MIA SPECIALISATIONS

The course looks at health and human development in the context of a global economy. We will study the large improvements in health that have occurred in the last two centuries due to rising incomes and technological advances in public health and heath care. These health improvements will be linked to human capital and increased worker productivity as well as longer life spans and savings for retirement. The effects of health on population growth and development will also be investigated. We will look at the welfare implications of health improvements, economic growth, and globalization.’

That international politics can be conceived as a game with its own special rules is a truism for most analysts of the subject. World leaders repeatedly invoke “the rules of the game” metaphor in their diplomatic entreaties, suggesting it is one of the most beloved metaphors for the way we think about, and practice, international politics. So what are the rules of the game? No one has specified a coherent and defensible list of the key rules. As such, the instructor will provide a list of ten possible contenders, based on his understanding of what makes international politics tick. The course will examine, debate, and dissect these “rules,” with the aim of arriving at a mutually agreeable and defensible list of the key rules of the international politics game by the end of the semester.

The environment - along with the closely linked issue of natural resource management - is a topic of growing concern throughout the world. Southeast Asia is no exception. The Asia Pacific region contains forest, mineral and petrochemical reserves, the management of which is of great importance to the region and the world. This course deals with the economic principles and political issues involved in protecting the environment and managing natural resources effectively. The module is targeted at students interested in learning more about environmental policy and natural resource management.

Good governance and managing conflicting ethical demands are key skills for policy makers. This course seeks to introduce students to the ethical aspects of some major problems in global governance. Topics include foundations of ethical theory, human rights, intervention, climate change, immigration and trade. Background readings come mostly from moral philosophical, political theory and political science. Each session pays special attention to a particular policy area in the international domain and thereby combines philosophical inquiry with applied questions. The course does not have any formal prerequisites.

This course introduces the political, economic, and security issues in the interstate relations of Southeast Asia since the end of World War II. It studies regionalism and regional cooperation and conflict in Southeast Asia with a focus on ASEAN as the epicentre of Southeast Asian regionalism. It examines how ASEAN member states have coped with various challenges and sought to manage regional order and stability.

With the rapid advancement of technologies, the data available to us are becoming increasingly large and complex, making it difficult to analyse using traditional data-processing methods. In today’s data-driven world, industries and organisations must embrace the challenges of big data to generate valuable insights to solve real-world problems. The ability to analyse big data has become an invaluable asset in the field of public policy. This course provides a gentle introduction for practitioners to big data analytics. Using Python, students will get hands-on experience working with big data sets, and applying visualization & data analysis methods to generate policy insights.

The SG Botanic Gardens, chicken rice, and pinisi boats - heritage is part of our lives, emotional attachments, memories, and identities. Because of its ubiquitous significance, heritage is also mobilized to facilitate international dialogue or legitimate shifts in geo-political landscapes. But whose heritage is invoked where international alliances and boundaries are concerned? How to make sense of competing heritage claims? This interdisciplinary, experiential course draws on politics, international affairs, heritage, geography and history in order to interrogate the geopolitical and economic significance of heritage. Combining theory and practice, the course also invites students to conceptualize individual “geopolitics of heritage” projects.

The on-going wave of globalisation has changed the character of threats to human, national and international security. The present security discourse stands in major contrast to the traditional realist understanding of security that prevailed during the Cold War. This interdisciplinary, experiential learning course examines key global challenges, typically described under the umbrella of non-traditional security. The course comprises of three interlinked parts. First, a conceptual/theoretical explication of non- traditional security. Second, in-depth engagement with five non-traditional security topics climate change, migration, technology, gender equality, and food security. Three, hands-on opportunities to design topic- specific interventions.

The course examines why and how governments intervene in the development of urban areas. Students will review debates about what a ‘good city’ should be and examine models of a ‘good city’ which have inspired planners past and present. We will examine the goals and urban interventions typically implemented as part of each model; as well as critiques. Students will be equipped with knowledge and skills to critically assess typical urban policies, plans and projects that contribute positively or otherwise to the many facets of a ‘good city’.

This course critically examines the challenges and opportunities of AI advancement and deployment. Students engage with research, case studies, and theoretical frameworks to understand the interplay between AI, governance, and society. The course explores emerging policy responses, regulatory innovations, and ethical considerations shaping AI governance, focusing on mitigating risks and maximizing benefits. Topics include AI and governance concepts, AI development landscape, benefits and risks, governance challenges, national and international frameworks, trust, algorithmic bias, privacy, data protection, policy tools, social and economic impacts, Big Tech, global AI race, and AI applications in autonomous systems, platforms, and healthcare.

