Social sciences

Experts from University of Toronto's Asian Institute will discuss the recent events in Myanmar, during a webinar on Feb. 23. Registration is free.

IDRC seeks proposals for action research projects to generate evidence on innovative legal empowerment approaches and experimentation from the field. Lasting three years, the research projects can be either single country studies led by local organizations or multi-country studies led by local organizations across countries.

Following the completion of a World Bank-commissioned project in Vietnam in 2017, The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) is extending its reach to another ASEAN country in the region. The University has partnered with five leading higher education institutions in Cambodia, under the World Bank’s Higher Education Improvement project, to build the capacity of higher education teachers.

ARN's February newsletter features research about catalyzing plastic recycling, the mental health toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, antiperovskites and oolong tea. In honor of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we also have tips for addressing gender bias in STEM communications, and inspirational stories about pioneering female scientists from our Giants in History series. Read on...

To celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science on Feb. 11, we are highlighting Giants in History - Asia's Women in Science, as well as tips for boosting women's voices in science communication and other organizations working to support women in research.

A deep learning algorithm can detect emotion, including depression, using a voice signal. The system, developed by Teddy Surya Gunawan at the International Islamic University Malaysia, could be used by suicide prevention call centres and psychological counsellors.

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A survey “Understanding Hong Kong working adults’ aspiration for taking up residence in China's Greater Bay Area cities”, conducted by the School of Graduate Studies of Lingnan University in Hong Kong (LU), found that the psychological distance definitely reduces people’s intention to move to the Greater Bay Area (GBA). The research team noted an urgent need for policymakers to raise public awareness of the positive aspects of the GBA and its future development.

Patients with motor dysfunctions are on the rise across Japan as its population continues to age. A Tohoku University researcher has developed a new method of rehabilitation using virtual reality to increase the sense of agency over our body and aid motor skills.

Editor's Choice is a fun and easy way to stay on top of the latest research each month from Asia Research News.

The COVID-19 outbreak has created upheavals for everyone. Working from home (WFH) has become a new normal and is not expected to end even after the pandemic. Teaching and learning are no exceptions, although a recent study conducted by Lingnan University (LU) shows that both undergraduate students and community partner organisations generally prefer face-to-face interaction to the working-and-learning-from-home (WLFH) mode of internships.

The December 2020 issue of the Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences Research (JHSSR) is now live at the journal’s webpage.

A Lingnan University (LU) survey assessing how undergraduate students perceive their development from service-learning programmes showed that the respondents’ overall personal qualities and skills were significantly strengthened. In particular, “knowledge application” and “personal and professional skills” rose by 10 per cent. The research team noted that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, 70 per cent of respondents had to adopt the new mode of “service-learning from home”.

Local development issues are often complex and involve multiple stakeholders, making them difficult to solve. IIUM transdisciplinary expert Irina Safitri Zen of the Sustainability Leadership for Community (SL4C) program says academics need to develop core competencies in order to translate local sustainability policies into actions.

A collaboration between Osaka City University and the advertising company Hakuhodo Inc. brings innovation to conflict resolution during corporate development with a process that has businesses and the public voice their concerns and systematically solve them together, instead of a one-way game of convincing each other.

A Duke-NUS Medical School study finds that new labels may be needed to help consumers make healthier food purchases.

Lingnan University (LU) hosted the annual Conference for Higher Education Research (CHER) 2020 On 13 and 14 November, offering the education sector a chance to take stock of the valuable lessons that have already been learned, and propose ways forward into a radically different, post-COVID future.

A recent survey “Understanding Hong Kong and Mainland university students’ intentions to study overseas after the COVID-19 crisis”, conducted by the School of Graduate Studies of Lingnan University (LU) finds that only 16 per cent of respondents have plans to pursue postgraduate studies abroad. In addition, Hong Kong is the second most popular post-COVID study destination, just behind the US and ahead of the UK. The research team points out that the pandemic is shifting the mobility flow of international students, and that East Asian countries and regions are facing more opportunities in the increasingly competitive higher education sector for international students.

Researchers uncovered ancient Buddhist paintings possibly dating back to over 1,300 years ago kept hidden in plain sight on soot-covered temple columns.

In a recent international survey conducted by Lingnan University (LU) in Hong Kong on children’s well-being, the overall well-being of Hong Kong children aged 12 and 10 ranked the lowest and second lowest respectively when compared with the 35 participating countries or regions. In the 15 aspects of lives, Hong Kong children’s scores on “leisure time use” and “being listened to by adults” are the lowest among neighboring Asian regions.

To encourage and support cross-faculty, inter-university and international collaboration in the study of economic and social development, policy and governance, Lingnan University (LU) has recently established the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS). Riding on its current research strengths, along with regional and global collaborative links, IPS enjoys the dual advantages of local relevance and global resonance through incorporating various LU’s existing policy research centres and linking inter-university research platforms. In addition to the cutting-edge research and knowledge transfer activities, IPS aims to enhance LU’s high-quality professional training in policy, development and governance studies.

Looking for experts who can comment on natural disasters when they occur, or disaster planning and research? We have compiled a list of experts from across Asia prepared to speak with journalists on a wide range of disaster types and issues.

This year’s ADB-Asian Think Tank Development Forum will provide a venue to share ideas and experiences among affiliated scholars on the policies and strategies that countries should pursue to mitigate the big slump in the tourism industry. Deadline 30 September 2020.

Professor Dennis Yuk Ming LO from the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU Medicine) was just announced as a winner of The 2021 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for discovering that fetal DNA is present in maternal blood and can be used for the prenatal testing of Down syndrome and a variety of genetic diseases. Professor Lo’s prenatal testing technology is now performed over 7 million times annually with women in over 90 countries. The Breakthrough Prize, renowned as the “Oscars of Science”, aims to honour paradigm shifting research in the categories of Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences and Mathematics and was created and funded by founders of a number of leading enterprises in the global technology sector in 2012. The awardees are nominated in an open online process. Each laureate receives US$3 million (equivalent to HK$24 million) in prize money, which is the most generous science award to date and attracts considerable attention in the global scientific community.

The JUL 2020 regular issue of the Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences Research (JHSSR), Volume 2 (1) JUL. 2020 has been published ahead of time on 30 Jun 2020 and is now live at the Journal’s webpage.

The Annual Peace & Security Review 2020 is a comprehensive overview of Myanmar’s security landscape, with insider information and in-depth analysis to inform and nudge the country one step closer towards peace.

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In our Asia Research News Podcast, we delve into Doing Research in Myanmar: a systematic study of how social science research is produced, distributed and used in the country.

With increasing unemployment, economists are devising and proposing economic measures that could help ensure a sustainable increase in consumer spending and circumvent a long-term economic recession. However, whether the proposed economic measures are going to provide a long-term solution to these problems remains a concern.

A research team led by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has launched an online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programme. Introduced in April 2020 for Hong Kong people with mild to moderate depressive symptoms, the programme provides them with easy access to counselling services and reduces the stigma associated with depression. The team will recruit 400 participants aged between 18 and 70 with depressive symptoms and provide training next year to around 200 local mental health professionals on how to operate this online CBT programme, with the aim of serving more people in the long run.