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- E-ISSN2383-9449
- SCOPUS
E-ISSN : 2383-9449
Vol.18 No.1
Abstract
During the Obama administration, America made a shift in its foreign policies to re-focus on Asia. The strategy, known as 'Pivot to Asia', was used to contain a rising China. In this editorial note, I appropriate the geopolitical term to call for a scholarly refocus on Asia (and the broader Asia Pacific region). JCEA started as an area journal. While it has become more technology-focused and less geographically-bounded in its coverage of topics, the journal recognizes the centrality of the region's political economy and technological forces in setting (and upsetting) global norms and rules. The Asia Pacific contains the world's freest economies as well as the most oppressive regimes. It breeds both technology giants and laggards. As new geopolitical tensions loom, it is where the digital iron curtain is drawn, and where the vice and virtue of innovations debated. Social scientists in the English world, who lend extensively on European and American cases, can benefit from studying the Asia Pacific by testing whether and how local experience conforms to or confronts with universal theories. Very likely, western-centric norms and models become morphed and entangled in the grounded local particularity, reflecting many shades of this diverse place. In my arguments below, I highlight the Asia Pacific as a site of contradiction, as well as a site of contention and negotiation. My emphasis is that regional particularity holds the key to answer concurrent debates in the West concerning governance and accountability in the digital age.
Abstract
This study describes an approach for comparative bibliometric analysis of scientific publications related to (i) individual or several departments comprising a university, and (ii) broader integrated subject areas using multiple disciplinary schemes. It uses a custom dataset of scientific publications (ca. 15,000 articles and reviews, published during 2009-2013, and recorded in the Web of Science Core Collections) with author affiliations to the research departments, dedicated to science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM), of a comprehensive university. The dataset was subjected, at first, to the department level and discipline level analyses using the newly available KAKEN-L3 classification (based on MEXT/JSPS Grants-in-Aid system), hierarchical clustering, correspondence analysis to decipher the major departmental and disciplinary clusters, and visualization of the department-discipline relationships using two-dimensional stacked bar diagrams. The next step involved the creation of subsets covering integrated subject areas and a comparative analysis of departmental contributions to a specific area (medical, health and life science) using several disciplinary schemes: Essential Science Indicators (ESI) 22 research fields, SCOPUS 27 subject areas, OECD Frascati 38 subordinate research fields, and KAKEN-L3 66 subject categories. To illustrate the effective use of the science mapping techniques, the same subset for medical, health and life science area was subjected to network analyses for co-occurrences of keywords, bibliographic coupling of the publication sources, and co-citation of sources in the reference lists. The science mapping approach demonstrates the ways to extract information on the prolific research themes, the most frequently used journals for publishing research findings, and the knowledge base underlying the research activities covered by the publications concerned.
Abstract
China has initiated a series of "economic sanctions" against South Korea, affecting Korean pop stars visiting China and Korean investments in China. Sanctions were imposed on South Korea in response to the decision of South Korea to deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in 2016. Furthermore, the Global Daily assembled local population to boycott Korean products and investments in China. However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has never positively confirmed these activities as economic sanctions to South Korea related to the THAAD installation. In other words, the Chinese government singled a relatively weak message via these sanctions to South Korea. As a result, the THADD implementation continued in South Korea. In the paper, I interpret China's rationale to impost puzzling economic sanctions, which have a weak resolution, to South Korea and Taiwan. As signaling theory argues, economic sanctions with insufficient resolution, which are more likely to fail, is a more provocative foreign policy. By reviewing China's sanctions usage to South Korea and Taiwan, I propose arguments of bureaucratic competition to answer why China launched such sanctions to other countries: those are caused by domestic institutions who are seeking reward from the Communist Party of China. By comparing shifts of leadership between domestic agencies, the paper provides evidence to support the proposed argument. I also include two alternative explanations to strengthen the proposed argument, albeit connecting the paper with other two larger streams of research, which address analyses of China's aggressive foreign policies as well as the domestic politics of economic sanctions.
Abstract
Over the last couple of years, digital diplomacy has become a fascinating area of research among Mass Communication, Peace and Conflict Studies, and International Affairs scholars. Social media and new technology open up new avenues for governments, individuals, and organizations to engage with foreign audiences. However, developing countries' governments are still lacking in the realization of the potential of social media. This study aims to analyze the usage of social media (Facebook & Twitter) by the two biggest countries in South Asia (Pakistan and India). I selected 10 government officials' social media accounts including prime ministers', national press offices', military public relations offices', public diplomacy divisions', and ministries of foreign offices' profiles. The study relies on quantitative content analysis and a comparative research approach. The total number of analyzed Twitter tweets (n=1,015) and Facebook posts (n=1,005) include 10 accounts, five from each country. In light of Kent and Taylor's (1998) dialogic communication framework, the results indicate that no digital engagement and dialogue occurs between government departments and the public through social networking sites. Government departments do not engage with local or foreign audiences through digital media. When comparing both countries, results reveal that India has more institutionalized and organized digital diplomacy. In terms of departmental use of social media, the digital diplomacy division and foreign office of India is more active than other government departments in that nation. Meanwhile, Pakistan's military public relations office and press office is more active than its other government departments. In conclusion, both countries realize the potential of social media in digital diplomacy, but still lack engagement with foreign audiences.
