Becky Yang Hsu
Biographic Data
| ID | 303108 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Becky Yang Hsu |
| GIVEN NAMES | Becky Yang |
| FAMILY NAME | Hsu |
| SIGNATURE | HSU B Y |
| AFFILIATIONS | Georgetown University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9833-9536 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 39 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 11 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Family Rituals in the Hungry Ghost Festival
This article explores why individuals in China undertake numerous tasks for souls and spirits whether or not they believe that these beings exist. We shift away from Eurocentric approaches to studying religion which have been centered around conceptualizing belief as cognitive assent to a theological or cosmological statement. Instead, we outline a multiplex structure of beliefs sustaining religious and spiritual action. Using the case of the Hun…
The Extraordinary in the Mundane
Maintaining, relinquishing, and adapting bonds in bereavement
Continuing bonds with the deceased are essential and ongoing aspects of bereavement. In China, the annual ritual of grave sweeping involves family members visiting the graves of their loved ones to offer items and conversation. However, the connections between the specific practices and bereavement have not been thoroughly investigated. This article explores how continuing bonds may be maintained through the ritual of grave sweeping, which is par…
Talking about cancer
Cultural models of emotional disclosure and its impact on seeking support are understudied in the context of cancer diagnosis. We argue that two different cultural norms must be considered: (1) the importance of emotional disclosure and (2) attitudes toward seeking support from loved ones. Our interviews with 37 foreign-born Chinese American and 23 European American breast cancer survivors revealed differences in disclosure of cancer diagnosis an…
Microcredit
Microcredit is the practice of distributing very small loans to people who have a very low income as a means of poverty alleviation, global aid, and development. Microcredit is a subset of the broader category of microfinance, which includes all financial services such as insurance and money transfers. The very poor often do not have access to any financial services, and microcredit enables individuals to borrow for a profit‐making enterprise, in…
Surveying happiness in China
The objectives of this study are to investigate (1) whether subjective well-being (SWB) measures in surveys on China are interchangeable and (2) whether these measures work together as a construct. To accomplish these tasks, we examine SWB measures 1990–2016 for basic statistics, correlations between pairs of happiness terms within the same surveys, and test the internal consistency of five variables in the Blessed Happiness survey. Findings indi…
The ‘Impossible’ Default
Qualitative data reveal how the social context underlying the ties linking borrowers in microfinance programmes influences their decisions. Focusing directly on social context makes it possible to distinguish between two social-collateral structures and explain why one facilitated repayment while the other did not. Fieldwork in rural China shows that the basis of the social ties in the social-collateral structure is central to explaining whether …
The Importance of Race and Religion in Social Service Providers
Objectives The objectives of this study are to investigate the traits that clients find important in professional social service providers, comparing confidence in client management skills (friendliness, experience, and knowledge) to desire for demographic characteristics (being of the same race and religion). Methods To accomplish this task, we use multiple regression to analyze results of the Lehigh Valley Trust Survey of low‐income recipients …
Alleviating poverty or reinforcing inequality? Interpreting micro-finance in practice, with illustrations from rural China
Academic and political discussions about micro-finance have been found lacking in predictive power, because they are based on orthodox economic theory, which does not properly comprehend the social components of credit. I take a better approach, utilizing credit theory - specifically, Ingham's explication of how the nature of money as credit leads to social inequality. I also expound the perspective that morality is not separate from consideratio…
Microcredit
Microcredit is the practice of distributing very small loans to people who have a very low income as a means of poverty alleviation and economic development. Microcredit is a subset of the broader category of microfinance, which includes all financial services such as insurance and money transfers. The very poor often do not have access to any financial services, and microcredit enables individuals to borrow for a profit‐making enterprise in hope…
Estimating the Religious Composition of All Nations
The international religious data in the World Christian Database (WCD), and its print predecessor, the World Christian Encyclopedia (WCE) have been used frequently in academic studies and the popular press. Scholars have raised questions about the WCD's estimates categories, and potential bias, but the data have not yet been systematically assessed. We test the reliability of the WCD by comparing its religious composition estimates to four other …
The Effectiveness and Trustworthiness of Faith-Based and Other Service Organizations
Drawing on a new community study of more than 2,000 residents of low-income neighborhoods, we examine information about the kinds of service organizations respondents have contacted for assistance and the perceptions of these respondents about the effectiveness and trustworthiness of those organizations. We compare contact with and perceptions of faith-based organizations, nonsectarian organizations, government agencies, hospitals, and churches a…
The Effectiveness and Trustworthiness of Faith-Based and Other Service Organizations
Drawing on a new community study of more than 2,000 residents of low-income neighborhoods, we examine information about the kinds of service organizations respondents have contacted for assistance and the perceptions of these respondents about the effectiveness and trustworthiness of those organizations. We compare contact with and perceptions of faith-based organizations, nonsectarian organizations, government agencies, hospitals, and churches a…
Estimating the Religious Composition of All Nations
The international religious data in the World Christian Database (WCD), and its print predecessor, the World Christian Encyclopedia (WCE) have been used frequently in academic studies and the popular press. Scholars have raised questions about the WCD's estimates categories, and potential bias, but the data have not yet been systematically assessed. We test the reliability of the WCD by comparing its religious composition estimates to four other …
The Importance of Race and Religion in Social Service Providers
Objectives The objectives of this study are to investigate the traits that clients find important in professional social service providers, comparing confidence in client management skills (friendliness, experience, and knowledge) to desire for demographic characteristics (being of the same race and religion). Methods To accomplish this task, we use multiple regression to analyze results of the Lehigh Valley Trust Survey of low‐income recipients …