The course deals with key issues in traditional and non-traditional security. It begins by asking two foundational questions: “What is security?” and “What is a national security strategy?” We will then go on to think about the core of traditional security – war and peace. New technologies have always affected the prospects of war and peace, so we will ask what is the impact of new technologies. International security depends on great power and regional conflicts, and so we will deal with these in the next segment. From there, we will round out traditional security by asking why states acquire nuclear weapons and how and why non-state actors turn to violence. We end the course by dealing with four non-traditional security areas – gender, migration, climate, and water. Throughout, we will be concerned with the causes/drivers of insecurity. We will also be concerned with how we can and should handle these challenges which affect the safety and welfare of the international system as a whole (international security), of states (national security), and of individuals and communities (human security).

This course focuses on how states formulate and implement their foreign policies. It is structured based on different levels of analysis: systems, state, leaders, bureaucracies/institutions, and society. The course analyses the various constraints that each of these actors face, how they interact with each other, and the processes and mechanisms through which they resolve their differences and formulate policy. It also examines the conditions in the implementation process that impact policy outcomes. Major themes include the state as rational actor, the role of personalities and their psychology, the impact of ideas and cultures, bureaucratic politics, and the role of interest groups and coalitions.

This course is an introduction to international economic development with applications to/examples from Asia, exploring selected aspects of Asian economic development. The focus is on developing simple analytical tools to understand the main factors associated with sustained economic growth, and macroeconomic, financial and trade policy issues that confront Asia in the world economy. Selected topics include investment in physical and human capital (health and education), technological change, capital flows and foreign direct investment, currency crises, and exchange rate regimes, access to finance and the role of institutions and governance, the interdependence between the growth process and the distribution of its opportunities (poverty and equity), conditional cash transfers, safety nets and social protection.

The Asia-Pacific is the most important region of the world with its economic vibrancy and strategic importance, and presents a plethora of important and puzzling security and economic challenges. In this course we will utilize various theoretical approaches to examine and explain a set of substantive issues in the international relations of the Asia-Pacific: US-China rivalry; territorial disputes; Taiwan issue; North Korean nuclear threat; Japan’s foreign policy; the so-called ‘history problem’ issue; ASEAN; security institutions; economic patterns; human rights; and environmental and aging society problem. In addition, we seek to understand the future trajectory of the Asia-Pacific.

That international politics can be conceived as a game with its own special rules is a truism for most analysts of the subject. World leaders repeatedly invoke “the rules of the game” metaphor in their diplomatic entreaties, suggesting it is one of the most beloved metaphors for the way we think about, and practice, international politics. So what are the rules of the game? No one has specified a coherent and defensible list of the key rules. As such, the instructor will provide a list of ten possible contenders, based on his understanding of what makes international politics tick. The course will examine, debate, and dissect these “rules,” with the aim of arriving at a mutually agreeable and defensible list of the key rules of the international politics game by the end of the semester.

This course introduces the political, economic, and security issues in the interstate relations of Southeast Asia since the end of World War II. It studies regionalism and regional cooperation and conflict in Southeast Asia with a focus on ASEAN as the epicentre of Southeast Asian regionalism. It examines how ASEAN member states have coped with various challenges and sought to manage regional order and stability.

The on-going wave of globalisation has changed the character of threats to human, national and international security. The present security discourse stands in major contrast to the traditional realist understanding of security that prevailed during the Cold War. This interdisciplinary, experiential learning course examines key global challenges, typically described under the umbrella of non-traditional security. The course comprises of three interlinked parts. First, a conceptual/theoretical explication of non- traditional security. Second, in-depth engagement with five non-traditional security topics climate change, migration, technology, gender equality, and food security. Three, hands-on opportunities to design topic- specific interventions.

The course deals with key issues in traditional and non-traditional security. It begins by asking two foundational questions: “What is security?” and “What is a national security strategy?” We will then go on to think about the core of traditional security – war and peace. New technologies have always affected the prospects of war and peace, so we will ask what is the impact of new technologies. International security depends on great power and regional conflicts, and so we will deal with these in the next segment. From there, we will round out traditional security by asking why states acquire nuclear weapons and how and why non-state actors turn to violence. We end the course by dealing with four non-traditional security areas – gender, migration, climate, and water. Throughout, we will be concerned with the causes/drivers of insecurity. We will also be concerned with how we can and should handle these challenges which affect the safety and welfare of the international system as a whole (international security), of states (national security), and of individuals and communities (human security).

This course focuses on how states formulate and implement their foreign policies. It is structured based on different levels of analysis: systems, state, leaders, bureaucracies/institutions, and society. The course analyses the various constraints that each of these actors face, how they interact with each other, and the processes and mechanisms through which they resolve their differences and formulate policy. It also examines the conditions in the implementation process that impact policy outcomes. Major themes include the state as rational actor, the role of personalities and their psychology, the impact of ideas and cultures, bureaucratic politics, and the role of interest groups and coalitions.

