In addition to the most pressing issues of the day, scholars at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies focus their research on many regions of the world, from Beijing to Brazil.
Research Spotlight
South Korea's Democratic Decay
South Korea is following global trends as it slides toward a “democratic depression.” Both the spirit of democracy and actual liberal-democratic standards are under attack.
The Deer and the Dragon: Southeast Asia and China in the 21st Century
Southeast Asian and Chinese perceptions of each other are examined using survey research and by asking whether China views the region as its “strategic backyard.”
Author Vincent Barletta explores rhythm as a primordial and physical binding force that establishes order and form in the ancient world, as the anatomy of lived experience in early modern Europe, and as a subject of aesthetic and ethical questioning in the twentieth century.
This paper examines the correlation between cognitive ability and firm creation. Drawing on administrative college admissions data and firm registration records in China, we investigate who had created firms by their mid-30s. We find a clear pattern of entrepreneurial reluctance: Given the same backgrounds, individuals with higher college entrance exam scores are less likely to create firms. Through an exploration of firm performance, alternative career trajectories, and variations across regions, we propose an explanation: The ability represented by exam scores is useful across occupations, yet higher-scoring individuals are attracted to waged jobs, particularly those of the state sector.
Existing Law and Extended Reality: An Edited Volume of the 2023 Symposium Proceedings, compiles and expands upon the ideas presented during the symposium. Edited by Brittan Heller, the collection includes contributions from symposium speakers and scholars who delve deeper into the regulatory gaps, ethical concerns, and societal impacts of XR and AI.
Children and Youth Services Review,
October 9, 2024
Using a longitudinal data set developed from surveys of 1,285 children (and their families), as well as 683 preschools teachers in 382 preschools in rural western China, we examined the association between preschool quality and the development (cognitive and social-emotional skills) of preschool children. The findings showed that 55 % of the sample children were cognitively delayed, and 49 % of the children were social-emotionally delayed at age 3. The rates of delay decreased to less than 40 % when the children were at preschool age. Although other factors were associated with the decline in development delays, according to the findings, preschool attendance respectively led to an improvement of 0.47 SD (p = 0.001) in child cognitive development (i.e., the fall in delays). More specifically, the global quality and the structural quality of preschools improved child cognitive development by 0.11 SD (p = 0.001) and 0.09 SD (p = 0.004), respectively. The findings of the subgroup analyses suggested that children from disadvantaged backgrounds benefited more from being able to attend quality preschools. Preschool quality also helped to improve developmental outcomes (cognitive abilities and social-emotional skills): for children that were developmentally delayed before age 3, but not for those children that were not delayed when they were 3 years old; for children with lower educated parents, but not for those with more highly educated parents; for children that were from relatively poor families, but not for those that were from relatively rich families; and for children that were attending preschools in rural areas, but not for those who were attending a preschool in an urban area.
Early Childhood Research Quarterly,
October 9, 2024
In rural China, there exists a gender gap in academic achievement where girls outperform boys, suggesting similar differences in early language development. Moreover, recent research has revealed that children in peri-urban communities have worse language outcomes than children in rural communities. This study examines the impact of gender on early language development in low-SES, peri-urban Chinese communities. Data from 81 children (56.79% boys) aged 18-24 months (Mage = 21.16) living in peri-urban China were collected using two caregiver-reported tests for child language development and ability, and language environment analysis technology for measuring the home language environment. Results show that in peri-urban communities, girls were generally exposed to more adult-child conversations and showed higher counts of vocalizations than did boys; girls scored higher on language development measures than did boys. The implications of these findings on the gender gap and child development are discussed.
Risk Management and Healthcare Policy,
September 18, 2024
Purpose: Depression is a growing public health concern around the world. For adolescents, depression not only impedes healthy development, but is negatively associated with academic performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the prevalence of adolescent depressive symptoms in a sample of rural primary and junior high school students. Additionally, we examine various factors to identify subgroups within the sample that may be more vulnerable to depression. Finally, we explore the extent to which depression correlates with academic performance and conduct a series of heterogeneity analyses.
Patients and Methods: We utilize cross-sectional data derived from 30 schools in underdeveloped regions of rural China encompassing primary and junior high school students (n = 1,609).
Results: We find a high prevalence of depression, with 23% and 9% of students experiencing general depression (depression score ≥ 14) and severe depression (depression score ≥ 21), respectively. Female gender, elevated stress and anxiety levels, boarding at school, exposure to bullying, and having depressed caregiver(s) are positively correlated with depressive symptoms, while high social support exhibits a negative association. Importantly, our analyses consistently show a significantly negative link between depression and academic performance, which is measured using standardized math tests. For instance, transitioning from a non-depressed state to a state of general depression (depression score ≥ 14) is linked to a decline of 0.348– 0.406 standard deviations in math scores (p < 0.01). Heterogeneity analyses reveal that this adverse relationship is more pronounced for male students, boarding students, those with lower social support, individuals with more educated mothers, and those with lower family assets.
Conclusion: Our findings underscore the high prevalence of depression in rural schools and the detrimental impact on academic performance. We advocate for the implementation of policies aimed at reducing student depression, particularly within vulnerable populations and subgroups.
