Reconsidering pro bono : a comparative analysis of protocols in Australia, the united states, the United Kingdom and Singapore

As of now, there is little evidence on the questions of whether pro bono services are effective, whether lawyer charity is a cheaper way to provide them (because it does cost money to do pro bono), or whether it would in fact be more efficient and effective if firms and attorneys stopped giving their time and instead donated money to the organizations already specializing in these clients and causes. Pro bono may or may not be an efficient way of doing socially important work; at this point, we simply do not know

Malesia, Singapore ja etniset kiinalaiset : Kaksi tapaa rakentaa kansallista yhtenäisyyttä

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on perehtyä Malesian ja Singaporen kiinalaisten etniseen ja kansalliseen identiteettiin. Tutkimus tarkastelee ja vertailee erityisesti Malesian ja Singaporen valtionhallintojen keinoja rakentaa kansallista yhtenäisyyttä ja vähentää etnisen identiteetin merkitystä. Lisäksi tutkimus luo kriteerijoukon, jonka avulla voidaan vertailla Malesian ja Singaporen yhteiskuntien onnistumista tai epäonnistumista kansallisen yhtenäisyyden rakentamisessa. Tutkimustehtävä jakautuu kahteen kysymykseen: Miten Malesian ja Singaporen valtionhallinnon menetelmät vaikuttavat etnisten kiinalaisten kansalliseen ja etniseen identiteettiin, ja miten maiden menetelmät eroavat toisistaan? Lopuksi vertailemalla Malesiaa ja Singaporea tutkimuksessa päätellään luodun kriteerijoukon avulla, miten kansallinen yhtenäisyys on toteutunut näissä kahdessa maassa. Tutkimuksen teoriatausta perustuu etnistä ja kansallista identiteettiä tutkineiden Fredrik Barthin, Nathan Glazerin ja Daniel P. Moynihanin, Donald Horowitzin, Milton J. Esmanin, Benedict Andersonin, Anthony D. Smithin ja Stuart Hallin teorioihin. Nämä tutkijat painottavat eri tekijöiden merkitystä kansalliselle identiteetille ja yhtenäisyydelle, toisiaan täydentäen. Kyseessä on teoreettinen tutkimus. Siksi sen aineisto koostuu pääasiassa sekundaarilähteistä: tieteellisistä teoksista ja artikkeleista sekä sähköisistä lehtiartikkeleista. Primäärilähteitä ovat Malesian ja Singaporen perustuslait, Malesian ja Singaporen tilastokeskuksien tilastot sekä Malesian entisen pääministerin Mahathir bin Mohamadin vuonna 1991 pitämä Vision 2020 -puhe. Aineistoa on analysoitu tutkimuksen teoriataustan avulla. Monipuolisemman kuvan muodostamiseksi on tutkimukseen valittu sekä länsimaalaisten tutkijoiden että singaporelaisten ja malesialaisten tutkijoiden tutkimuksia. Lisäksi, puolueellisuuden välttämiseksi, on tutkimukseen valittu eri etnisiin ryhmiin kuuluvien tutkijoiden artikkeleita ja teoksia. Tutkimuksessa on päädytty seuraavan tulokseen. Jotta kansallinen yhtenäisyys voidaan saavuttaa Malesian ja Singaporen monietnisissä yhteiskunnissa, tulee valtionhallinnon keskittyä erityisesti seuraaviin viiteen tehtävään: kansantalouden kehittämiseen, etnisten ryhmien välisen taloudellisen tasa-arvoisuuden edistämiseen, poliittisen aktiivisuuden ja osallistumisen kannustamiseen, etnisten yhteisöjen samanarvoisuuden toteuttamiseen lain edessä ja tasa-arvoisen koulutusjärjestelmän rakentamiseen. Näiden kriteerien perusteella Malesia ja Singapore eivät ole kansallisesti yhtenäisiä valtioita. Singapore on kuitenkin kansallisesti yhtenäisempi, sillä se täyttää viidestä kriteeristä kolme, kun Malesia täyttää vain kaksi kriteeriä. Malesialla ja Singaporella on kaksi hyvin erilaista tapaa rakentaa kansallista yhtenäisyyttä, mutta lopputulokset ovat kuitenkin hyvin samankaltaiset. Tutkimus päättelee, että etnisten yhteisöjen institutionaalinen asema molemmissa maissa on yksi ratkaisevimmista esteistä kansalliselle yhtenäisyydelle.