The Asia-Pacific is the most important region of the world with its economic vibrancy and strategic importance, and presents a plethora of important and puzzling security and economic challenges. In this course we will utilize various theoretical approaches to examine and explain a set of substantive issues in the international relations of the Asia-Pacific: US-China rivalry; territorial disputes; Taiwan issue; North Korean nuclear threat; Japan’s foreign policy; the so-called ‘history problem’ issue; ASEAN; security institutions; economic patterns; human rights; and environmental and aging society problem. In addition, we seek to understand the future trajectory of the Asia-Pacific.

The course focuses on the role of government in enhancing social welfare, social efficiency, and social equity in both developed and developing economies. The course has three learning objectives: 1) develop student analytical skills regarding the role of government in dealing with externalities, public goods, income redistribution, providing social insurance, the effect of higher budget deficits on the economy, and the determinants of debt sustainability. 2) Develop student capacity with applied methods and tools used in public finance such as the estimation of the incidence of the benefits of public spending and social programs in education, health, water and sanitation, the factors determining who bears the burden of taxation in the population, and the methods of cost benefit analysis (CBA) and the marginal value of public funds (MVPF) both used to determine what government expenditures are most effective at improving social well-being. 3) Provide students with a better understanding of how the level and type of public spending and taxation depends on state capacity, (the ability of governments to effectively implement policies).

This module is intended for individuals who are interested in the functions of the market in modern economies and who in the course of their careers may be in positions of regulating market behaviour for public policy purposes. The focus is to identify what makes the market imperfect or cause market failures. The course will also examine the appropriate form of governmental intervention.

The course looks at health and human development in the context of a global economy. We will study the large improvements in health that have occurred in the last two centuries due to rising incomes and technological advances in public health and heath care. These health improvements will be linked to human capital and increased worker productivity as well as longer life spans and savings for retirement. The effects of health on population growth and development will also be investigated. We will look at the welfare implications of health improvements, economic growth, and globalization.

This course provides an overview to the study of business and politics. We will examine how politics and politicians affect the business world by analysing topics such as regulation, lobbying, corruption, taxation, and trade. We will draw from comparative and international political economy, governance research, and related disciplines such as management and economics. The course will begin by discussing the role of the state in governing markets and business behaviour. we then move forward to the discussion of the formation of business interests and preferences regarding public policy. Moreover, we will review how businesses can acquire and exert political power.

Education is one of the most fundamental areas of policy, as education impacts many aspects of life and society. This course uses the theoretical and empirical tools of economics to study education and education policy. Major topics include the monetary and non-monetary benefits of education; educational inequality with respect to gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status; and policy issues such as compulsory schooling, girl-friendly schools, and school choice. Examples are drawn internationally. Various teaching methods will be employed, including short lectures, in-class group exercises, peer assessment, presentations, and case discussions.

This course seeks to explore the role of political leadership in economic policy and performance. It starts with a discussion of politics at the central level and introduces the merits and problems in the Chinese economic context. Students will be exposed to two major debates about control mechanisms in managing central-local relations: fiscal decentralization and promotion tournament. They will critically engage these two theories by examining some recent empirical works. This course concludes with four important issues facing today’s Chinese economy: urbanization, pollution, financial policy and corruption. Students will gain insights about policies that are crucial to China’s future growth.

Traditional economics, which is one of the key theoretical cornerstones of public policy, typically assumes that human behavior is rational, preferences are stable, and individuals are smart and unemotional. However, human behavior often deviates from standard assumptions due to psychological and social factors; analysis based on traditional economics can therefore misinform policies and lead to detrimental consequences. This course discusses behavioral regularities that are of potential importance for public policy. Students will be exposed to behavioral economic theory and its applications to public policy in the areas of savings, investment, healthcare, climate change, taxation, labor supply, and monetary policy.

This course links the fields of macroeconomic and financial policies. It provides coverage of economic principles that underlie the operation of banks and other financial institutions. The role of money in the economy and the impact of the central bank and monetary policy on the macro-economy are emphasized, as is the understanding the foreign exchange market and some basics of monetary theory and international finance. The focus of this course is on analytics.

This course is an introduction to selected aspects of Asian economic development and the region’s interactions with the rest of the world. It will focus on developing simple analytical tools to understand key trends and macroeconomic, financial and trade policy issues that confront Asia in the world economy. Topics covered include sources of growth in the Newly Industrializing Economies (NIEs) in East Asia, the rise of China and India and their impact on the global trading system, foreign direct investment to Asia, currency crisis in Asia, Asia in the global financial system, and issues relating to Asian economic regionalism.

