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This paper attempts to theorize the welfare state formation in advanced East Asian capitalist economies in the context of economic development strategy. State-led, export-oriented industrialization pioneered by Japan and followed by the Four Tigers of South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore set the basic parameters of the Neomercantilist Residual Welfare State (NRWS): low social spending and heavy reliance on family and enterprise welfare. While other theoretical approaches see a general 'underdevelopment' of social welfare in these economies, this paper argues that the NRWS employs 'surrogate social policies' that compensate for the lack of conventional welfare policies without proper noticed in the comparative welfare state literature. Among others, agricultural subsidies for small farmers and the statutory retirement payment for the working and middle classes in Japan, Korea and Taiwan can be considered as such.A major divergence within the East Asian NRWS stems from two factors. One is that Singapore and Hong Kong are small city-states without rural hinterlands; the other is colonial legacy in that the city-states inherited the British-introduced social welfare institutions while Japan, Korea and Taiwan developed the social insurance-based system through policy diffusion and importation. Therefore, the NRWS has two subsets, the city-state and the nation-state model. The NRWS was predicated upon the development strategy that enabled the East Asian 'economic miracle' in the late twentieth century. Recent changes in political economic environments, often summarized into globalization and democratization, have set off a complex process of global convergence/regional divergence of the welfare state in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock music in general, and indie rock in particular, has been characterized as 'white music' in terms of both musicians and audiences. While the two biggest racial minority groups - blacks and Latinos - have their own rich musical traditions that distinguish themselves from the white-dominant rock culture, Asians do not seem to have something equivalent in their musical culture. For many young Asian Americans, especially those who were born in the U.S. soil, the music of choice often has the origin of 'other races' instead of some Asian 'fatherlands' where their parents or ancestors came from. The popularity of hiphop culture among Asian American youths is well known, and Asian American rap artists and turntablist DJs have been noted by some scholars. But a lesser known fact is the Asian presence within the 'white majority' music community known as the indie rock scene. This study draws an ethnographic sketch of Asian Americans in the indie rock scene. It goes back to the late 1980s, when Sooyoung Park started a band named Bitch Magnet and later Seam in Chicago. Around the same time, Mike Park in the San Francisco Bay Area, was leading the seminal ska punk band Skankin' Pickle. Not only their musical achievement but also organizational work for indie rock as well as for Asian communities set the tone for the new Asian American musicians who followed suit. Based on the interviews with these two Parks (not related) and other Asian American musicians, I will trace the journey for a new musical-racial identity of Asian Americans. As more and more bands with Asian descent, Asian-themed cultural festivals, and even Asian American musical tours pop up recently, this journey is now fully in its course. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparing the linkage between political economy and social welfare between advanced capitalist economies in East Asia, this paper suggests a two-model approach toward the East Asian welfare states. On the one hand, there are the nation-state model of Japan, Korea and Taiwan, and the city-state model of Hong Kong and Singapore on the other. The nation-state model, in particular, is based on historical ties between these three countries and similarities in their political economic regimes that feature a strong developmentalist orientation and welfare conservatism. But the recent move towards democratization in Korea and Taiwan has destabilized the conservative model of welfare capitalism, bringing about significant welfare expansion. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparing the linkages between political economy and social welfare between advanced capitalist economies in East Asia, this paper suggests a two-model approach toward the East Asian welfare states. On the one hand, there are the nation-state model of Japan, Korea and Taiwan, and the city-state model of Hong Kong and Singapore on the other. The nation-state model, in particular, is based on historical ties between these three countries and similarities in their political economic regimes that feature a strong developmentalist orientation and welfare conservatism. But the recent move towards democratization in Korea and Taiwan has destabilized the conservative model of welfare capitalism, bringing about significant welfare expansion in these two countries. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is an ethnographic study of Asian American musicians in the American independent rock scene. As the second or later generations of Asian immigrants, they are trying to find their own voice and speak for the concerns of their community. Looking for Asian solidarity, they sometimes reach beyond national boundaries, making a revitalized connection with Asian 'homelands.' A new kind of diaspora that emerges from these musicians' efforts can be interpreted as a sign of global culture. Although the medium of rock music is not particularly well-suited for defining a racial minority's identity, Asian American indie rock is growing fast as a musicians' community. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]