bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Challenges to Political Representation in Contemporary Chile
Authors: Castiglioni Rossana , Kaltwasser Cristóbal Rovira
Published: February 2019

Democratic representation seems to be increasingly under stress in various established democracies, such as Greece, Spain, and the USA. Chile is also following this trend, but there are a number of particularities that make the Chilean case distinctive. After all, Chile is widely regarded as one of the most consolidated democratic regimes in Latin America and as having solid economic performance. However, citizens have shown decreasing levels of satisfaction with democracy and representative institutions, and are turning to protest and social mobilization to express their discontent. The paradox that Chile is facing today lies in the mismatch between the attitudes of voters and the overall performance of the regime. In explaining this intriguing puzzle, most of the literature has emphasized the legacy of institutional arrangements inherited from military rule. We argue that institutions are necessary but insufficient for explaining the increasing challenges that democratic representation faces. Thus, we also claim that it is necessary to consider not only the expansion of critical citizens and middle income earners, but also the repoliticization of inequalities.
Private Security and Paramilitarism in Colombia: Governing in the Midst of Violence
Authors: Grajales Jacobo
Published: February 2019

The article examines the links between paramilitary groups and the Colombian state within a context of pervasive violence. Colombia represents a particularly interesting case as high-intensity violence is accompanied by the preservation of a relatively strong institutional framework. Most interpretations of this relationship consider it to be either a sign of state weakness or a centralized strategy to outsource violence. Taking a different stance, the paper argues that the existence of paramilitary groups compels us to analyze government through practices vis-à-vis the treatment of violence. A policy linking private security and counterinsurgency, crafted in the early 1990s and known as Convivir, provides an illustration of this approach.
Do Voters Affect Policies? Within-Coalition Competition in the Chilean Electoral System
Authors: Argote Pablo , Navia Patricio
Published: February 2019

It has been argued that close elections lead to policy convergence, as legislators elected by a small margin are more likely to adopt moderate policy positions (Downs 1957). However, Lee, Moretti, and Butler (2004) find that electoral competition does not affect legislators’ policy preferences in the United States, questioning the median voter paradigm. To help to discern this paradox, we estimate the effect of close elections on legislators’ subsequent policy positions under different electoral rules. With Chile's two-seat open-list proportional representation system, we exploit the dynamics of within-coalition competition to test both hypotheses. Using the margin of victory in 383 races in four different parliamentary elections and 3,741 roll-call votes for the 120-seat Chamber of Deputies from 1998 to 2014, we find that electoral competition did not lead to policy convergence under either the center-left Concertación coalition or the rightist Alianza coalition. We contend that policy convergence responds to electoral incentives but is also conditioned by the nature of the political regime (presidential or parliamentary) and government–opposition dynamics.
Beijing Bubble, Beijing Bust: Inequality, Trade, and Capital Inflow into China
Authors: Galbraith James K. , Hsu Sara , Zhang Wenjie
Published: February 2019

This paper explores the relationships between inequality, trade, and capital flows into China since the early 1990s and particularly in the first years of the present decade. We show that the rise in economic inequality in China has more to do directly with the activities associated with China's financial and building boom, notably in Beijing, than with the massive growth in manufacturing employment and in Chinese exports since China joined the WTO in 2001. Nevertheless, it is likely that a flow of profits from the export boom did feed the speculative fires in the capital and elsewhere, and therefore it should be no surprise that the fall of one should be linked to the fall of the other, in a particularly painful reduction of economic inequality.
The Regulation of Religious Affairs in Taiwan: From State Control to Laisser-faire?
Authors: Laliberté André
Published: February 2019

This article looks at Taiwan's policy towards religion to show that non-Western societies can also achieve what Alfred Stepan called a “twin toleration” wherein the state does not intervene in religious affairs, and religion does not seek to control the state. The paper shows the sets of constraints in which policy-makers struggling for an adequate way to deal with religion operate. They have to choose among a variety of models in democratic societies, to take into account the legacy of the authoritarian era, and to consider the specificities of Taiwan's situation, influenced by a Chinese cultural heritage, Japanese colonialism and observations from other parts of the world. The paper then describes how these constraints have influenced the major stages in the evolution of relations between state and religions in Taiwanese society and then argue that the state had yet to reach a consensus up until 2008 on the legislation of religion because of disagreements between different religious actors.
Nationalism to Go – Coke Commercials between Lifestyle and Political Myth
Authors: Frisch Nora
Published: February 2019