This course covers policy issues of modern ageing societies, with special emphases on social policy, families, and comparisons between Asian countries and Western countries. To tackle the complex issues, we discuss both relevant theories and empirical evidence from various disciplines including sociology, economics, public health, and human biology. The first section investigates the underlying causes of population ageing and presents trends in population age distributions around the globe. In the second section, we review old-age support provided by the government, the family, and the elderly themselves, and discuss challenges of providing the support. Lastly, the third section describes policy options to mitigate the consequences of population ageing and evaluates the policies.

This course deals with social policy issues with special reference to Southeast Asian countries. The policies analysed include those relating to ethnicity, urbanisation, housing, migration, labour, poverty and its alleviation, education and health. The ideas of state responsibility to provide for basic needs and of a social safety net are considered.

This course aims to provide students with an understanding of some of the challenges and solutions to problems faced by developing countries across four key themes: public health, education, finance and financial technologies, and labour markets. The course will draw on recent advances in development economics and focus on new challenges faced by developing countries post-COVID-19. Students will develop a set of empirical tools that can be applied to the analysis of development related policy problems. This course will focus on empirical microeconomic development economics.

This module is based on the premise that the sustainability of the natural environment is a necessity for the sustainability of the economic system. Hence the module commences with how specific definitions and models in economics need to be modified in cognizance of certain laws of thermodynamics. The module is divided into four blocks. The first block concerns the introduction of pertinent concepts in economics and their adaptation in the context of the relevant laws of thermodynamics The second and third blocks deal with the application of the adaptations to policy issues respectively at the microeconomic level and the macroeconomic level. The fourth block deals with the synthesis between microeconomic and macroeconomic analyses and the synergy between policies at the different levels.

This course provides an overview of the economic theories and concepts most relevant to health and healthcare. It introduces students to the theories of consumer and producer behavior, the interaction of economic agents in competitive markets, and market failures, with a focus on their implications for health policy. Topics include demand for health and health care, health insurance, physician and hospital behavior, pharmaceutical markets, and other related topics. This course seeks to help students develop intuition for thinking about challenges facing health care systems in an economic framework by connecting theories to contemporary health policy issues and empirical work.

This module aims to introduce students to various issues confronting workers, employers, and institutions in the labour market. By familiarizing ourselves with the canonical theories in labour economics and econometrics, we will improve our capacity to understand the modern-day challenges to the labour market, including labor force participation, changing returns to education and job training, technological changes, mobility and migration, productivity and wage, discrimination, signaling in job search, and challenges entailing globalization. We will continue with an analysis of policy interventions implemented to resolve the issues, such as social welfare programs, anti-discrimination laws, immigration reform, minimum wage, and on-the-job training.

The objective of the course is to develop a thorough understanding of basic terms, concepts, and methods in public budgeting. In this course students will learn the fundamentals of budgeting and accounting for public and not-for-profit organisations. Students will gain an understanding of how to use financial information in organisational planning, implementation, control, reporting, and analysis.

This course looks at retirement income provision and pension systems design in Singapore and globally. It provides students with an understanding of different models of social security systems, governments’ role in retirement income provision, pension economics and finance, as well as reform directions for pension and retirement policies. Topics covered include: rationale for state involvement; World Bank pension taxonomy; social security design and policy choices; Singapore’s Central Provident Fund; population aging and longevity risk; pension reforms and fiscal sustainability; and international comparisons. A special focus is given to the global transition to defined-contribution pensions, and also the growing importance of financial literacy on retirement decision-making.

We seek to understand institutional changes in a Leninist, single-party authoritarian state. Our overarching goal is to explain how politics and the evolution of political institutions help explain the patterns and outcomes of major socioeconomic reforms. A number of questions run through the course: Who were the important actors driving China’s rapid economic transformation? What incentivized them to pursue change? What was the role of the central state and its local agents? How did property rights emerge and evolve in an authoritarian state? Why some reforms succeeded others not (yet)? What explains the sequence of reform? Who are the winners and losers, and why? What are some of the unintended consequences of reform? While the focus is on China, important themes in political economy will be drawn and discussed so as to frame discussions in a broader comparative, theoretical setting.

The module brings students up to date on the state of the field of international trade – both theory and empirics, without relying on overly technical models. The first part provides an overall understanding of international trade theory – comparative advantage, gains and losses, scale and scope, exporting vs non-exporting firms, offshoring and outsourcing; the second part resolves some common misconceptions about trade often seen in the media, and highlights key lessons from the latest empirical research; the third part focuses exclusively on trade policy in Asia, with episodes from Japan, China, India, South Korea, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and others.