Alleviating poverty or reinforcing inequality? Interpreting micro-finance in practice, with illustrations from rural China
Academic and political discussions about micro-finance have been found lacking in predictive power, because they are based on orthodox economic theory, which does not properly comprehend the social components of credit. I take a better approach, utilizing credit theory - specifically, Ingham's explication of how the nature of money as credit leads to social inequality. I also expound the perspective that morality is not separate from consideratio…
Surveying happiness in China
The objectives of this study are to investigate (1) whether subjective well-being (SWB) measures in surveys on China are interchangeable and (2) whether these measures work together as a construct. To accomplish these tasks, we examine SWB measures 1990–2016 for basic statistics, correlations between pairs of happiness terms within the same surveys, and test the internal consistency of five variables in the Blessed Happiness survey. Findings indi…
Talking about cancer
Cultural models of emotional disclosure and its impact on seeking support are understudied in the context of cancer diagnosis. We argue that two different cultural norms must be considered: (1) the importance of emotional disclosure and (2) attitudes toward seeking support from loved ones. Our interviews with 37 foreign-born Chinese American and 23 European American breast cancer survivors revealed differences in disclosure of cancer diagnosis an…
The Effectiveness and Trustworthiness of Faith-Based and Other Service Organizations
Drawing on a new community study of more than 2,000 residents of low-income neighborhoods, we examine information about the kinds of service organizations respondents have contacted for assistance and the perceptions of these respondents about the effectiveness and trustworthiness of those organizations. We compare contact with and perceptions of faith-based organizations, nonsectarian organizations, government agencies, hospitals, and churches a…
Estimating the Religious Composition of All Nations
The international religious data in the World Christian Database (WCD), and its print predecessor, the World Christian Encyclopedia (WCE) have been used frequently in academic studies and the popular press. Scholars have raised questions about the WCD's estimates categories, and potential bias, but the data have not yet been systematically assessed. We test the reliability of the WCD by comparing its religious composition estimates to four other …
Microcredit
Microcredit is the practice of distributing very small loans to people who have a very low income as a means of poverty alleviation and economic development. Microcredit is a subset of the broader category of microfinance, which includes all financial services such as insurance and money transfers. The very poor often do not have access to any financial services, and microcredit enables individuals to borrow for a profit‐making enterprise in hope…
The Importance of Race and Religion in Social Service Providers
Objectives The objectives of this study are to investigate the traits that clients find important in professional social service providers, comparing confidence in client management skills (friendliness, experience, and knowledge) to desire for demographic characteristics (being of the same race and religion). Methods To accomplish this task, we use multiple regression to analyze results of the Lehigh Valley Trust Survey of low‐income recipients …
Alleviating poverty or reinforcing inequality? Interpreting micro-finance in practice, with illustrations from rural China
Academic and political discussions about micro-finance have been found lacking in predictive power, because they are based on orthodox economic theory, which does not properly comprehend the social components of credit. I take a better approach, utilizing credit theory - specifically, Ingham's explication of how the nature of money as credit leads to social inequality. I also expound the perspective that morality is not separate from consideratio…
The ‘Impossible’ Default
Qualitative data reveal how the social context underlying the ties linking borrowers in microfinance programmes influences their decisions. Focusing directly on social context makes it possible to distinguish between two social-collateral structures and explain why one facilitated repayment while the other did not. Fieldwork in rural China shows that the basis of the social ties in the social-collateral structure is central to explaining whether …
Microcredit
Microcredit is the practice of distributing very small loans to people who have a very low income as a means of poverty alleviation, global aid, and development. Microcredit is a subset of the broader category of microfinance, which includes all financial services such as insurance and money transfers. The very poor often do not have access to any financial services, and microcredit enables individuals to borrow for a profit‐making enterprise, in…
Surveying happiness in China
The objectives of this study are to investigate (1) whether subjective well-being (SWB) measures in surveys on China are interchangeable and (2) whether these measures work together as a construct. To accomplish these tasks, we examine SWB measures 1990–2016 for basic statistics, correlations between pairs of happiness terms within the same surveys, and test the internal consistency of five variables in the Blessed Happiness survey. Findings indi…
Talking about cancer
Cultural models of emotional disclosure and its impact on seeking support are understudied in the context of cancer diagnosis. We argue that two different cultural norms must be considered: (1) the importance of emotional disclosure and (2) attitudes toward seeking support from loved ones. Our interviews with 37 foreign-born Chinese American and 23 European American breast cancer survivors revealed differences in disclosure of cancer diagnosis an…
Maintaining, relinquishing, and adapting bonds in bereavement
Continuing bonds with the deceased are essential and ongoing aspects of bereavement. In China, the annual ritual of grave sweeping involves family members visiting the graves of their loved ones to offer items and conversation. However, the connections between the specific practices and bereavement have not been thoroughly investigated. This article explores how continuing bonds may be maintained through the ritual of grave sweeping, which is par…
The Extraordinary in the Mundane
Family Rituals in the Hungry Ghost Festival
This article explores why individuals in China undertake numerous tasks for souls and spirits whether or not they believe that these beings exist. We shift away from Eurocentric approaches to studying religion which have been centered around conceptualizing belief as cognitive assent to a theological or cosmological statement. Instead, we outline a multiplex structure of beliefs sustaining religious and spiritual action. Using the case of the Hun…
Business (6 works) · China (5 works) · Finance (5 works) · Political science (5 works) · Psychology (5 works) · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology (5 works) · Economic growth (4 works) · Economics (4 works) · Microfinance and Financial Inclusion (4 works) · Social Psychology (4 works)