International and Area Studies Commons^™

The Soviet Template And Its Application: Bulgarian State Policy Toward The Bulgarian Orthodox Church After 1944, Ventzislav Gueorgiev Karavaltchev

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article examines the adoption and implementation of Soviet models in Bulgarian state policy toward the Bulgarian Orthodox Church following the communist takeover on September 9, 1944. Situating the Bulgarian case within a broader comparative framework, the study traces key continuities between Soviet church–state relations after the October Revolution of 1917—particularly as was institutionalized during the Stalinist period—and their subsequent application in Bulgaria. Drawing on extensive archival materials from Bulgarian and Russian repositories, the article demonstrates that all major decisions concerning the Church were closely coordinated with, and often directly approved by, Moscow. Beyond repression and legal restriction, the analysis …

Evolving U.S. And Chinese International Development Policy: Institutions, Strategies, And Global Impact, Julian Kai Lehto

Social Sciences

This paper is inspired by, and meant to understand, recent changes in global policy towards foreign aid and international development. 2025 saw one of the biggest changes to international development in decades, when President Donald Trump’s new administration made the decision to effectively shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). At the same time, China has been taking on a growing role in foreign aid and development over the last decade. Chinese projects like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have become globally significant. This paper will explore the changing impacts and influence of both the U.S. …

Success And Flourishing In Singapore: The Impact Of Laws And Policies On The Ethos And Character Of A People, Seow Hon Tan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

According to virtue jurisprudence, good laws can be conducive to virtuous living; poor laws can contribute to character vices and entrench prejudices. This article focuses on what lies beyond the strict categorization of virtue and vice simpliciter—the ethos and mindset of a people. Using a case study of Singapore, this article examines how law, conceived of in the broadest sense as including policies chosen in a legal regime that leaves the concretization of policies to government bodies, can diminish the capacity and desire of individuals to live examined lives in pursuit of eudaimonia or flourishing. Insofar as living examined lives …

Cultural Policy Beyond Economy: Democratising Access To The Arts Through Cultural Policy In Singapore, Su Fern Hoe

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Across the globe, governments have released cultural policies that aim to justify public expenditure on the arts through democratising access to the arts to the wider population. Singapore is no exception. This article critically examines the role of cultural policy in expanding access to the arts in Singapore. More specifically, this article will demonstrate how cultural policy in Singapore has traditionally and consistently adopted a democratisation of culture approach to broaden access to develop arts audiences. Through an analysis of cultural policy documents and statistical data on arts attendance and attitudes in Singapore, this article will highlight some of the …

Hegemonial Nationalism And The Role Of Religion: A View From The Perspective Of The Western Balkans, Semir Halilović, Tomislav Tadic

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This paper points to the problem of hegemonic nationalism, with an emphasis on the role of religion, in the context of a social understanding of the situation in the Western Balkans (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Croatia). The question of the “Eastern and Western models of nationalism” is articulated, and the social role of religion in their construction is examined. In relation to this framework, the possibilities for applying the thesis of the Eastern model of the nation are considered in light of the current war situation between Russia and Ukraine. The paper highlights some of the theoretical configurations …

Knowledge Of Lifespan And Healthspan And Interest In Healthy Longevity Medicine Among The General Population In Singapore: The Singapore Healthy Longevity (Helo) Survey, Jonas John Posko Amalaraj, Belinda Wang, Anna Szucs, Louis Island, Laureen Yi-Ting Wang, Liz J. Horberg, Paul A. O'Keefe, Sonny Rosenthal, Yap-Seng Chong, Johannes J. Meij, Andrea B. Maier

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Given the growing global interest in Healthy Longevity Medicine (HLM), the field lacks understanding about public knowledge and interest, which are crucial for any public health intervention relying on HLM. This study presents findings from the Healthy Longevity (HELO) survey conducted in Singapore, assessing public knowledge regarding lifespan (number of years a person is alive), healthspan (number of years a person spends in good health), and interest in HLM. This nationwide cross-sectional survey, conducted between June and August 2024, involved 3034 participants. Main domains including questions on demographics, living arrangements, medical information, health behaviours, income and financial status were tested …

Moment Of Recognizability: Askancing And The Global South, Pedro Lange Churion, Tanu Sankalia

Global Studies Faculty Publications

This article introduces askancing as an epistemic strategy for the Global South to challenge the Global North’s construction of the Global South’s alterity. Askancing is a neologism we propose by engaging with Jacques Lacan’s speculations on the gaze as it pertains to the construction of “the other.” We argue that this strategy of askancing might already be implicit in postcolonial theories, from the notion of the subaltern, through “decoloniality,” to “ecologies of knowledge.” Central to askancing—and contrary to the decolonial call for an epistemic break with modernity—we agree with Dipesh Chakrabarty’s assertion that modernity’s rational discourse is both “indispensable and …

Shu World Review- February 16th 2026, Diplolab

SHU World Review

No abstract provided.

In Solidarity With The People Of Minneapolis, Supriya Baily

Critical Internationalization Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Rewriting Betrayal: The Political Memory Of Andrei Vlasov And His Russian Liberation Army, Christian N. Adams

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This study examines the evolving historiography of Andrei Vlasov and the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) from the end of World War II to the post-Soviet era. Drawing on Soviet, émigré, and Western sources, it traces how interpretations of Vlasov’s defection reflected shifting moral and political frameworks in Russia’s collective memory. The analysis demonstrates that portrayals of Vlasov, from Stalinist condemnations to post-Soviet reappraisals, mirror the state’s changing relationship to patriotism, legitimacy, and dissent. By comparing Cold War scholarship with contemporary Russian debates, this paper argues that the Vlasov question endures not because of mere intrigue, but because it embodies the …

The Rise Of The Global Middle Class, Homi Kharas

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

As part of the Brookings Scholar Lecture Series, Brookings Mountain West presented a lecture titled, "The Rise of the Global Middle Class" by Brookings senior fellow in global economy and development, Homi Kharas.