Will technological change lead to mass unemployment and civil unrest? This module aims to introduce students to the implications of technological changes in the labour market, through the lens of economics, sociology, demography, and other subfields of social science. One of the central themes of the module is the notion that technology holds heterogenous effects on the labour market constituents. In this course, we will delve into the sources of the heterogeneity. We will also examine and evaluate the current individual- and firm- level efforts as well as policy efforts to regulate the nature and the pace of workplace technologies.

This course aims to equip students with the concepts and analytical tools for designing policy to promote economic growth and sustainable prosperity in digital age. The course concentrate on five main areas: (i)Economic development strategy; (ii)Economic growth and productivity analysis; (iii) Globalization and economic growth; (iv) Digital transformation and (v)The energy revolution and sustainable development.

Increasing longevity and declining fertility rates have shifted the age distribution of populations around the globe. Economics of Ageing as a field has become increasingly important as many countries are facing rapid population ageing. This course will serve as a graduate-level seminar course that will examine the economic challenges and opportunities associated with an ageing population. The course examines how the demographic shift affects labor supply and productivity, retirement saving and wealth, intergenerational transfers, social security and pension design, healthcare financing, long-term care. The course also explores how individuals and households make decisions over the life cycle, including saving and retirement behaviour, investment in human capital, health and disability, and intergenerational transfers of resources. Students will gain an understanding of how demographic changes shape the economy, as well as policy responses to address the challenges of an ageing population.

This is a graduate-level elective, appropriate for masters and doctoral students in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and other departments with permission of the instructor.

The course examines why and how governments intervene in the development of urban areas. Students will review debates about what a ‘good city’ should be and examine models of a ‘good city’ which have inspired planners past and present. We will examine the goals and urban interventions typically implemented as part of each model; as well as critiques. Students will be equipped with knowledge and skills to critically assess typical urban policies, plans and projects that contribute positively or otherwise to the many facets of a ‘good city’.

This is a course on intermediate macroeconomics that introduces students to important concepts and analytical tools frequently used by economists to tackle a range of macroeconomic issues that are relevant to businesses, governments and households. It examines issues relating to long-term growth as well as business cycles. Significant attention is paid to macroeconomic stabilisation (fiscal and monetary policy). The course also introduces some basic open macro economy issues such as balance of payments, exchange rates and currency crises. The aim will be to provide coherent analytical frameworks and theoretical foundations to understanding contemporary global macroeconomic policy challenges.

This course critically examines the challenges and opportunities of AI advancement and deployment. Students engage with research, case studies, and theoretical frameworks to understand the interplay between AI, governance, and society. The course explores emerging policy responses, regulatory innovations, and ethical considerations shaping AI governance, focusing on mitigating risks and maximizing benefits. Topics include AI and governance concepts, AI development landscape, benefits and risks, governance challenges, national and international frameworks, trust, algorithmic bias, privacy, data protection, policy tools, social and economic impacts, Big Tech, global AI race, and AI applications in autonomous systems, platforms, and healthcare.

This course offers a comprehensive exploration of macroeconomic theory and policy from both national and global perspectives. Through case studies of advanced and emerging/developing economies, with a particular focus on China, and India. Students will examine the institutional similarities and differences that shape these countries' economic landscapes.

Behavioural Insights (BI) is a leading tool for policy makers in policy formulation, evaluation and public management. Internationally, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are prominent global champions of BI adoption in public policy and communications. This course introduces the BI lifecycle that includes scientific foundations, behavioural measurement, data collection, experimental design and messaging framing for policy communications.

This course is an introduction to international economic development with applications to/examples from Asia, exploring selected aspects of Asian economic development. The focus is on developing simple analytical tools to understand the main factors associated with sustained economic growth, and macroeconomic, financial and trade policy issues that confront Asia in the world economy. Selected topics include investment in physical and human capital (health and education), technological change, capital flows and foreign direct investment, currency crises, and exchange rate regimes, access to finance and the role of institutions and governance, the interdependence between the growth process and the distribution of its opportunities (poverty and equity), conditional cash transfers, safety nets and social protection.

This course seeks to explore the role of political leadership in economic policy and performance. It starts with a discussion of politics at the central level and introduces the merits and problems in the Chinese economic context. Students will be exposed to two major debates about control mechanisms in managing central-local relations: fiscal decentralization and promotion tournament. They will critically engage these two theories by examining some recent empirical works. This course concludes with four important issues facing today’s Chinese economy: urbanization, pollution, financial policy and corruption. Students will gain insights about policies that are crucial to China’s future growth.