Nationalism in the sense of symbols or actions glorifying the fatherland can be detected in many Chinese commercials today. In the form of a mythical narration, various aspects of an idealized China image are communicated, an image designed to bring about a sense of identity for all Chinese people. While first and foremost serving consumer preferences, these emotionally charged constructions of a “super nation” can also be interpreted in an ideological sense. Seen against the background of the public discourse on patriotism underway since 1989, this “Sinization” of advertising suggests the more or less subtle influence of party-state propaganda. In analysing TV commercials and interpreting their content, the ambivalent position and general background of advertisers must, however, be kept in mind. Even as they attempt to address and leverage popular trends, these advertisers are part of the community that has shaped the worldviews and values (some of them ideological) that are also reflected in the ads.
China's Employment Crisis – A Stimulus for Policy Change?
Authors: Schucher Günter
Published: February 2019

In the face of severe job problems, China's government has adopted a huge stimulus package in a bid to achieve eight per cent economic growth, which is said to guarantee at least enough jobs for the new entrants to the labour market. The real situation, however, will be much grimmer than statistics indicate. Unregistered groups like unemployed rural migrants, job-searching college graduates, laid-off workers and others together with the officially registered unemployed and the new market entrants could add up to 42 million altogether, while even the most optimistic estimates say only around 15 million new jobs could be created in 2009. Nevertheless, the stimulus package demonstrates an at least temporary shift in economic policy from capital-intensive to labour-intensive growth. Additionally, the new initiatives to boost social-security spending could help to address the grievances of the most vulnerable groups in the labour market. The Chinese government's reaction to the emerging employment crisis once again demonstrates the often underestimated adaptability of China's leadership.
The Taiwan Dilemma: China, Japan, and the Strait Dynamic
Authors: Blazevic Jason J.
Published: February 2019

Many Chinese and Japanese authorities believe Taiwan is essential to their respective states' national security due to the island's geographic centrality and beneficial proximity to nearby and distant sea lanes. Of further importance is Taiwan's immediacy to territorial and resource disputes between China and Japan. This article focuses on the security concerns and strategies of both states and applies realism, its tenets of defensive and offensive realism, and neoliberalism in order to better comprehend those concerns and strategies and also provide probable solutions.
Generational Change and Ethnicity among 1980s-born Taiwanese
Authors: Le Pesant Tanguy
Published: February 2019

This paper aims to show that Taiwanese born in the 1980s constitute a “post-reform” generation whose perception of cultural difference and ethnicity may challenge the efficiency of the “four major ethnic groups” categorization as an analytical framework for research on Taiwanese youth's identity, political behaviour and social interactions. Using quantitative data from a questionnaire distributed in 15 universities nationwide in 2010 and qualitative data from interviews, this paper first focuses on the attitudes of Taiwanese born in the 1980s toward what are generally considered the three core elements of ethnic group-making in a Chinese socio-cultural context: patrilineality, locality and language. Then it shows that the combined effects of democratization, Taiwanization and contacts with mainland China have decisively impregnated their life experiences and influenced their perceptions of cultural difference. Consequently, the different aspects/ factors that contributed to the formation and the deepening of ethnic boundaries and ethnic conflict up until the 1990s are not effective anymore, nor are they significant for Taiwanese in their twenties. This process is transforming ethnicity rather than erasing it. Thus “having an ethnic identity” is still considered important by a majority, but its meaning and salience have changed, leading to the necessity to redefine, a process that could be undertaken using the concept of “symbolic ethnicity”.
A Dragon and a Dove? A Comparative Overview of Chinese and European Trade Relations with Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Jacobs Bert
Published: February 2019

As China's footprint in African trade grows larger by the day, the need to contextualize this rise through comparative analysis becomes ever more necessary. This paper contrasts the sub-Saharan trade relations of both China and Europe with their respective designated stereotypes: those of a dragon and a dove. The article compares the trade dynamics on four levels: the policies and institutional mechanisms that shape the relationship; the composition of the trade flows; the geographic distribution of trade dominance; and the influence of norms and values on the trade pattern. It concludes that although there are empirical grounds behind these stereotypes, Chinese and European trade relations with sub-Saharan Africa are becoming more similar, partly due to a more hawkish European stance.
Transnational Chinese Sphere in Singapore: Dynamics, Transformations and Characteristics
Authors: Liu Hong
Published: February 2019

Based upon an empirical analysis of Singaporean Chinese's intriguing and changing linkages with China over the past half century, this paper suggests that multi-layered interactions between the Chinese diaspora and the homeland have led to the formulation of an emerging transnational Chinese social sphere, which has three main characteristics: First, it is a space for communication by ethnic Chinese abroad with their hometown/ homeland through steady and extensive flows of people, ideas, goods and capital that transcend the nation-state borders, although states also play an important role in shaping the nature and characteristics of these flows. Second, this transnational social sphere constitutes a dynamic interface between economy, politics and culture, which has contributed to creating a collective diasporic identity as well as social and business networks. Third, the key institutional mechanism of the transnational social sphere is various types of Chinese organizations – ranging from hometown associations to professional organizations – which serve as integral components of Chinese social and business networks.
“Small is Beautiful”: Lessons from Laos for the Study of Chinese Overseas
Authors: Tan Danielle
Published: February 2019

