adversarial Varieties Of Democracy: Which Produces Fewer Criminals?, Devin K. Joshi

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This article explores the relationship between two prominent varieties of democracy and the size of a country’s prison population. Theoretically, it proposes that social democracies increase social and economic equality which reduces both the “demand for crime” and the number of criminals. Adversarial democracies, on the other hand, generate higher levels of inequality and insecurity that lead to higher levels of crime. Utilizing a structured, focused comparison of Nordic social democracies and Anglo-American adversarial democracies complemented by cross-sectional multiple regression analysis of twenty industrialized democracies, I find empirical support for both of these conjectures. A major implication of this study …


Coder Reliability And Misclassification In The Human Coding Of Party Manifestos, Slava Mikhaylov, Michael Laver, Kenneth Benoit Dec 2012

Coder Reliability And Misclassification In The Human Coding Of Party Manifestos, Slava Mikhaylov, Michael Laver, Kenneth Benoit

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The Comparative Manifesto Project (CMP) provides the only time series of estimated party policy positions in political science and has been extensively used in a wide variety of applications. Recent work (e.g., Benoit, Laver, and Mikhaylov 2009; Klingemann et al. 2006) focuses on nonsystematic sources of error in these estimates that arise from the text generation process. Our concern here, by contrast, is with error that arises during the text coding process since nearly all manifestos are coded only once by a single coder. First, we discuss reliability and misclassification in the context of hand-coded content analysis methods. Second, we …


The Deng Xiaoping Legacy: Leading Changes And Transforming China, Singapore Management University Nov 2012

The Deng Xiaoping Legacy: Leading Changes And Transforming China, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

No leader of the 20th century had made greater impact than Deng Xiaoping. Under the late Chinese leader's tenure, which lasted from 1978 to 1992, hundreds of millions of Chinese were lifted from poverty. The chaos that was the Cultural Revolution gave way to steadfast economic development that turned China into a key player in the world economy.


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.


The Eu Sanctions Against Syria: Conflict Management By Other Means?, Clara Portela Oct 2012

The Eu Sanctions Against Syria: Conflict Management By Other Means?, Clara Portela

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Since May 2011, the EU has crafted one of its most far reaching and sophisticated sanctions operations in support of the anti-regime protests against the current regime in Syria. This article examines the measures wielded by the EU, its expected impact and its implications for the EU's relations with its global partners. While seriously undermined by the lack of support of Russia, the sanctions are having a noticeable economic impact. Yet, the choice of measures is ill-suited to stop the bloodshed. The sanctions have also served to (re)define partnerships with other powers, both in the Middle-East and globally.


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.


Natural Sentences As Valid Units For Coded Political Texts, Thomas Daubler, Kenneth Benoit, Slava Mikhaylov, Michael Laver Oct 2012

Natural Sentences As Valid Units For Coded Political Texts, Thomas Daubler, Kenneth Benoit, Slava Mikhaylov, Michael Laver

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

A rapidly growing area in political science has focused on perfecting techniques to treat politicaltext as ‘data’, usually for the purposes of estimating latent traits such as left–right political policypositions.1 More traditional approaches have applied classical content analysis to categorize sub-unitsof political text, such as sentences in manifestos. Prominent examples of this latter approach includethe thirty-year old Comparative Manifestos Project and the Policy Agendas Project.2 ‘Text as data’approaches use machines to convert text to quantitative information and use statistical tools to makeinferences about characteristics of the author of the text. Content analysis schemes use humans to readtextual sub-units and assign …


An Evolutionary Analysis Of Turnout With Conformist Citizens, Massimiliano Landi, Mauro Sodini Oct 2012

An Evolutionary Analysis Of Turnout With Conformist Citizens, Massimiliano Landi, Mauro Sodini

Research Collection School Of Economics

We propose an evolutionary analysis of a voting game where citizens have a preference for conformism that adds to the instrumental preference for the electoral outcome. Multiple equilibria arise, and some generate high turnout. Simulations of best response dynamics show that high turnout is asymptotically stable if conformism matters but its likelihood depends on the reference group for conformism: high turnout is more likely when voters care about their own group's choice, as this better overrides the free rider problem of voting games. Comparative statics on the voting cost distribution, the population's size or the groups' composition are also done.


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.


Exit, Freedom, And Gender, Chandran Kukathas Oct 2012

Exit, Freedom, And Gender, Chandran Kukathas

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Day and night I ponder on the means by which it might be possible to escape the strictmoral code and customs of my country yet … The old Eastern traditions are firm and strongbut I could shake them from me, break them, if it were not for that other bond, even moresecurely and strongly fixed than any centuries old tradition, which binds me to my world:the love I have for those who gave me life, to whom I owe everything, everything – RadenAdjeng Kartini, 25 May 1899, Japara