General Election 2015 in Singapore: What Social Media Did and Did not Do

Abstract

The online buzz leading up to the 2015 Singapore general election (GE2015) favoured opposition parties and personalities, encouraging perceptions that the opposition would garner more votes than in 2011. Instead, the ruling People’s Action Party won and saw an increase in their vote share from 60.1% in 2011 to 69.9%. What role, then, did social media play in this election? This study shows that, against prevailing assumptions, GE2015 was not a social media election. Through an online survey of 2,000 respondents conducted after polling day, it was found that mainstream media and their online counterparts were used most frequently and were trusted more as sources of information about the election. Online and offline political participation was also low. However, social media users were more interested in election issues, were more likely to discuss politics with others and participated more in offline political activities than non-users.     

Adapting to Prison Life: A Qualitative Examination of the Coping Process among Incarcerated Offenders

Research on general strain theory has demonstrated the impact of strain on decisions to engage in crime and delinquency. However, people differ in their responses to strain and only some resort to crime or delinquency. There remain gaps in our knowledge of when, and under what conditions, individuals will react to strain with offending behavior. We rely on interviews with 40 incarcerated men to understand how they cope with specific prison strains, and why they make such coping choices. We find considerable variation in inmates’ coping responses. They use a variety of coping strategies—behavioral, cognitive, and emotional—and only some of these strategies involve offending. Our findings indicate that responses to prison strain are partly a function of past experience with strains, including prior experimentation with coping techniques. Results highlight the unfolding nature of the coping process and expose factors that deserve further attention in tests of GST.     

The impact of family indifference on delinquency among American Indian youth: A test of general strain theory

Native American (NA) youth's delinquency is one of the major problems that have been overlooked by criminal justice researchers and practitioners. To examine if negative family environment influences their delinquency with the mediating effect of negative emotion, this study analyzed structural equation modeling based on the General Strain Theory (GST). Using data regarding NA adolescents, this study found much evidence supporting GST. The results of the model with anger showed that anger was a mediating variable between family indifferences and delinquency, and the model with depression indicated that family indifferences increased delinquency through depression. However, some results in the model with anger and depression were not in accordance with GST hypothesis.     

Do the Mental Health Consequences of Sexual Victimization Differ Between Males and Females? A General Strain Theory Approach

Sexual assault is a traumatizing event linked to numerous mental health consequences. Although extant research has thoroughly examined the collateral consequences experienced by females, limited literature exists regarding how sexual violence comparatively affects males and females. Using data from the National Violence Against Women Survey (1995–1996) and a strain theoretical framework, the current study addresses this research gap to understand the effects of sexual assault and sex on depression. Results indicate that victims of sexual assault have higher depression scores than persons who have not been sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Moreover, we found no sex effect for sexual assault on depression. The methodology used eliminated a bias typically associated with regression analyses, caused from statistical inference after improper model selection. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

劳动担保合同存废论——兼论确立劳动人事一般保证制度

对于劳动担保合同,言废者有之,言存者有之。从现实来看,一方面,《劳动合同法》关于不得要求劳动者提供担保的规定未能消除大量存在的劳动担保合同;另一方面,劳动担保合同领域存在的乱象亦亟需疏导规制。因此,劳动担保合同既不可简单废除,也不能轻言存续。正确的选择是既要从严控制劳动担保合同的订立和适用,也要在立法上留有余地,确立特定行业岗位的劳动人事一般保证制度,不实行连带保证制度。     

中国经济法学总论30年研究:关键词视角

经济法是现代法,极少有现代化与传统冲突的痛苦,其开放性和对新观念、新理论的强劲吸纳能力,便于从现代化的理论和实践中获得支撑。中国经济法学总论30年研究表明,在我国传统、现代与后现代的共时性存在的具体语境下,经济法总论重在探究市场与政府、经济与法律、私法与公法这三对关键词。经济法既是“有关经济的法”,又是“经济法”。认真对待经济法,就必须克服“中国式”市场与政府、经济与法律、国家与社会、科技与财政等种种挑战,介于经济私法与经济公法、经济学与经济政策、经济行政与经济行政政策、传统与现代等横切面之间进行研究。经济法应主要作为法律科学而不是法律部门,经济法理论应由“小经济法”转向“大经济法”。这种“否定之否定”的角色转型,有助于解决“中国经济法学向何处去”的问题,真正面向中国社会的真问题,与西方经济法学前沿理论开展有建设性的对话。     

使用假币罪的实行行为方式解读

“使用伪造的货币”是我国现行刑法规定的使用假币罪的实行行为方式,学界对其基本含义存在“狭义说”与“广义说”之争,这种争议实质上是基于规范用语与普通用语的不同角度来理解“使用”概念而产生的。根据我国使用假币罪的立法变动情况和普通用语规范化的目的论解释方法,“使用伪造的货币”的基本含义应当解读为：以伪造的货币冒充真币,并以真币的通常用法加以利用的行为,但是应当排除私人储藏、出售伪造的货币以及银行工作人员以伪造的货币换取真币等三种情形。     

诚信原则在WTO争端解决机制中的适用评析

诚信原则作为各国民法中最重要的原则,已经成为国际法中的一般法律原则,越来越频繁地应用在WTO争端解决中。由于诚信原则存在明显的不确定性,难以在实践中适用,专家组和上诉机构在诸多案例中对诚信原则的含义及其解释法律和弥补法律漏洞的司法职能进行了确认,并成功地解决了不少争端。遗憾的是,上诉机构的司法限制制约了专家组的有益探索,过分谨慎。当前国际国内经济与法律的发展为专家组和上诉机构进行更大胆的探索准备了良好的条件,WTO争端解决机制应充分发挥诚信原则的司法职能,确立成员方诚信履行WTO实体法律的独立的义务,这将有利于弥补WTO的相关法律漏洞,迅速有效地解决争端。     

索马里海盗赎金的共同海损性质论

索马里海盗并非恐怖主义,船东支付海盗赎金解救被劫船货不应被认定为非法。在索马里海盗劫持船货期间,船舶和货物面临共同的真实危险。在公权力救助没有取得效果的情形下,支付赎金是解救船货的合理措施。赎金是船东应尽的法定义务之外的损失,是船东为船货利益作出的自我牺牲,符合共同海损的构成要件。基于保护和平衡船货双方利益的宗旨,应将索马里海盗赎金认定为共同海损,并由船货双方予以分摊。