Institute of Policy Studies

The Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) held its annual flagship Singapore Perspectives (SP) conference on 22 January 2018. The theme of SP2018 was “Together” and it considered Singapore’s demographic challenges and opportunities as a global city-state without natural resources. In harmony with this year’s theme of ‘Together’, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat emphasised how various issues such as hea...

The Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) held its annual flagship Singapore Perspectives (SP) conference on 22 January 2018. The theme of SP2018 was “Together” and it considered Singapore’s demographic challenges and opportunities as a global city-state without natural resources. The third panel considered the need to prioritise measuring and maximising human welfare over GDP per capita and challenge...

The Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) held its annual flagship Singapore Perspectives (SP) conference on 22 January 2018. The theme of SP2018 was “Together” and it considered Singapore’s demographic challenges and opportunities as a global city-state without natural resources. Acknowledging the inevitable process of ageing and Singapore’s ageing phenomenon, DPM Teo highlighted in his speech the im...

The Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) held its annual flagship Singapore Perspectives (SP) conference on 22 January 2018. The theme of SP2018 was “Together” and it considered Singapore’s demographic challenges and opportunities as a global city-state without natural resources. Panel II considered the possible fault lines that could emerge in an ageing society, in areas such as taxation, immigratio...

The Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) held its annual flagship Singapore Perspectives (SP) conference on 22 January 2018. The theme of SP2018 was “Together” and it considered Singapore’s demographic challenges and opportunities as a global city-state without natural resources. Panel 1 considered how Singapore’s ageing economy can continue to thrive in a globalised world and how job redesign can be...

The Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) held its annual flagship Singapore Perspectives (SP) conference on 22 January 2018. The theme of SP2018 was “Together” and it considered Singapore’s demographic challenges and opportunities as a global city-state without natural resources. This presentation seeks to elucidate the opportunities for further demographic dividends and policy adjustments and innova...

The Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) held its annual flagship Singapore Perspectives (SP) conference on 22 January 2018. The theme of SP2018 was “Together” and it considered Singapore’s demographic challenges and opportunities as a global city-state without natural resources. Kicking off SP2018, IPS Director Janadas Devan framed the demographic scenarios to be discussed in the conference in the c...

Can Singapore Fall? As a young nation, we have focused our energies on building a strong, independent, and sovereign Singapore. However, after decades of unprecedented growth and prosperity, we now have to guard against the danger of complacency, ossification, and decline. It is timely to contemplate the possibility of Singapore’s failure. Mr Lim’s third and final lecture, “The Way of Hope”, will...

Can Singapore Fall? As a young nation, we have focused our energies on building a strong, independent, and sovereign Singapore. However, after decades of unprecedented growth and prosperity, we now have to guard against the danger of complacency, ossification, and decline. It is timely to contemplate the possibility of Singapore’s failure. Mr Lim’s second lecture, “The Fourth Generation”, will ask...

DIALOGUE: Singapore, Asia and the World: In conversation with Ambassador Chan Heng Chee 00.00 mins - Speaker: Professor Chan Heng Chee, Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chairman, Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, Singapore University of Technology and Design 0:21:00 mins - Q&A chaired by Ms Zuraidah Ibrahim, Senior Editor, South China Morning Post Date: 7 October 2017...

Can Singapore Fall? As a young nation, we have focused our energies on building a strong, independent, and sovereign Singapore. However, after decades of unprecedented growth and prosperity, we now have to guard against the danger of complacency, ossification, and decline. It is timely to contemplate the possibility of Singapore’s failure. “The Accidental Nation”, Mr Lim’s first lecture, will expl...

Panel IV: The Future Education Landscape Speakers: 03:00 mins - Dr Lim Lai Cheng Executive Director, SMU Academy 17:02 mins - Dr Tay Hui Yong Lecturer, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, National Institute of Education 30:01 mins - Mr Khairul Rusydi Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Reactor 43:35 mins - Q&A chaired by Mr Leonard Lim Research Associate, Institute of Policy Studies Date: 31 Augu...

Panel III: Stress in Schools - Who's to Blame? Speakers: 07:15 mins - Professor Paulin Straughan Dean of Students & Professor of Sociology (Practice), School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University 31:46 mins - Dr Cheung Hoi Shan Assistant Professor, Division of Social Sciences, Yale-NUS College and Research Committee Member, Singapore Children’s Society 41:43 mins - Dr Dennis Kom Lead...