This course is an introduction to selected aspects of Asian economic development and the region’s interactions with the rest of the world. It will focus on developing simple analytical tools to understand key trends and macroeconomic, financial and trade policy issues that confront Asia in the world economy. Topics covered include sources of growth in the Newly Industrializing Economies (NIEs) in East Asia, the rise of China and India and their impact on the global trading system, foreign direct investment to Asia, currency crisis in Asia, Asia in the global financial system, and issues relating to Asian economic regionalism.

This course introduces the political, economic, and security issues in the interstate relations of Southeast Asia since the end of World War II. It studies regionalism and regional cooperation and conflict in Southeast Asia with a focus on ASEAN as the epicentre of Southeast Asian regionalism. It examines how ASEAN member states have coped with various challenges and sought to manage regional order and stability.

We seek to understand institutional changes in a Leninist, single-party authoritarian state. Our overarching goal is to explain how politics and the evolution of political institutions help explain the patterns and outcomes of major socioeconomic reforms. A number of questions run through the course: Who were the important actors driving China’s rapid economic transformation? What incentivized them to pursue change? What was the role of the central state and its local agents? How did property rights emerge and evolve in an authoritarian state? Why some reforms succeeded others not (yet)? What explains the sequence of reform? Who are the winners and losers, and why? What are some of the unintended consequences of reform? While the focus is on China, important themes in political economy will be drawn and discussed so as to frame discussions in a broader comparative, theoretical setting.

The module brings students up to date on the state of the field of international trade – both theory and empirics, without relying on overly technical models. The first part provides an overall understanding of international trade theory – comparative advantage, gains and losses, scale and scope, exporting vs non-exporting firms, offshoring and outsourcing; the second part resolves some common misconceptions about trade often seen in the media, and highlights key lessons from the latest empirical research; the third part focuses exclusively on trade policy in Asia, with episodes from Japan, China, India, South Korea, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and others.

This module provides a survey of energy transition and green transformation in Asia and related policy challenges from a global perspective. The module concentrates on three topics: (i) Energy sustainability challenges and the green transformation imperative; (ii) Efforts of Asian countries in renewable energy development; and (iii) International best practices in promoting green transformation and policy lessons for Asia/ASEAN countries.

The SG Botanic Gardens, chicken rice, and pinisi boats - heritage is part of our lives, emotional attachments, memories, and identities. Because of its ubiquitous significance, heritage is also mobilized to facilitate international dialogue or legitimate shifts in geo-political landscapes. But whose heritage is invoked where international alliances and boundaries are concerned? How to make sense of competing heritage claims? This interdisciplinary, experiential course draws on politics, international affairs, heritage, geography and history in order to interrogate the geopolitical and economic significance of heritage. Combining theory and practice, the course also invites students to conceptualize individual “geopolitics of heritage” projects.

The on-going wave of globalisation has changed the character of threats to human, national and international security. The present security discourse stands in major contrast to the traditional realist understanding of security that prevailed during the Cold War. This interdisciplinary, experiential learning course examines key global challenges, typically described under the umbrella of non-traditional security. The course comprises of three interlinked parts. First, a conceptual/theoretical explication of non-traditional security. Second, in-depth engagement with five non-traditional security topics climate change, migration, technology, gender equality, and food security. Three, hands-on opportunities to design topic-specific interventions.

The course examines why and how governments intervene in the development of urban areas. Students will review debates about what a ‘good city’ should be and examine models of a ‘good city’ which have inspired planners past and present. We will examine the goals and urban interventions typically implemented as part of each model; as well as critiques. Students will be equipped with knowledge and skills to critically assess typical urban policies, plans and projects that contribute positively or otherwise to the many facets of a ‘good city’.

This course offers a comprehensive exploration of macroeconomic theory and policy from both national and global perspectives. Through case studies of advanced and emerging/developing economies, with a particular focus on China, and India. Students will examine the institutional similarities and differences that shape these countries' economic landscapes.

This course focuses on how states formulate and implement their foreign policies. It is structured based on different levels of analysis: systems, state, leaders, bureaucracies/institutions, and society. The course analyses the various constraints that each of these actors face, how they interact with each other, and the processes and mechanisms through which they resolve their differences and formulate policy. It also examines the conditions in the implementation process that impact policy outcomes. Major themes include the state as rational actor, the role of personalities and their psychology, the impact of ideas and cultures, bureaucratic politics, and the role of interest groups and coalitions.

