Narrowing the gap: the educational achievements of the Malay community in Singapore

This paper discusses the educational gap between the Malay community and other ethnic communities in Singapore. Using official statistics from 1980 to 2004, the paper compares the educational achievements of the Malay community with other ethnic communities in Singapore. The paper points out that, while the Malay students have made significant improvements in their educational achievements over the years, they are still lagging behind the other ethnic communities in Singapore. Three key educational challenges faced by the Malay community and the responses to these challenges are discussed in this paper. The paper recommends that a framework should be introduced to the Malay students in Singapore to integrate secular and religious subjects within an Islamic conception of knowledge.     

试论公共管理伦理学的产生逻辑——兼评张康之教授的《公共管理伦理学》

伦理关系是一种普遍的社会关系。伦理学的发展与分化见证了一门门应用伦理学、职业伦理学的诞生。这为作为一门应用伦理学的公共管理伦理学的产生提供了趋势上的必然要求。在公共管理这一新的、服务定位的社会治理模式下，以服务精神为核心的伦理精神贯穿必然其中。这为公共管理伦理学的产生提供了现实基础。这两个方面的结合构成了公共管理伦理学的产生逻辑。     

当前乡镇财政研究若干问题综述

1983年,国家废除人民公社体制,在农村实行政社分设、组建乡(镇)政府。为了保障乡镇政府能有效运作,乡镇财政同时被建立。从近20年的运行情况来看,乡镇财政在公共物品提供及激励地方政府发展经济等方面的作用是毋庸置疑的。然而,由于乡镇财政收入不足,支出得不到有效监督,其职能没有界定清楚,以及上级政府的挤压,乡镇财政也暴露出一系列问题。其中最突出的是对农民强征强收,导致农民负担日趋沉重,干群矛盾日趋尖锐,农村不稳定因素增加。乡镇财政问题吸引了研究者的关注,由此产生了系列文献。本文从乡镇财政收入、财政支出、乡镇财政与上级政…     

The Becker-DeGroot-Marschak mechanism and generalized utility theories: Theoretical predictions and empirical observations

Karni and Safra [8] prove that the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak mechanism reveals a decision maker's true certainty equivalent of a lottery if and only if he satisfies the independence axiom. Segal [17] claims that this mechanism may reveal a violation of the reduction of compound lotteries axiom. This paper empirically tests these two interpretations. Our results show that the second interpretation fits better with the collected data. Moreover, we show by means of some nonexpected utility examples that these results are consistent with a wide range of functionals.     

On the Relative Strengths of Altruism and Fairness

Some researchers have attributed deviations from selfish behavior to fairness. Violations of fairness theories, however, are observed in experimental dictator games with transfer rates greater than 1 (a transfer of x from the dictator yields an income of tx for the beneficiary, where x < tx): the dictator’s final income is less than the beneficiary’s. We theoretically propose that dictator giving also involves altruism, further supporting our claim with empirical evidence from four separate samples of dictator game experiments. Our nonlinear specification allows the relative measurement of the independent motives in dictator behavior.     

Generalized Trust and Trust in Institutions in Confucian Asia

This study examines generalized trust and trust in institutions in Confucian Asia, covering six countries namely, China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam, and one dependent region, Hong Kong. Using data from the 2006 AsiaBarometer Survey, our study affirms the reliability and validity of using a two-item scale to measure generalized trust. Our analysis suggests that due to demographic differences, there are variations in the level of generalized trust of countries in Confucian Asia, despite the fact that these societies share a similar background in Confucian philosophy. The relationships between generalized trust and political trust, and between generalized trust and trust in public institutions, are weak but positive. The positive relationship between generalized trust and trust in economic institutions is only significant for some of the economies, while trust in international institutions has the weakest relationship with generalized trust for all societies. We conclude the paper with research implications.     

Contents of heavy metals in arable soils and birth defect risks in Shanxi, China: a small area level geographic study

The burgeoning demands of China’s urbanization and industrial development put pressure on the resources of the entire country and have direct and indirect effects on the health of individuals, at times in areas far removed from cities themselves. Current evidence suggests that heavy metal pollution in soil, a common by-product of coal mining and other industrial activities, may be linked to risk of birth defects. We examine this hypothesis using small area level data including soil samples and detailed birth records from 2002 to 2004 from 97 villages in Shanxi province, a heavy coal-mining region. We find that soils containing arsenic, lead, and nickel are significantly correlated with the incidence of birth defects. In particular, we find a strong positive dose-dependent association of birth defects with lead, a moderate positive effect with arsenic, and a dose-dependent negative association with nickel. These results are consistent with the postulated link between arsenic and lead and human birth defects, but raise questions about the effects of nickel in this context. China’s rapid urbanization underscores the need for closer attention to the relationship between the health and the environment.     

苗村观察：村落研究中的调查者与当地人之间的交换——兼论人类学田野调查对少数民族社区的影响

田野调查是人类学研究者最主要的活动方式,尽管研究者在从事田野工作时坚持一种“主位”策略对他文化进行观察,但是任何田野调查都是调查者所代表的社会文化与被调查者的社会文化之间的一种接触和互动,进入田野的方式明显带有社会文化的影响,所以研究者的行为势必会影响研究客体,在某种程度上促成了他文化的变迁。本文以鄂西南的一个苗族村庄为个案,通过对进村调查者与村民之间交往活动的分析,来考察人类学田野调查对民族社区的影响问题,从而为反思中国人类学田野调查提供一些经验性启示。     

《道德经》文本研究视阈下大学生道德情怀教育

改革开放以来,大学生道德教育成果显著,但道德教育活动依旧有巨大的提升空间。近年来,伴随着经济高速发展,各种社会负面信息一次次冲击大学生道德心理,大学生道德教育也变得有些吃力,因此,大学生道德教育急需回归本真。现如今是讲求情怀的年代,大学生道德情怀教育理应走进高校,结合《道德经》经典名著,讲习道德情怀含义、描述道德情怀形态、分析道德情怀教育着力点、提出道德情怀教育要求,应该成为改革开放新时期大学生道德教育研究的众多范畴之一。