During the colonial period, Laos welcomed the smallest overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia, communities that almost disappeared after the communist forces seized power in Laos in 1975. Yet, this landlocked country shares a long history with China and even experienced a Golden Age thanks to the thriving caravan trade between Yunnan and mainland Southeast Asia. The Greater Mekong Subregion initiative, a development programme launched by the Asian Development Bank, has revitalized these historical trade routes, causing thousands of Chinese migrants to pour onto the new roads of Laos, channelled through the North–South Economic Corridor linking Kunming to Bangkok. Depicted as “an army of ants” that plunders the natural resources of this poor country, these Chinese migrants are also the main drivers of development. The paper seeks to examine the specificity of China's engagement in Laos. I suggest that this small and forgotten country can provide insightful lessons to better understand the current changes taking place in Chinese migration worldwide.
Rising Central Spending on Public Security and the Dilemma Facing Grassroots Officials in China
Authors: Xie Yue
Published: February 2019

In response to worsening social instability in China, among grassroots communities in the poorer central and western provinces in particular, the Chinese central government has made budgetary arrangements, since 2003, to increase investment at the grassroots level to improve the capacity of local governments to maintain social order. However, this action by central government has created a dilemma for local cadres: how to perform their duty to maintain social stability while also balancing a heavy fiscal burden caused in part by the receipt of insufficient additional budgetary subsidies from higher government. This paper is an account of and an analysis of how local cadres in China perform their official duties when faced with this dilemma.
Jiang Zemin's Discourse on Intellectuals: The Political Use of Formalised Language and the Conundrum of Stability
Authors: Marinelli Maurizio
Published: February 2019

This article focuses on the specific forms of power that are embodied in the properties and functions of formalised language, as it was used by Jiang Zemin in crucial political documents on the Party's policy towards intellectuals. This inquiry illuminates various possibilities for the normalisation and inculcation of formalised language in the understudied decade of the 1990s, when the mantra “without stability, nothing can be achieved” became a tautology. The internal constitution of the selected texts is examined with an eye to the dialogic interaction with the production and reception of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping's political discourses on intellectuals (Mao 1942; Deng 1978). The analysis of language practices and discursive formations in a comparative perspective sheds light on the respective socio-political and historical contexts. It also reveals the extreme involution-devolution of formalised language in the Jiang Zemin era, when “preserving stability” was reaffirmed as a crucial concern of the Party leadership with the ultimate aim of preserving its monopoly of power.
Resident Evaluation and Expectation of Social Services in Guangzhou
Authors: Mok Ka Ho , Huang Genghua
Published: February 2019

China's welfare system is a typical “residual welfare regime”, which did not manifest too many flaws in the planned economy era. However, economic reform and market-oriented transformations in recent decades have shaken the original well-balanced “residual” and “needs” pattern. The decline of the “work unit system” has led to two consequences: First, it radically transformed the social and economic structures, which gave rise to increased and diversified needs of social welfare. Second, the government is being pressed to shoulder more responsibility for social welfare provisions. This article adopts a case study approach to examine changing social welfare needs and expectations in Guangzhou, a relatively developed city in southern China. With particular focus on the major strategies adopted by the Guangzhou government in addressing people's welfare needs, this article critically examines how far the new measures have met the changing welfare expectations of citizens in mainland China.
Let's Not Go There: Coping with (Pre-) Selection Bias in Collaborative Field Research
Authors: Göbel Christian
Published: February 2019

Field research in China often requires the researcher to cooperate with two kinds of actors: research collaborators, such as those at universities or official think tanks, and local officials. These actors facilitate or enhance field access, but such access comes at the price of a potential “pre-selection bias” in data collection. Some scholars have argued that dependence on these “gatekeepers” introduces a significant bias into research outcomes. I argue, however, that the constraints faced by China scholars in their field studies are not absolute, but function by degree. The CCP is monolithic neither in its organization nor in the thoughts of its agents, and close collaboration with local partners can help remove normative bias rather than necessarily introducing it. Most importantly, an argument built exclusively on the power of structural constraints discounts China scholars’ most crucial abilities: to learn, to think critically and to research holistically.
Anti-Media-Monopoly Policies and Further Democratisation in Taiwan
Authors: Rawnsley Ming-Yeh T. , Feng Chien-san
Published: February 2019

