Social sciences

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Digital humanities
14 Sep 2021
Social media makes it easy for us to know how friends are doing recently, and even give us clues about our friends’ social networks. But in order to know the social networks of people of the past, you may have to bury yourself in countless ancient books and put in a lot of effort to figure out their actual relationships. A historian from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) who actively promotes digital humanities research uses digital tools to study the history of the Song dynasty. For example, he is drawn to the “circles of friends” from the letters written by historical figures from the Song dynasty in China. He has been sharing his experience in applying computer and information technology to the humanities in recent years. In addition to revolutionalising the humanities research model, he hopes to gather scholars from different fields to conduct joint research initiatives.
13 Sep 2021
The MSME sector in Sri Lanka amounts to 1.017 million establishments, employing approximately 2.25 million persons. This approximates to more than 90% of total establishments in the country and 45% of total employment.
08 Sep 2021
Unprecedented declines in merchandise trade, foreign direct investment (FDI) flows, tourism and cross-border migration have all been hallmarks of the economic fallout of COVID-19. As a result, growth expectations for countries worldwide dimmed. Nonetheless, thanks in part to substantial expansionary monetary and fiscal policies being rolled out to achieve pre-COVID economic recovery levels and the development of vaccines, the contraction in global trade and economic output are less than what was anticipated. The Sri Lankan economy too has been impacted by these external developments, witnessing fluctuating fortunes in its external sector performance. This blog discusses the impacts of global economic developments on Sri Lanka’s external sector and suggests ways to cushion them.
Researchers find that climate change adaptation brings health co-benefits
03 Sep 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased attention on links between public health and the planet’s health — areas traditionally addressed in separate science and policy circles. Now, an international research collaboration conducted the first comprehensive review of urban climate change responses and potential human health improvements.
30 Aug 2021
On 20 May 2021, Sri Lanka’s worst-ever marine disaster occurred when a fire erupted on the Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl container ship just 18 km Northwest of Colombo. While the long-term cost is yet to be determined, the negative impact on industries such as fisheries and tourism, and people who rely on the coastal resources of Sri Lanka is already apparent.
12 Aug 2021
The nutritional status of children under five in Sri Lanka has not shown a significant improvement for the last 20 years. It has also been lagging behind most of the other health and social indicators on children. IPS research shows that household income, inadequate nutrient intake, breastfeeding practices, mothers’ education, etc., play a major role in child undernutrition in Sri Lanka. Moreover, given significant losses in household income experienced at the hands of the COVID-19 pandemic, nutrient intake may have declined further over the past year. As such, it would be a challenging task for health planners to develop effective strategies to minimise undernutrition among children under five years. This article highlights some of the facts contributing to child undernutrition in Sri Lanka and suggests ways to address this critical issue.
02 Aug 2021
A recent study conducted by Lingnan University (LU) in Hong Kong confirms a positive association between educational attainment and life satisfaction at the individual level. However, once labour market outcomes and especially income levels are accounted for, this positive relationship disappears.
Prior to the pandemic, a combination of occlusion (top left) and priming (middle left) led to a perception that individuals wearing face masks were less attractive. Due to the pandemic, the priming effect was eliminated (middle right) and only occlusion affected attractiveness perception; hence, faces with lower attractiveness were perceived as more attractive when wearing a face mask.
22 Jul 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic has improved perceptions of facial attractiveness and healthiness of people wearing face masks in Japan.
07 Jul 2021
Lonely older adults live at least three fewer years, in poorer health, and are less active than non-lonely peers, say ageing research experts.
30 Jun 2021
Assistant Professor Mai Ishihara is the first female full-time researcher at Hokkaido University’s Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies (CAIS) and is the first female faculty member who openly reveals her Ainu ancestry. As a quarter-Ainu, Ishihara talked about how she had been subdued by her own ignorance, and later by silence, of her Ainu ancestry. She transformed her struggle and her views on the pain faced by her Ainu (indigenous people of Hokkaido) ancestors into a book based on her long-term research.
15 Jun 2021
Paris, June 11 – Spending on science worldwide increased (+19%) between 2014 and 2018, as did the number of scientists (+13.7%). This trend has been further boosted by the COVID crisis, according to UNESCO’s new Science Report, The Race against Time for Smarter Development.
29 May 2021
A look at Japan’s mimamoru approach suggests that adults’ non-intervention in kids’ fights allows children to nurture social and interpersonal skills on their own. Is it worth a try in other countries?
27 May 2021
The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami devastated fishing communities along the Miyagi coast. A Tohoku University anthropologist carried field research in the small fishing community in Isohama. Here he found elements of competitive and collective behavior ensuing following the earthquake.
25 May 2021
A recent survey conducted by Lingnan University (LU) and the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) finds that 11 to 14 per cent of older adults eligible for the current three cash welfare subsidies do not claim them, mainly because of the complexity of application procedures, high transaction costs and perceived stigma. The research team suggests the Government should reduce administrative burdens, and re-brand welfare subsidies for older adults.
Case15 - Lead Photo Building Women's Confidence
14 May 2021
Many hurdles remain to achieve gender equality in Myanmar politics and society at large. Research supported by Canada’s Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar Initiative is identifying opportunities to close the gap.
Population heatmap of Tehran
16 Apr 2021
A person who owns a car or who has a college education may be less vulnerable to COVID-19, according to an analysis of cases in Tehran, Iran, one of the early epicenters of the pandemic. While such variables do not inherently lower a person’s risk, they do indicate an infrastructure of protection that persists despite how densely populated a person’s district might be.
Students at Hiroshima University using bicycles to commute to campus.
30 Mar 2021
The younger generations are willing to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to sustainable living. In a study questioning both commitment to sustainable behaviors and willingness to trade better pay to work for a more sustainable-minded company, the surveyed young adults in Japan made their preferences clear.
09 Mar 2021
Susanne Klien is an associate professor at Hokkaido University’s Modern Japanese Studies Program (MJSP). Having explored intangible cultural heritage across Japan, Klien has been expanding her research in area studies and anthropology on rural Japan. During her previous work for a research institute in Tokyo, she observed a unique migration pattern that has been taking place in Japan: more young people are relocating from big cities to rural areas, for example to the Tohoku area, the northeastern portion of Japan’s main island of Honshu.
04 Mar 2021
We are pleased to invite you to participate in the international conference ALTERSEA in its digital format. Through cross-disciplinary approaches, the contributors will dialogue on social movements and social activism, as well as less visible initiatives, marginal or infra-political forms of protest and resistance and what we could consider as social systems of political regulation.
26 Feb 2021
Twenty-two scholars of The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) were named on Stanford University’s list of the top two per cent most-cited scientists in various disciplines, including President Professor Stephen Cheung Yan-leung, Chair Professor of Public Policy; Professor Jim Chi-yung, Research Chair Professor of Geography & Environmental Science; and Professor Wong Ming-hung, Advisor (Environmental Science).
19 Feb 2021
Experts from University of Toronto's Asian Institute will discuss the recent events in Myanmar, during a webinar on Feb. 23. Registration is free.
17 Feb 2021
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.
16 Feb 2021
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.
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11 Feb 2021
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...
10 Feb 2021
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.
03 Feb 2021
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.
24 Jan 2021
Be included in a tip sheet for reporters. A communications service from Asia Research News.
24 Jan 2021
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.
20 Jan 2021
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.
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14 Jan 2021
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