For the last two hundred years, ever since the start of the Industrial Revolution, the most successful economies in the world have developed large, stable middle classes. With globalization, the expansion of the middle class has accelerated to a historically unprecedented speed. But global consumerism is scaling faster than the adaptation of institutions, ecosystems, and social norms. Brookings senior fellow Homi Kharas discusses his most recent book, …

Shu World Review- February 9th 2026, Diplolab

SHU World Review

No abstract provided.

Shu World Review- February 3rd 2026, Diplolab

SHU World Review

No abstract provided.

Who Pays For Preparedness? Valuing Disaster App Features Through A Factorial Survey Experiment In Flood-Prone Communities, Katsuya Tanaka, Tadashi Kito, Kohji Tanaka

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

This study evaluates public preferences for next-generation disaster preparedness apps using a factorial survey experiment in flood-prone Japanese communities. The analysis first reveals a fundamental heterogeneity in public receptiveness, identifying two distinct segments: a small "receptive" minority (approx. 20 %) willing to consider adoption, and a large "unreceptive" majority (approx. 80 %) that rejects the app regardless of its features or price. Consequently, focusing on the receptive segment, the study estimates the economic value of specific app features. Results show that functions for immediate personal safety and family security—such as Rescue Request and Family Status Confirmation—are most highly prized. These …

Living Well: The Built, Lived, And Social Determinants Of Well-Being, Yi Wen Tan, Zidane Tiew, Emi Loh, Shania Go, Wensi Lim

ROSA Research Briefs

As Singapore transitions into a super-aged society, it becomes imperative for us to develop sustainable, inclusive, and effective models of care. In recent years, there has been growing emphasis on embedding healthcare, social services, and everyday amenities within the community. During this year’s National Day Rally, the Government introduced Age Well Neighbourhoods, a new scheme that builds on existing efforts from the Age Well SG initiative. Age Well Neighbourhoods seeks to expand active ageing centre networks, bring healthcare closer to homes with the establishment of community health posts, and provide greater home personal care services, further cementing its focus on …

A Comparative Analysis Of U.S. And Mexico’S Migration Policy From 2009 To 2025: How Their Approaches Shape And Constrain Each Other’S Policy Choices, Viviana Adame

Senior Theses

The long history of movement across the U.S.–Mexico border has made migration one of the main issues shaping their bilateral relationship. This thesis examines how U.S. and Mexican migration policies from 2009 to 2025 affect and limit each other. Using the idea of migration diplomacy, it argues that migration is not just a domestic issue but a way both countries negotiate power and cooperation. The study compares six administrations: Obama, Trump, and Biden in the United States, and Calderón, Peña Nieto, and López Obrador in Mexico, through policy documents, data, and reports. It finds that the United States depends on …

Reflections On Judicial Supervision Of Prosecutorial Powers, Benjamin Joshua Ong

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The courts occasionally claim that the limits to the power to prosecute are different from the limits to other executive powers. They say that prosecutorial decisions are subject to judicial review on a reduced set of grounds compared to other executive decisions. I have previously argued that this approach is wrong, and aim to elaborate on the argument in this blog post. The focus will be on the laws of the UK and of Singapore, but it is hoped that the reflections here will be of some use in other common-law jurisdictions as well.

Asia’S Future Will Be Won By Soft Power, Not Force, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Lily Kong argues that while force remains essential to deter aggression and manage worst-case scenarios, military strength may prevent defeat, but it rarely produces legitimacy. When hard power dominates the strategic imagination, volatility rises and markets suffer. Soft power – the ability to influence countries through persuasion, attraction and legitimacy – has become a strategic asset, she writes. It shapes expectations, lowers baseline tensions, and creates off-ramps in moments of crisis, often determining whether tensions escalate, how long crises last, and how much economic damage they inflict. Prof Kong believes that in a nuclear-armed, economically interdependent Asia, the real test …

Dual Self-Construal Integration (Dsci) And Romantic Relationships In Singapore: Enhancing Romantic Relationship Satisfaction Through Creativity, Kenneth Tan, Chi-Ying Cheng, Gloria J. Lai, Daniel Ho

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Research has shown that independent vs. interdependent self-construals are largely shaped by culture and can predict the endorsement of distinct relational schemes when dealing with close others. Intriguingly, individuals exposed to both Eastern and Western cultures can develop both independent and interdependent self-construals and possess the two seemingly conflicting self-construals simultaneously. What is less explored is how different management of both independent and interdependent self-construals influence individuals' navigation of relational schemas in their romantic relationships. The current research examines the influence of how one's dual self-construal integration (DSCI)—an individual difference measure that captures the degree to which individuals perceive independent …

Counter-Urbanization In China: A Systematic Review Toward A Comprehensive Typology, Chengxue Yang, Qian Forrest Zhang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Drawing on a systematic review of both international and Chinese-language scholarship on counter-urbanization in China, this article proposes a comprehensive typology of counter-urbanization migrations—consisting of eight types of new migrants—based on the diverse motivations driving such migration. We build a bilingual corpus of 273 research papers published between the 1970s and 2025. Integrating bibliometric mapping and qualitative synthesis, we conduct a systematic review to trace the temporal evolution and thematic diversification of counter-urbanization research. The review reveals persistent conceptual ambiguity surrounding counter-urbanization in the Chinese context, which this study addresses by conceptually distinguishing counter-urbanization from suburban expansion, population decentralization, and …