The student-led anti-media-monopoly movement in Taiwan has generated strong momentum since mid-2012. In early 2013, the National Communications Commission responded by drafting the “Prevention of Broadcasting and Television Monopoly and the Maintenance of Diversity Act”, which was approved by the Executive Yuan in April 2013 and is now waiting to be debated in the Legislative Yuan. In contemporary Taiwan, the social is often connected with the political. The existing democratic system, which is a legacy of the democratisation process in the twentieth century, no longer seems adequate to serve the citizens of the twenty-first century. This paper considers the anti–media-monopoly movement and the burgeoning civic movements in recent years as part of a “second wave” of democratisation for further political reform and democratic consolidation. When martial law was lifted in Taiwan in 1987, the “first wave” of media liberalisation ended with the commercialisation of industry. The “second wave” of media democratisation has picked up where the first wave left off and may finally establish, through increasingly more thoughtful media policies, a better and fairer media environment that is more suitable for democratic Taiwan.
When the Hong Kong Dream Meets the Anti-Mainlandisation Discourse: Mainland Chinese Students in Hong Kong
Authors: Xu Cora Lingling
Published: February 2019

This article looks at identity constructions of mainland Chinese undergraduate students in a Hong Kong university. These students shared a “Hong Kong Dream” characterised by a desire for change in individual outlooks, a yearning for international exposure, and rich imaginations about Hong Kong and beyond. However, when their Hong Kong Dream met Hong Kong's “anti-mainlandisation discourse,” as was partially, yet acutely, reflected in the recent Occupy Central movement, most students constructed the simultaneous identities of a “free” self that was spatially mobile and ideologically unconfined and an “elite” self that was among the winners of global competition. This article argues that the identity constructions of these mainland Chinese students shed light on global student mobilisation and provide a unique, insider's perspective into the integration process between Hong Kong and the rest of the People's Republic of China.
Premium Collection and the Problem of Voluntary Enrolment in China's New Rural Cooperative Medical System
Authors: Müller Armin
Published: February 2019

In late 2002, the Chinese government launched an initiative to extend the coverage of health insurance in rural China with the New Rural Cooperative Medical System (NRCMS). It covered all of rural China by 2008 and is being continuously adapted and developed. This study explores two conflicting goals in the policy design: universal coverage and voluntary enrolment. Local governments often faced the problem that only insufficient numbers of villagers were enrolling voluntarily. They developed different strategies to cope with it: Complementary outpatient reimbursement via medical savings accounts (MSAs) effectively transferred villagers’ premiums back to them, thus making the NRCMS more attractive. Adapting the premium-collection process to the local context or utilising collusive practices allowed them to pay premiums on behalf of the villagers from the insurance funds. These strategies undermine the effectiveness of the NRCMS as a risk-pooling mechanism, facilitate latent coverage gaps and turn it into a tax-funded service.
Look, the World is Watching how We Treat Migrants! The Making of the Anti-Trafficking Legislation during the Ma Administration
Authors: Cheng Isabelle , Momesso Lara
Published: February 2019

Employing the spiral model, this research analyses how anti-human trafficking legislation was promulgated during the Ma Ying-jeou (Ma Yingjiu) presidency. This research found that the government of Taiwan was just as accountable for the violation of migrants’ human rights as the exploitive placement agencies and abusive employers. This research argues that, given its reliance on the United States for political and security support, Taiwan has made great efforts to improve its human rights records and meet US standards for protecting human rights. The reform was a result of multilevel inputs, including US pressure and collaboration between transnational and domestic advocacy groups. A major contribution of this research is to challenge the belief that human rights protection is intrinsic to democracy. In the same light, this research also cautions against Taiwan's subscription to US norms since the reform was achieved at the cost of stereotyping trafficking victimhood, legitimising state surveillance, and further marginalising sex workers.
Political Legitimacy of Vietnam's One PartyState: Challenges and Responses
Authors: Thayer Carlyle A.
Published: February 2019

This article focuses on the challenges to the authority of Vietnam's one-party state that emerged in 2009 and state responses. Three separate challenges are discussed: opposition to bauxite mining in the Central Highlands; mass protests by the Catholic Church over land ownership issues; and revived political dissent by pro-democracy activists and bloggers. The Vietnam Communist Party bases its claims to political legitimacy on multiple sources. The bauxite mining controversy challenged the state's claim to political legitimacy on the basis of performance. The Catholic land dispute challenged the state's claim to legitimacy on rational-legal grounds. Revived political dissent, including the linkage of demands for democracy with concerns over environmental issues and relations with China, challenged the state's claim to legitimacy based on nationalism. Vietnam responded in a “soft authoritarian” manner. Future challenges and state responses will be debated as Vietnam moves to convene its eleventh national party congress in 2010.
Aung San Suu Kyi and U.S. Policy toward Burma/Myanmar
Authors: Steinberg David I.
Published: February 2019