The Asia-Pacific is the most important region of the world with its economic vibrancy and strategic importance, and presents a plethora of important and puzzling security and economic challenges. In this course we will utilize various theoretical approaches to examine and explain a set of substantive issues in the international relations of the Asia-Pacific: US-China rivalry; territorial disputes; Taiwan issue; North Korean nuclear threat; Japan’s foreign policy; the so-called ‘history problem’ issue; ASEAN; security institutions; economic patterns; human rights; and environmental and aging society problem. In addition, we seek to understand the future trajectory of the Asia-Pacific.

This module will help students to understand the concepts and practice of leadership and develop a better knowledge of public service. Students will be exposed to insights and best practices, with emphasis on the public service and learn the skills to develop into a capable leader. Students will learn to lead, anticipate the future, make decisions, know their bias, build teams, motivate, communicate, understand the public interest and become better leaders.

This course seeks to explore the role of political leadership in economic policy and performance. It starts with a discussion of politics at the central level and introduces the merits and problems in the Chinese economic context. Students will be exposed to two major debates about control mechanisms in managing central-local relations: fiscal decentralization and promotion tournament. They will critically engage these two theories by examining some recent empirical works. This course concludes with four important issues facing today’s Chinese economy: urbanization, pollution, financial policy and corruption. Students will gain insights about policies that are crucial to China’s future growth.

Good governance and managing conflicting ethical demands are key skills for policy makers. This course seeks to introduce students to the ethical aspects of some major problems in global governance. Topics include foundations of ethical theory, human rights, intervention, climate change, immigration and trade. Background readings come mostly from moral philosophical, political theory and political science. Each session pays special attention to a particular policy area in the international domain and thereby combines philosophical inquiry with applied questions. The course does not have any formal prerequisites.

The objective of the course is to develop a thorough understanding of basic terms, concepts, and methods in public budgeting. In this course students will learn the fundamentals of budgeting and accounting for public and not-for-profit organisations. Students will gain an understanding of how to use financial information in organisational planning, implementation, control, reporting, and analysis.

This project-based module allows students to develop innovative solutions to real-world policy problems. Students work in teams with external partners (government, corporate, incubators, non-profit organizations, foundations, etc.) to develop a concrete innovative “product" that addresses a specific public policy issue. Students work with their partner on a project. They participate in workshop-style lectures on key issues related to innovation including diffusion, disruption, and policy application, and on practical skills for policy innovation including design thinking, human-centered design, stakeholder analysis, and problem-solving processes. External partners reserve the right to select the student teams working on their proposed projects.

This course looks at retirement income provision and pension systems design in Singapore and globally. It provides students with an understanding of different models of social security systems, governments’ role in retirement income provision, pension economics and finance, as well as reform directions for pension and retirement policies. Topics covered include: rationale for state involvement; World Bank pension taxonomy; social security design and policy choices; Singapore’s Central Provident Fund; population aging and longevity risk; pension reforms and fiscal sustainability; and international comparisons. A special focus is given to the global transition to defined-contribution pensions, and also the growing importance of financial literacy on retirement decision-making.

Public policy is not just made. It must also be explained. To be effective in positions of authority, public leaders should be able not just to analyse policy, but to talk and write about it as well — to communicate succinctly and persuasively, to frame issues, and to grapple with the worlds of ideas and perceptions, all taking place within a fast-moving digital media environment. This course is designed to help future leaders improve their ability to speak and write in challenging situations, from winning over hostile audiences to giving TED-style talks and writing punchy op-eds suitable for publication in global media outlets. Having taken it, students will emerge with a deeper understanding of differing styles of communication in public life — and the ability to begin to develop their own.

This course teaches students how to systematically analyse complex policy problems and conduct policy design and formulation to address long-term challenges. The skillset students acquire in this course is generic in nature which allows them to apply these tools to different domains (e.g., Transport, Environment, Energy, Health, etc.) to solve policy problems. This makes this course crucial for policy analysts, strategists, strategic planners, programme assessors and evaluators, and professionals with functions that require long-horizon thinking and decision-making such as consultants, managers, engineers and politicians and policymakers. Relevant theories and techniques and their limitations will be covered. Some of the topics covered in the course for analysis of policy problems and designing of policy solutions are: wicked problems, actor analysis, policy networks, system mapping, problem formulation and definition of goals, objectives, and decision making criteria, information gathering, generation of a library of policy measures, analysis and selection of policy measures, multi-criteria decision making, generation of alternative solutions, and analysis of the trade-offs of the alternative policies.

Will technological change lead to mass unemployment and civil unrest? This module aims to introduce students to the implications of technological changes in the labour market, through the lens of economics, sociology, demography, and other subfields of social science. One of the central themes of the module is the notion that technology holds heterogenous effects on the labour market constituents. In this course, we will delve into the sources of the heterogeneity. We will also examine and evaluate the current individual- and firm- level efforts as well as policy efforts to regulate the nature and the pace of workplace technologies.