Bianca and Felix Gerstmann boarding a Royal Air Mail airplane; Singapore Portraits Couples

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Bianca and Felix Gerstmann boarding a Royal Air Mail airplane; Singapore Portraits Couples

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Royal Air Mail plane in Singapore Transportation

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Royal Air Mail plane in Singapore Transportation

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Educational action research in Singapore: To prove or improve?

The rise of educational action research amongst schools in Singapore can be attributed to the government’s belief that educational research and reform can improve school performance and help Singapore keep pace with the impact of globalization. However, against a backdrop of neo-liberal educational reform where efficiency, accountability and demonstrable outcomes are valued, the underlying intent of the action research projects would seem to be inconsistent with the emancipatory intent normally associated with action research. A systematic review was conducted of 71 action research projects submitted to a local educational conference in 2006. Of concern to us is how action research has been narrowly interpreted and recruited simply as an evaluative tool with the emancipatory potential largely ignored. The paper is theoretically framed by governmentality and performativity to explore the embedded power relations that may “fabricate” the action research projects. The findings and discussions suggest a need for the government, schools and teacher-researchers to reflexively question the current expectation of action research and to be clear about its broader purpose

Singapore's biomedical science sector development strategy: is it sustainable?

This paper outlines the strategic efforts undertaken by Singapore to establish its national capability in the biomedical science sector, reviews the commercial base as a result of these efforts and compares Singapore's approach to the UK and the US development models, discusses the challenges that Singapore faces and raises some questions on the long term sustainability of the sector.

Building damage assessment for deep excavations in Singapore and the influence of building stiffness

One of the biggest issues for underground construction in a densely built-up urban environment is the potentially adverse impact on buildings adjacent to deep excavations. In Singapore, a building damage assessment is usually carried out using a three-staged approach to assess the risk of damage caused by major underground construction projects. However, the tensile strains used for assessing the risk of building damage are often derived using deflection ratios and horizontal strains under 'greenfield' conditions. This ignores the effects of building stiffness and in many cases may be conservative. This paper presents some findings from a study on the response of buildings to deep excavations. Firstly, the paper discusses the settlement response of an actual building - the Singapore Art Museum - adjacent to a deep excavation. By comparing the monitored building settlement with the adjacent ground settlement markers, the influence of building stiffness in modifying the response to excavation-induced settlements is observed. Using the finite element method, a numerical study on the building response to movements induced by deep excavations found a consistent relationship between the building modification factor and a newly defined relative bending stiffness of the building. This relationship can be used as a design guidance to estimate the deflection ratio in a building from the greenfield condition. By comparing the case study results with the design guidance developed from finite element analysis, this paper presents some important characteristics of the influence of building stiffness on building damages for deep excavations.

World Library Summit and visits to libraries in Singapore: a report

Tedd, L.A. (2002). World Library Summit and visits to libraries in Singapore: a report. Program:electronic library and information systems, 36(4), 253-260.

Future requirements for and supply of ophthalmologists for an aging population in Singapore.

BACKGROUND: Singapore's population, as that of many other countries, is aging; this is likely to lead to an increase in eye diseases and the demand for eye care. Since ophthalmologist training is long and expensive, early planning is essential. This paper forecasts workforce and training requirements for Singapore up to the year 2040 under several plausible future scenarios. METHODS: The Singapore Eye Care Workforce Model was created as a continuous time compartment model with explicit workforce stocks using system dynamics. The model has three modules: prevalence of eye disease, demand, and workforce requirements. The model is used to simulate the prevalence of eye diseases, patient visits, and workforce requirements for the public sector under different scenarios in order to determine training requirements. RESULTS: Four scenarios were constructed. Under the baseline business-as-usual scenario, the required number of ophthalmologists is projected to increase by 117% from 2015 to 2040. Under the current policy scenario (assuming an increase of service uptake due to increased awareness, availability, and accessibility of eye care services), the increase will be 175%, while under the new model of care scenario (considering the additional effect of providing some services by non-ophthalmologists) the increase will only be 150%. The moderated workload scenario (assuming in addition a reduction of the clinical workload) projects an increase in the required number of ophthalmologists of 192% by 2040. Considering the uncertainties in the projected demand for eye care services, under the business-as-usual scenario, a residency intake of 8-22 residents per year is required, 17-21 under the current policy scenario, 14-18 under the new model of care scenario, and, under the moderated workload scenario, an intake of 18-23 residents per year is required. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that under all scenarios considered, Singapore's aging and growing population will result in an almost doubling of the number of Singaporeans with eye conditions, a significant increase in public sector eye care demand and, consequently, a greater requirement for ophthalmologists.