No living foreigner has shaped contemporary U.S. attitudes toward a single country more than Aung San Suu Kyi. As the seemingly vulnerable international avatar of democracy, she has effectively determined the parameters of possible U.S. policy choices. Although her Burma/Myanmar specific goals and those of the U.S. overlap, they are not contiguous. That country is a “boutique” issue in U.S. politics – important but not of the highest priority. The U.S. will face difficult policy decisions toward Burma/Myanmar following the formation of the new Burmese administration after the elections of November 7, 2010.
Identity-building and Democracy in the Philippines: National Failure and Local Responses in Mindanao
Authors: Neumann Hannah
Published: February 2019

The case of the Philippines provides an interesting example of how post-colonial governments in Southeast Asia are trying to govern multi-ethnic nations. The Philippines, despite being the country in Asia with the most vibrant civil society, is still dealing with a war on the southern island of Mindanao – a war fuelled by, rather than abated by, national dynamics of identity-construction and social practices of democracy. This paper looks into these protracted national dynamics and their influence on the conflict in Mindanao. It further contrasts those with local, predominantly civil-society-based, approaches of identity re-construction and decision-making that have changed the situation for many communities on the ground, but that haven't so far had much impact on the national setting. Therefore, the final part of the paper assesses the impact of local civil-society initiatives and draws conclusions on how those could provide blueprints for national solutions and complement high-level peace talks.
Thai Electoral Campaigning: Vote-Canvassing Networks and Hybrid Voting
Authors: Chattharakul Anyarat
Published: February 2019

Based on evidence gathered through participant observation, this article illuminates the nature of vote-canvassing, previously a black box in Thai electoral studies. Offering a close-up study of the internal mechanisms of an individual Thai election campaign, this article reveals that vote-canvasser networks are underpinned by long-term dyadic relationships, both hierarchical and horizontal, between the candidate, vote-canvassers and voters. These networks continue to be the most important factor in winning elections. This article documents how candidates draw up an election campaign map and identify voters along residential lines to maximise their vote-canvassing strategy. The findings of this article challenge Anek's 1996 concept of “two democracies”, which argues that rural voters are influenced by money, local leaders, political factions and corrupt politicians while more well-educated, urban, middle-class voters are more oriented toward the alternative policies offered by competing parties. The case study of Kom's election campaign showed that the role of the much-vaunted middle-class voters is not decisive, even in suburban areas of Bangkok. While political marketing has grown in importance in Thai elections, it has not displaced traditional electoral practices. Thai society is, in fact, deeply fragmented and diverse – too complex to be divided in such a simplistic manner. This article suggests that rather than undergoing a linear transformation, political hybridisation is a key trend in Thai election campaigns.
“The Scum of the Earth”? Foreign People Smugglers and Their Local Counterparts in Indonesia
Authors: Missbach Antje , Sinanu Frieda
Published: February 2019

Since 2008, the number of asylum seekers and refugees trying to reach Australia from Indonesia by boat has increased. With many of them hailing from conflict-ridden countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Sri Lanka, most entered Indonesia with short-term tourist visas or fraudulent papers or no documents at all. It is widely known that a significant number of these ‘irregular’ migrants pay various types of brokers (often labelled, accurately or otherwise, ‘human smugglers’) at least at one stage – either to enter the country or to escape it. As a non-signatory to the UN Refugee Convention, Indonesia does not permit local integration. While a substantial part of these migrants are detained in the 13 immigration detention centres scattered around the archipelago, many roam freely, looking for opportunities for onward migration. Due to the restrictive border protection arrangements between Australia and Indonesia and a number of bilateral intelligence measures for deterring ‘unwanted’ migrants, human smugglers have been gradually forced to adapt strategies, routes and prices. According to much of the available data, most human smugglers are not Indonesians but foreigners who have been lingering in Indonesia for many years. This article demonstrates, moreover, that these foreigners depend upon local contacts to successfully carry out their risky business. Most often, the Indonesian counterparts are solely facilitators or handymen, but in a number of cases Indonesian authorities have also been involved in this highly lucrative business.
Coalitions and Competition in Malaysia -Incremental Transformation of a Strong-party System
Authors: Weiss Meredith L.
Published: February 2019

The seeming entrenchment of a two-coalition system in Malaysia solidifies the centrality of strongly institutionalised parties in the polity. The primary parties in Malaysia reach deeply into society and nest within dense networks of both intra-party and external organisations. Given this order -which differentiates Malaysia from its neighbours in the region – political liberalisation, if it happens, should be expected largely via electoral politics, and, specifically, through inter-party challenges. Indeed, the ideological and material premises of the emergent Pakatan Rakyat (People's Alliance) differ substantially from those of the long-standing Barisan Nasional (National Front), even as both pursue the same broad swathe of voters. This distinction reflects and furthers transformation in Malaysian politics, including not just a shift in the salience of communal identities and in policy proposals and issues, but also in patterns of political engagement both within and outside of parties, regardless of which coalition controls parliament.
The Internationalisation of Mainland Chinese Firms into Malaysia: From Obligated Embeddedness to Active Embeddedness
Authors: Lim Guanie
Published: February 2019