Panel II: Curriculum Emphases and Tuition - What needs to Change? Speakers: 10:54 mins - Mrs Carmee Lim Founder & President, Aoede Music Enterprise and Mentor Principal, MindChamps Holdings 25:50 mins - Dr Suzanne Choo Assistant Professor, English Language & Literature, National Institute of Education 39:00 mins - Mr Tong Yee Director & Teacher, School of Thought Learning Centre Pte Ltd 51:54 mins...

00:00 mins - Opening Remarks & Presentation by Dr Mathew Mathews Panel 1: Every School a Good School - Myth or Reality? Speakers: 27:38 mins - Ms Genevieve Chye Divisional Director, Engagement and Research Division, Communications and Engagement Group,Ministry of Education 43:00 mins - Associate Professor Jason Tan Policy and Leadership Studies, National Institute of Education 59:49 mins - Mr John...

Society and Identity Society and Identity in Singapore is as amorphous as it is ambiguous in our context, yet has possibly the biggest impact on our future. How do we maintain the Singapore Dream as a purposeful aspiration for all Singaporeans amidst the plurality of, at times, competing ambitions? Three issues will be discussed – firstly, the strengthening of a cohesive diversity which underpins...

Demography and Family Security is discussed through the four dimensions of external, internal, civil and societal security, and policies are examined in terms of their sustainability for the next 50 years of Singapore’s development. Questions asked include: what demographic constraints underpin the challenge of the Singapore Armed Forces, and what implications does this spell for its future? In li...

Security and Sustainability Security is discussed through the four dimensions of external, internal, civil and societal security, and policies are examined in terms of their sustainability for the next 50 years of Singapore’s development. Questions asked include: what demographic constraints underpin the challenge of the Singapore Armed Forces, and what implications does this spell for its future?...

Economy and Business No economic forecasting can cover both the known unknowns and unknown unknowns for the next 50 years. We return to fundamentals and question whether the basic strategy for Singapore’s success in the past – leveraging off the Three L’s of Location, Land, and Labour – are still valid, especially the role of manufacturing when other city-states have moved entirely into services p...

Politics and Governance The first lecture in the series is titled Politics and Governance and ponders the next decades of political administration in Singapore. It discusses the prospects of the People’s Action Party in the age of social media, and broadly sets out the historical trends that other dominant political systems have undergone. How should governance evolve as our democracy matures? Can...

Can Singapore Cope? The fifth lecture will examine the extent to which Singapore’s political system, civil service and population in general are prepared to cope with the more complex post-Cold War environment. In doing so, it draws together the threads of the previous four lectures. It will also offer some tentative suggestions about what needs to be done to rectify shortcomings. 00:10 mins - Spe...

The Myth of Universality: The Geopolitics of Human Rights The fourth IPS-Nathan Lecture will expose some of the conceptual complexities and complications of the ideas of human rights and democracy and examine their evolving role in international relations. Simplistic views of the concepts and their imprudent application have added to post-Cold War uncertainties. 00:04 mins - Speaker: Mr Bilahari K...

Southeast Asia and ASEAN The third IPS-Nathan Lecture will deal with ASEAN, and US-China competition in Southeast Asia. It will examine ASEAN’s strengths and weaknesses in maintaining order, some of ASEAN’s key concepts of regional security and its attempts to shape a new security architecture for the region. In this context, it will analyse some of the broad underlying factors in the South China...

The Future: Governance, Unintended Consequences and the Redemption of Hope The future cannot be predicted. But it is the business of government to prepare for the future. How can governments maximise the chances of good outcomes, and generate optimism for the future? This fourth lecture draws the threads of the previous three lectures, and concludes by providing some pointers for the future 00:00...

The Paradox of Singapore and the Dialectic of Governance This lecture will examine the paradox of Singapore’s extreme vulnerability and exceptional performance, and show why maintaining the resulting tension is key to Singapore’s survival. It will also discuss the dialectic of governance in Singapore, where diverse perspectives and ideas are allowed to surface and considered robustly, so as to fin...