Singapore's India Research Articles

Indian migrant workers and global city Singapore: What determines the preference for and (relative) cost of a migration destination?

Global city ambitions and associated cosmopolitan aspirations are principally oriented towards attracting highly skilled migrants who are offered the opportunity of permanent residency. In contrast, low-skilled migrants increasingly face issues of segregation and sanitation, being housed in dormitories far from the city centre, often explained as an attempt to ‘decongest’ the city. That these migrants are not considered part of the aspired cosmopolitan gloss that global cities like to associate themselves with is furthermore underscored by their status as permanently temporary with no option to stay-on beyond a maximum number of years. This article challenges the inherent assumption that low-skilled migrants’ choice for a particularly migration destination is only motivated by monetary reasons. It does so by drawing on two distinct research projects: the first among migration agents in Chennai (Tamil Nadu, India), the second among variously skilled migrants from India in Singapore. By doing so, the article explicates that not only the cost of formalities, agency fees and travel contribute to how expensive it is to migrate to a particular destination (e.g. the Gulf, Malaysia or Singapore) but also its brand value, mainly determined by its assumed quality of life outside work. This brand value speaks to both low- and highly skilled workers, although in different ways.

Queer temporalities: The past, present and future of ‘gay’ migrants from India in Singapore

This article examines the temporal dimensions of migration trajectories by focusing on a small number of Indian migrants in Singapore who identify as gay. In particular it does so by examining the way ‘being gay’ factored into their decision to come to Singapore (the past), the way it plays a role in their ongoing trajectories (the present) and the way it gradually starts taking up a more prominent role in their plans for ‘the future’. Drawing upon queer migration studies as well as recent studies with a renewed focus on the temporalities of migration, this article argues that ‘queer temporalities’ need to be understood as doubly layered. On the one hand it relates to the im/possibility of a queer (migrant) future while on the other hand pointing at an issue a growing group of migrants in general are faced with: the way rights, opportunities and ‘futures’ are queered from mainstream society. While so far the attention with reference to this has mainly been focused on low skilled migrants who, as is the case also in Singapore, are often excluded from ever permanently staying on in their host nation, with the increasing fine-tuning of migration programmes, this article argues that we need to expand our attention to other groups of variously skilled migrants as well.

Young tourists’ perceptions of authenticity, perceived value and satisfaction: the case of Little India, Singapore

PurposeThis study aims to empirically examine young tourists’ perceptions of object-based authenticity, existential authenticity and perceived value perceptions on satisfaction. Data were collected from young heritage tourists at the Little India heritage precinct in Singapore.Design/methodology/approachQualitative data were collected via a pen and paper questionnaire at Little India in Singapore. Young tourists below 30 years of age were identified to complete the questionnaire. A total of 288 sets of valid responses were collected to perform statistical analysis to test the relationships between the key constructs in the research model.FindingsThe results of the study reaffirmed the application of the perceived value framework to authenticity. Object-based authenticity, existential authenticity and perceived monetary value yielded significant and positive effects on overall perceived value and, subsequently, satisfaction. Further, overall perceived value was found to mediate the relationships between object-based authenticity, existential authenticity and perceived monetary with satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsThis study provides researchers with a better understanding of authenticity and value perceptions of young tourists. It also lends further support for the integration of object-based and existential authenticity into the multidimensional approach to perceived value.Practical implicationsThe results help destination marketers and policymakers better understand this important segment to develop more effective and sustainable marketing and management strategies.Originality/valueThis study addresses the lack of research in the literature on young tourists who will shape the tourism landscape of the future. It also further assesses the propriety of integrating authenticity measures into the measurement of perceived value.

Policies and Practices of Integration: High-Skilled Migrants from India in Singapore

ABSTRACTThe Singaporean government has employed immigration primarily from China and India to boost the country's working age population and contribute to its economic growth. In this paper I examine the integration of high-skilled migrants from India at the national level and in local urban spaces. I study the role of the state, natives and the immigrants in the integration process, as well as the effectiveness of Singapore's integration policies. Challenges to immigrant integration include hostile reactions from natives, differences in cultural mores between immigrants and natives, and a lack of transparency on the effects of government policies on local populations.

Mobile Ecosystems Among Low‐Skilled Migrants in Singapore: An Investigation into Mobile Usage Practices

AbstractThe paper explores how the ideas of freedom and constraints are inherent to the phenomenon of adaptation. In order to explicate this tension in the migrant adaptation process, the study adopts the development approach that has highlighted freedom as means and ends of development – the capability approach. The study explores answers to the questions (i) To what extent does migrants’ adaptation to the host country, including to its mobile ecosystem, ensure their freedom and to what extent the adaptation is a constraint for them?; and, (ii) How do various strategies of adaptation help migrants achieve development in social, economic and political domains? In‐depth interviews were conducted among 50 low‐skilled migrants from Bangladesh and India in Singapore. Findings showed that mobile phone usage helped enhance the functionings of migrant workers, although there were constraints in achieving improvements in their capabilities. Hierarchical organizational structures acted as external constraints, whereas overdependence on mobile phones and forsaking of ideals of collective action acted as internal impediments. The study calls for a renewed understanding of adaptation in transnational migration context, with more focus on revealing the tensions between the adapting entity and the factors curtailing the freedom of the adapting entity.

Factors Influencing Indian Student's Choice of Overseas Study Destination

There has been an increase in the number of students from India studying at Australian universities in Singapore. During the same period, there has been a corresponding decrease in the number of this group of students studying in Australia. The study thus seeks to understand why the current group of Indianstudents studying at an Australian University in Singapore has chosen to study in Singapore rather than at a campus in Australia. The research design employed a qualitative approach using focus group interviews and an online survey. The findings include a combination of factors and considerations influencing the choice of university and overseasstudydestination for students from India, the role of education service agents in India in influencing the decisions of these students and the demographic characteristics of students from India in Singapore. The study highlights future recommendations for universities in attracting and catering for students from overseas countrieshere and insert abstract your text. Insert an abstract of 50-100 words, giving a brief account of the most relevant aspects of the paper.

Managing Urban Ethnic Heritage: Little India in Singapore

Historic urban ethnic enclaves are complex entities that serve multiple purposes and are used in various ways by different groups. This paper deals with the case of Little India in Singapore and examines the relationships, processes and underlying dynamics that are at work and their consequences for the management of the heritage site. The enclave is shown to be a historic, commercial, leisure and residential space in which citizens, migrant workers, tourists, government agencies and private business all have a stake. Existing and planned developments, however, generate conflicts and expose fundamental tensions between pressures for change and for preservation and continuity. Particular attention is devoted to the role of tourism, which is seen to act as an instrument of both development and conservation. Conclusions have a wider applicability beyond Singapore, but the distinctive qualities of the city‐state are also highlighted.