This paper examines the rationale by which mainland Chinese firms choose their coalition partners in their Malaysian ventures. I explore how, under certain political economic conditions, such cross-border investment and corporate tie-ups can be shaped to meet the Malaysian state's objectives. I argue that the Malaysian state has enjoyed success in the construction sector by nurturing cooperation between its carefully groomed government-linked companies and mainland Chinese firms. Government-linked companies are useful coalition partners for the mainland Chinese firms because of the crucial role the state plays in creating a largely non-competitive industry that favours government-linked companies. Outside of the construction sector, however, the state has enjoyed markedly less success in fostering cooperation between the mainland Chinese firms and the government-linked companies. Consequently, the mainland Chinese firms possess more bargaining power vis-à-vis the state when they invest in these sectors, enjoying considerable autonomy in the selection of their coalition partners.
The European Union's Myanmar Policy: Focused or Directionless?
Authors: Dosch Jörn , Sidhu Jatswan S.
Published: February 2019

What is the European Union (EU) trying to achieve in Myanmar? Is the EU speaking with one voice and acting collectively (and does it really matter)? Were the sanctions lifted too early? These are some of the key questions surrounding the current role of the EU in relation to Myanmar. A close analysis of the EU's Myanmar policy demonstrates that, while clearly driven by normative convictions, the EU's approach and posture vis-à-vis Myanmar since 1988 has been more reactive than carefully planned and strategised. Whereas in the period from 1988 until early 2011 the EU's Myanmar policy frequently fluctuated between a “carrot” and a “stick” approach, depending on the circumstances, since 2011 the emphasis has been on carrots, which signifies an important shift in the application of normative power. The EU has generously provided large amounts of aid intended mainly to assist Myanmar in its transition. This approach does not seem to factor in the possibility of backward steps and is based on a scenario of ongoing, linear political and economic reforms. This optimism is shared by both the European Commission and most EU member states. However, the similar perceptions and compatible normative foundations on which their policies are based have so far not translated into well-coordinated and coherent strategies and development cooperation programmes.
The Influence of Social Media in Vietnam's Elite Politics
Authors: Bui Thiem Hai
Published: February 2019

There has been a notable rise of social media in Vietnam's politics in recent years. The use of social media in generating and exchanging content for public consumption has become increasingly complex and sophisticated. The development of social media has led to the public being better informed about key political and economic issues of public concern. Social media is also playing a visible role in the competition among political factions. Increased exposure and public scrutiny has had a great impact on the way the political apparatus operates and the closed-door preparations made by party-state elites to select top leadership. This paper examines the patterns of use of social media and highlights some of its prominent features and roles in Vietnam's politics. I investigate the impact that social media exerts, as well as the constraints on its use for the public.
Divided Politics and Economic Growth in the Philippines
Authors: Batalla Eric Vincent C.
Published: February 2019

As the 2016 elections drew near and the prospects of a Rodrigo Duterte presidency became stronger, there were concerns that the economy might be adversely affected by the expected political volatility under the new regime. Since the start of the campaign season, Duterte had been rocking the establishment through controversial pronouncements and outbursts, attracting the enmity of leaders of the Catholic Church, the United States, and the United Nations. Based on a review of recent political and economic performance, this article argues that unless there are significant changes in the major sources of macroeconomic growth and stability, the Philippine economy would likely withstand the impact of a “Duterte shock.”
Negotiating Statist Islam: Fatwa and State Policy in Singapore
Authors: Pasuni Afif
Published: February 2019

This article examines how state-linked religious actors negotiate religious demands in a secular authoritarian state. There is a prevalent assumption that such religious actors lack the agency to affect state decisions. I do not seek to challenge that proposition, rather to qualify it by identifying the scope and extent of their authority. Taking the state as an autonomous actor, I examine fatwas or official religious edicts in Singapore through the lens of ‘policy feedback’, which analyses how the bureaucratisation of religious institution created new legal and bureaucratic channels that shape state policies. This paper aims to primarily answer the following question: What role do fatwas play in shaping statist interpretation of religion? I answer this by looking at the historical development of religious bureaucracy in Singapore – which includes the fatwa institution – and analysing the role of fatwas in relation to state policies. I argue that the bureaucratisation of religion not only regulates religious demands, but creates a juncture for religious institutions to inform and contest statist version of Islam though policy feedback, a concept that has thus far been only partially applied to economic issues. Policy feedback explains how religious demands are negotiated at the bureaucratic level and is particularly instructive in clarifying the discourse between the state and the fatwa institutions, which underlines that the policies and programmes of the autonomous state can be influenced by the very demands of religious bureaucrats. This paper also introduces Statist Islam as an original concept with which to conceptualise the amalgamation of statist and religious interests, and considers how the informal authority of fatwas continues to function beyond the legal and bureaucratic restrictions set by the state.
Are we there yet with patent foramen ovale closure for secondary prevention in cryptogenic stroke? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials
Authors: Agasthi Pradyumna , Kolla Kantha Ratnam , Yerasi Charan , Tullah Sibghat , Pulivarthi Venkata Siva , Louka Boshra , Arsanjani Reza , Yang Eric H , Mookadam Farouk , Fortuin F David
Published: February 2019