Abstract
The contemporary educational system in South Korea is built on high-stakes standardised tests, a manifestation of the national project of social reconstruction and reform. One recent outcome is the emergence of an unfamiliar yet ubiquitous phenomenon: the "pig mum"; a Korean parent who is fully involved in organising, scheduling and managing the educational process from primary to secondary school for a group of children in a neighbourhood. Based on a quasimixed method utilizing a survey of a group of students and parents, this pilot study explores the "pig mum" phenomenon and its linkage to education policy. The authors conclude that the current educational policy fails to achieve the ideals it professes to value. This creates deep and negative societal norms that endanger a growing generation of students by creating a parallel private education market environment where "pig mums" thrive.
Abstract
Over the past few decades, gender equality has been considered one of the fundamental principles and a significant crosscutting issue in international development. However, beyond applying 'gender equality' as a policy buzzword, there has been a lack of critical reviews on how generally 'gender equality in education' is understood and constructed in Korea's development programs and projects. In this regard, this paper explores the use of vocabularies and semantic meanings of gender equality in the Korean Government's Academic Cooperation Program and its 52 projects. By applying mixed contents analysis as a method, the research resulted in several findings: first, the policy papers recently highlighted Korea's directions on gender mainstreaming and gender-sensitive approaches in international development. Second, 'integrating women and girls' into education institutions was emphasized in various projects; third, the term women rather than gender were used in the texts, highlighting their position as a 'marginalized group.' Lastly, there was a lack of evidence of projects dealing with changing gender-based power relations. The constructed gendered relations and powers were identified throughout projects, usually acting as barriers to project activities. However, they were only identified, not challenged, by the program. In conclusion, whilst Korean international development and educational development discourse actively embrace Women in Development (WID) and Gender and Development (GAD) in their programs, it is time to consider the issue of gender equality from different standpoints, such as identity, rights, and capabilities and a more active engagement with Korea's domestic issues in gender discourse and practices is also needed.
Abstract
Smart city, which employs information and communication technology (ICT) to resolve urban problems, is gaining more research attention in the innovation research. However, most previous studies regard citizens as merely passive accepters of the smart city services, focusing on individual private values. The present study aims to expand existing limited perspectives by applying public value management theory. Drawing from the literature review, we developed a dual perspective that a smart city service should encompass: private and public value. Then we set up a causal relationship between the value recognitions and intention to adopt smart city services. We further related antecedent variables to the dual value recognition in terms of citizens' characteristics: prior knowledge, personal innovativeness, and citizenship. Two case subjects among currently operating smart city services in South Korea were selected to empirically investigate our hypothesis. Results confirm the recognition of both public and private value is significantly related to the citizens' personal characteristics and resultant attitude towards acceptance and support for diffusion of the smart city services. This study is expected to provide useful implications for a new angle for the recipient of the smart city services, value orientation of the services, citizen's participation, and method selection for promotion.
Abstract
South Korea's energy policy has been historically established through an energy production structure that relies on thermal and nuclear power generation in relation to a centralized 'Hard Energy System'. However, climate change issues are forcing the transition to renewable energy, and it is crucial for local governments to enable this. This study analyses Seoul city's local energy governance, which is known as One Less Nuclear Power Plant Initiative, by applying the collaborative governance framework inspired by Ansell and Gash (2008) and the Reflexivity framework of Confucianism. It is considered that the local energy governance model of Seoul city can be used as a model by other local governments, and it will eventually lead to a decentralized energy system in this era of energy transition.
Abstract
This study investigates public receptivity to celebrity's climate change advocacy on YouTube through a semantic network analysis. The results of this study suggest that the YouTube video generated a number of viewers' responses. Celebrity endorsement not only leaded public voices on climate change issue, but also their opinions on the celebrity endorser. This study found that most of viewers were polarized in their judgment and attitude toward the celebrity advocate either positively or negatively. This study offers an exploratory examination of the perceived star power and the role of celebrities as spokespersons for social causes. This study contributes to the theoretical foundation of the role of celebrity advocacy using social media. In addition, this study offers methodological insights into how to detect public perceptions and attitudes toward celebrity endorsement of social causes by analyzing public comments.
Abstract
The frequent occurrence of overwhelming disasters necessitates risk communication systems capable of operating effectively in disaster contexts. Few studies have examined risk communication networks during disasters through social networking services (SNS). This study therefore investigates the patterns of risk communication by comparing Korean and international networks based on the social amplification of risk communication in the context of the Sewol ferry disaster (SFD). In addition, differences in language use and patterns between Korean and international contexts are identified through a semantic analysis using KrKwick, NodeXL, and UCINET. The SFD refers to the sinking of the ferry while carrying 476 people, mostly secondary school students. The results for interpersonal risk communication reveal that the structure of the Korean risk communication network differed from that of the international network. The Korean network was more fragmented, and its clustering was more sparsely knitted based on the impact and physical proximity of the disaster. Semantic networks imply that the physical distance from the disaster affected the content of risk communication, as well as the network pattern.
Abstract
This study examined effects of the social-psychological motivations to use Instagram (i.e., identity seeking, social interaction) and narcissistic personality on personal attachment to Instagram and intention to post photos on Instagram. Identity seeking, social interaction and narcissistic personality (i.e., grandiose/exhibition) had significant positive effects on personal attachment to Instagram. Identity seeking and social interaction had significant positive effects on intention to post photos on Instagram. However, narcissistic personality had no effect on the intention to post photos on Instagram. The study results support the theory of the extended-self in the digital context. This study also provides useful information to help organizations understand why people use Instagram as well as how to take advantage of Instagram to enhance their services and consumer experiences.