Age Segregation and the Quality of Life of the Elderly People in Studio Apartments

ABSTRACT

The paper attempts to ascertain the impact of age-segregation on the quality of life of elderly people who are living in studio apartments in Singapore. After a review of the relevant literature and statistical analysis of a survey data for 390 elderly respondents in studio apartments, it was found that age-segregation have a deleterious impact on the quality of life of the elderly people. Furthermore, it was found that the perception of the elderly in relation to factors that are most significant to their quality of life is at variance with that of the policy makers. This implies that there is a need for policy makers and service providers to review their existing policies, products and services so as to be more effective in providing housing options for the rapidly aging population of Singapore.     

Racial Authenticity in Rap Music and Hip Hop

This article reviews the history of scholarship on racial authenticity within studies of rap music and hip hop. The concept of authenticity currently enjoys a central place in sociological work on popular music, subcultures, and racial identity. As a music and cultural form that straddles all three of these fields, the debates surrounding authenticity within rap and hip hop are as contentious as any. Using the year 2000 as an arbitrary dividing line, this article presents the late 20th century foundations of research on authenticity and race within hip hop, then moves on to discuss more recent developments in the academic literature. Despite hip hop scholars’ increased emphases on discourses of space and place, and processes of culture and identity formation, the field continues to be framed through notions of essential blackness, and critical interrogations of white hip hop legitimacy. After providing an overview of the state of the field, it is argued that greater attention to language use among hip hop enthusiasts, and a particular emphasis on hip hoppers who fall outside the black–white racial binary will prove fruitful in reinvigorating these longstanding debates. Ethnographic studies of local underground hip hop scenes within the Unites States are recommended as a logical place to begin.     

Households’ preferences for attributes of Conditional Cash Transfer programmes: A choice experiment in Ghana

Conditional cash transfer (CCT) is increasingly being integrated into poverty reduction strategies in developing countries. However, debate remains over key elements of CCT programme design. Using a discrete choice model, this article examines Ghanaian households’ preferences regarding key CCT programme design elements including conditionality, targeting, and payment method. The results revealed a preference for CCT designs that target beneficiaries with limited or no productive capacity and CCT designs that are conditional on beneficiaries either investing in children's human capital or performing communal service, relative to unconditional programmes. Also, direct bank deposit was revealed as the preferred payment mode relative to receipt of cash payments or use of mobile money systems.     

Are NGOs and cooperatives similar or different? A global survey using microfinance data

Journal of Management and Governance - Corporate governance remains fundamental to ensuring the social mission alongside the financial sustainability of microfinance institutions. One primary...     

Housing finance for the ageing Singapore population: The potential of creative housing finance schemes

A previous paper which relates to the above topic¹ briefly surveyed the current housing situation in Singapore to highlight the predicaments which beset the elderly. After a review of Home Equity Conversion Scheme (HECS) within the socioeconomic and cultural milieu of Singapore, it was concluded that the sale-leaseback scheme, if promulgated by the Singapore Housing and Development Board, could be the panacea for the housing-finance problem of the elderly.This paper continues the discussion by reviewing Creative Housing Finance Schemes (CHFS) in the light of the socio-economic and cultural parameters co-existing in Singapore. Whereas HECS seeks to resolve the housing-finance predicament of the elderly who stay put, CHFS seek to resolve the housing-finance problem for the elderly who move or want to move into a new house which is purpose-built for the elderly. The paper concludes that saleability of homes of the elderly is the main impediment to the successful implementation of both HECS and CHFS. The problem could, however, be resolved through government intervention.     

Racial Discrimination and Human Rights in the Global Context: The International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination

This essay will discuss racism and racial discrimination by locating them within a context of international human rights. It is argued that conceptually racism and racial discrimination within an international human rights paradigm sharpens our understanding of these concepts from both a global and regional vantage point. The main idea is to provide a thematic and procedural overview of key international human rights instruments that address racial discrimination. It will situate racial discrimination in the context of international human rights and provide a critical discussion focused on the International Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and other human rights instruments that address racial discrimination.     

Are Subsidies to be Blamed? A Reexamination of U.S. Countervailing Duty on Hog Imports From Canada

A dramatic increase in U.S. hog imports from Canada triggered a successful countervail action against Canada in 1985, and resulted in an import tariff. This paper finds Canadian subsidies were not a major factor explaining increased hog exports, rather, the depreciation of the Canadian dollar played a larger role. More importantly, we find that hog imports from Canada did not “injure” the U.S. industry. These results imply the U.S. hog countervail duty was the outcome of rent-seeking activities rather than due to economic factors.     

Talent Management and Employee Outcomes: A Psychological Contract Fulfilment Perspective

Public Organization Review - This study examines a salient mechanism ─ psychological-contract (PC) fulfilment through which talent management (TM) practices might affect talented...     

Public relations in Ghana: Work-related cultural values and public relations models

This study explores cultural influences on public relations practices in Ghana. This survey research brief reports data collected from Ghanaian public relations practitioners (n = 64) and describes work-related cultural values as well as the practices of public relations models in Ghana. The result reveals that Ghanaian public professionals tend to utilize international public relations and two-way communication models. The study extends knowledge of international public relations in African cultures.     

Urbanization,Economic Structure,Political Regime,and Income Inequality

Social Indicators Research - The study examined the effect of urbanization on income inequality for 21 Sub Saharan African countries over the period 1984–2014 using heterogeneous panel...