Background:

We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the benefit of patent foramen ovale closure in stroke prevention.

Methods:

We searched Medline/PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane central database for randomized control trials assessing the incidence of recurrent stroke after patent foramen ovale closure when compared to medical therapy. Pooled odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a random effects model. The heterogeneity among studies was tested using the χ2 test and inconsistency was quantified using the I2 statistic.

Results:

Our search strategy yielded 71 articles. We included five studies with a total of 3440 patients. Median age in the device group was 45 (43, 5.5) years and in the medical group was 45 (44.5, 46) years; 52% were male, 27.7% of patients had an atrial septal aneurysm, 25% had hypertension, and 20.5% had diabetes mellitus. The median follow-up time was 44 (34.5–50) months. The pooled odds ratio of recurrent stroke, transient ischemic attack and composite end point of stroke + transient ischemic attack + peripheral embolism in the patent foramen ovale closure versus medical therapy group were 0.4 (95% confidence interval 0.25–0.63, I2 = 57.5%), 0.93 (95% confidence interval 0.61–1.42, I2 = 0%), and 0.6 (95% confidence interval 0.44–0.82, I2 = 0%), respectively. The incidence of atrial fibrillation was found to be significantly higher in the patent foramen ovale closure group with odds ratio of 6 (95% confidence interval 3.13–11.4, I2 = 33.5%). On subgroup analysis, patent foramen ovale closure appeared to benefit males and patients with a large shunt. Number needed to treat to prevent one recurrent stroke with patent foramen ovale closure is 42. Number needed to harm to cause one atrial fibrillation with patent foramen ovale closure is 39.

Conclusion:

This meta-analysis of randomized trials concludes that percutaneous patent foramen ovale closure is effective in recurrent stroke prevention especially in males and in those with a large shunt.
A little bit of knowledge: Facebook’s News Feed and self-perceptions of knowledge
Authors: Anspach Nicolas M. , Jennings Jay T. , Arceneaux Kevin
Published: February 2019

Given that approximately half of Internet users use Facebook to access news, it is no surprise that social media are increasingly seen as a viable source of political information. Despite the fact that the average social media user only clicks on a small fraction of political content available in their News Feed, social media use correlates with political knowledge. From where, then, does this knowledge come? We argue that Facebook’s News Feed itself, with its short article previews, provides enough political information for learning to occur. However, this learning comes with an additional consequence: audiences who only read article previews think they know more than they actually do, especially individuals who are motivated to seek emotions. While we are agnostic to the normative implications of such overconfidence, it is worth noting that similar behaviors are associated with political efficacy, knowledge, and participation.
Monitoring and Evaluation Practices and Academic Staff Motivation: Implications in Higher Education Within Rwandan Context
Authors: Niyivuga Boniface , Otara Alfred , Tuyishime Dieudonné
Published: February 2019

This study sought to determine the relationship between monitoring and evaluation (M&E) practices and academic staff motivation in higher education, from a Rwandan perspective. Particularly, the study aimed at describing the M&E practices applied, assessed how quality of feedback affects academic staff motivation, and determined the relationship between M&E practices and academic staff motivation. The study employed a mixed-methods approach to collect data from academic staff. A total of 105 faculties were sampled. The study established that M&E practices, including staff self-evaluation, students–staff evaluation, peer evaluation, and evaluation by supervisor, are applied at varying emphasis. Furthermore, both the supervisees and supervisors agreed that the quality of feedback provided during evaluation is fairly effective, although recognition of their performance is rarely appreciated. It was further established that weak to moderate correlations exist between M&E practices and academic staff motivation with “ r” varying from 0.268 to 0.4460. Although some indications for the direction of influence have been generated, the study, however, does not permit one-way final conclusion about the effect of any of the M&E practices to academic staff motivation. Based on the findings, this study recommends that policy makers design a policy on M&E, which would guide supervisors in M&E exercise.
Evaluation of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair results in patients with anterior greater tubercle cysts
Authors: Şahan Mehmet Hamdi , Serbest Sancar , Tiftikçi Uğur , Durgut Erdogan , İnal Mikail
Published: February 2019

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical results of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair in patients with anterior greater tubercle cyst in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods:

The cyst-present group comprised 38 patients with anterior greater tubercle cyst in MRI, and age- and sex-matched 30 patients without cyst in humeral head were included in the control group. The cystic group was divided into two groups, smaller than 5 mm (21 patients) and larger than 5 mm (17 patients), according to the cyst size. A total of three groups were created. In the evaluation of clinical outcomes, modified University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC) were used. The visual analog scale (VAS) was used to assess pain. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare VAS, UCLA, and WORC scores among the groups.

