In the first episode of our newly launched podcast series, “Policy Unpacked”, we explore Singapore’s “small nation, big journey,” featuring Terence Ho, Adjunct Associate Professor in Practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and author of “How Singapore Beat the Odds.” The conversation explores why Singapore’s survival was uncertain at independence - small population, high unemployment, reliance on British bases - and how it built success through ideas and institutions rather than luck. Ho highlights the pivotal role of first-generation leaders like Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Keng Swee, long-term planning, strong inter-agency coordination, and empowering capable people - principals, commanders, and civil servants - through mechanisms like block budgeting.

Decades of glorifying overwork are hard to undo. But as the nation turns 60, sustainable performance depends on leaders modelling balance, not burnout.

Singapore confronts tech addiction with adaptive governance, tackling screen overuse risks through policy, design, and ethical innovation.

Explore the UN’s 80-year journey, current crises, reform debates, and future pathways with Prof. Francesco Mancini on the Foreseeable Podcast.