We are delighted to announce the winners of this year’s East Asian Social Policy (EASP) Early Career Research Awards, recognising outstanding scholarship in the field of social policy in East Asia. We thank Lingnan University of Hong Kong for generously sponsoring these awards. The winners are:
1. PhD Student Award
Migyeong Yun
Doctoral Researcher, University of Bremen, Germany
Migyeong is a PhD student at the University of Bremen, Germany, currently working on the project Global Dynamics of Long-Term Care, which is part of the Collaborative Research Center 1342, funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft). Her research interests focus on the comparative study of long-term care policy development, migrant care, and the East Asian welfare regime
Title:
Transnational Policy Diffusion and National Context: Explaining different outcomes of long-term care insurance promotion in South Korea and Taiwan
This paper addresses an under-researched negative case in diffusion studies — the non-adoption of policy ideas — within the context of long-term care insurance in South Korea and Taiwan. It expands beyond the typical pro-innovation bias and creatively applies the typology of policy learning modes.
2. Early Career Scholar Award
Nathan Peng
Assistant Professor of Political Science, Singapore Management University
Nathan is a mixed-methods researcher from Singapore Management University focusing on the theory and practice of mitigating inequality and fostering social mobility. To do this, he employs a range of research methods; from expert interviews, focus group discussions, to geospatial analysis.
Title:
Lingering Detachments: How Narratives Affect Social Policy Uptake in Singapore
This highly original paper establishes a creative link between historical narrative socialization and contemporary welfare non-take-up, highlighting an important and subtle cultural-psychological dimension. It stands out as a sophisticated, single-authored contribution.