Results:

There was a statistically significant difference in the clinical results of VAS, UCLA, and WORC among the cystic and noncystic groups in the anterior greater tubercle ( p < 0.05). There was also a statistically significant difference in the clinical results of UCLA, WORC, and VAS scores according to the cyst sizes in the anterior greater tubercle cyst group ( p < 0.05).

Conclusion:

Anterior greater tubercle cysts have negative effects on rotator cuff repair results. If the anterior greater tubercle cyst size is greater than 5 mm, the negative effects of rotator cuff repair results are more pronounced. An understanding of anterior greater tubercle cysts has a critical importance for rotator cuff surgery planning.
MYD88 L265P mutation and CDKN2A loss are early mutational events in primary central nervous system diffuse large B-cell lymphomas
Authors: Nayyar Naema , White Michael D. , Gill Corey M. , Lastrapes Matthew , Bertalan Mia , Kaplan Alexander , D’Andrea Megan R. , Bihun Ivanna , Kaneb Andrew , Dietrich Jorg , Ferry Judith A. , Martinez-Lage Maria , Giobbie-Hurder Anita , Borger Darrell R. , Rodriguez Fausto J. , Frosch Matthew P. , Batchelor Emily , Hoang Kaitlin , Kuter Benjamin , Fortin Sarah , Holdhoff Matthias , Cahill Daniel P. , Carter Scott , Brastianos Priscilla K. , Batchelor Tracy T.
Published: February 2019

The genetic alterations that define primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) are incompletely elucidated, and the genomic evolution from diagnosis to relapse is poorly understood. We performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) on 36 PCNSL patients and targeted MYD88 sequencing on a validation cohort of 27 PCNSL patients. We also performed WES and phylogenetic analysis of 3 matched newly diagnosed and relapsed tumor specimens and 1 synchronous intracranial and extracranial relapse. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for programmed death-1 ligand (PD-L1) was performed on 43 patient specimens. Combined WES and targeted sequencing identified MYD88 mutation in 67% (42 of 63) of patients, CDKN2A biallelic loss in 44% (16 of 36), and CD79b mutation in 61% (22 of 36). Copy-number analysis demonstrated frequent regions of copy loss (ie, CDKN2A), with few areas of amplification. CD79b mutations were associated with improved progression-free and overall survival. We did not identify amplification at the PD-1/PD-L1 loci. IHC for PD-L1 revealed membranous expression in 30% (13 of 43) of specimens. Phylogenetic analysis of paired primary and relapsed specimens identified MYD88 mutation and CDKN2A loss as early clonal events. PCNSL is characterized by frequent mutations within the B-cell receptor and NF-κB pathways. The lack of PD-L1 amplifications, along with membranous PD-L1 expression in 30% of our cohort, suggests that PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors may be useful in a subset of PCNSL. WES of PCNSL provides insight into the genomic landscape and evolution of this rare lymphoma subtype and potentially informs more rational treatment decisions.
An amplitude-preserving deblending approach for simultaneous sources
Authors: Li Chengbo , Mosher Charles C. , Ji Yongchang
Published: February 2019

A goal of simultaneous shooting is to acquire high-quality seismic data more efficiently, while reducing operational costs and improving acquisition efficiency. Effective sampling and deblending techniques are essential to achieve this goal. Inspired by compressive sensing (CS), we have formulated deblending as an analysis-based sparse inversion problem. We solve the inversion problem with an algorithm derived from the classic alternating direction method (ADM), associated with variable splitting and nonmonotone line-search techniques. In our testing, the analysis-based formulation together with nonmonotone ADM algorithm provides improved performance compared with synthesis-based approaches. A major issue for all deblending approaches is how to deal with real-world variations in seismic data caused by static shifts and amplitude imbalances. We evaluate the concept of including static and amplitude corrections obtained from surface-consistent solutions into the deblending formulation. We implement solutions that use a multistage inversion scheme to overcome the practical issues embedded in the field-blended data, such as strong coherent noise, statics, and shot-amplitude variations. The combination of these techniques gives high-fidelity deblending results for marine and land data. We use two field-data examples acquired with simultaneous sources to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Imaging and amplitude variation with offset quantitative analysis are carried out to indicate the amplitude-preserving character of deblended data with this methodology.