This course is a broad introduction to organisations and management. It consists of lectures and discussions based on weekly reading assignments. Students will combine their practical knowledge with the class readings to gain new perspectives. The topics include data and decision-making, reengineering work, organisational structure, organisational network and institutional theories. Students are expected to keep up with the readings and be prepared to discuss them in class. Understanding organisations is important for public administration and decision making in public policy. Under new public management, we have to understand organisations outside the public sector as well as in the public sector.

The on-going wave of globalisation has changed the character of threats to human, national and international security. The present security discourse stands in major contrast to the traditional realist understanding of security that prevailed during the Cold War. This interdisciplinary, experiential learning course examines key global challenges, typically described under the umbrella of non-traditional security. The course comprises of three interlinked parts. First, a conceptual/theoretical explication of non-traditional security. Second, in-depth engagement with five non-traditional security topics climate change, migration, technology, gender equality, and food security. Three, hands-on opportunities to design topic-specific interventions.

The course will explore the features, applications, benefits and risks of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Digital Currencies, Cloud, 5G, IoT, 3D Printing and Robots on social policy (education, healthcare, insurance, social safety nets), employment and wages, fiscal policy (taxation and expenditure), transport and smart cities and implications for politics and social cohesion (fake news, deep fake, election manipulation). It will explore policies and regulatory implications in terms of growth, equity, security, privacy, efficiency and risk management for Singapore. The course will be comparative in perspective and will draw from the experience of the US, China, Europe, Japan and Singapore.

This course will provide students with an overview of how the environment affects health outcomes and health behaviors. Students will examine how policies that influence the various dimensions of the environment can affect population health, even if these policies do not directly target health as an outcome. For example, building a new expressway might have unanticipated negative effects on residents nearby due to the noise generated both by construction and car-traffic. Through this course, students will gain insights on how to integrate public health considerations into policy-making and planning, and help achieve better health and health equity in urban environments.

This course critically examines the challenges and opportunities of AI advancement and deployment. Students engage with research, case studies, and theoretical frameworks to understand the interplay between AI, governance, and society. The course explores emerging policy responses, regulatory innovations, and ethical considerations shaping AI governance, focusing on mitigating risks and maximizing benefits. Topics include AI and governance concepts, AI development landscape, benefits and risks, governance challenges, national and international frameworks, trust, algorithmic bias, privacy, data protection, policy tools, social and economic impacts, Big Tech, global AI race, and AI applications in autonomous systems, platforms, and healthcare.

Behavioural Insights (BI) is a leading tool for policy makers in policy formulation, evaluation and public management. Internationally, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are prominent global champions of BI adoption in public policy and communications. This course introduces the BI lifecycle that includes scientific foundations, behavioural measurement, data collection, experimental design and messaging framing for policy communications.

Economic and financial policymaking requires a sound understanding of household finance. This course offers an overview of personal finance topics and issues, covering saving, credit management, investment, insurance and risk management, and retirement planning. Students will learn and apply key concepts in financial management such as time value of money, ratio analysis, and valuation to analyzing personal financial statements, financial instruments, debt, expected returns from personal investment portfolios, and others. How individuals and households can leverage on financial and insurance markets to manage the various types of personal risks that they face over their life course is also discussed.

The environment - along with the closely linked issue of natural resource management - is a topic of growing concern throughout the world. Southeast Asia is no exception. The Asia Pacific region contains forest, mineral and petrochemical reserves, the management of which is of great importance to the region and the world. This course deals with the economic principles and political issues involved in protecting the environment and managing natural resources effectively. The module is targeted at students interested in learning more about environmental policy and natural resource management.

This module is based on the premise that the sustainability of the natural environment is a necessity for the sustainability of the economic system. Hence the module commences with how specific definitions and models in economics need to be modified in cognizance of certain laws of thermodynamics. The module is divided into four blocks. The first block concerns the introduction of pertinent concepts in economics and their adaptation in the context of the relevant laws of thermodynamics The second and third blocks deal with the application of the adaptations to policy issues respectively at the microeconomic level and the macroeconomic level. The fourth block deals with the synthesis between microeconomic and macroeconomic analyses and the synergy between policies at the different levels.

This module provides a survey of energy transition and green transformation in Asia and related policy challenges from a global perspective. The module concentrates on three topics: (i) Energy sustainability challenges and the green transformation imperative; (ii) Efforts of Asian countries in renewable energy development; and (iii) International best practices in promoting green transformation and policy lessons for Asia/ASEAN countries.

The on-going wave of globalisation has changed the character of threats to human, national and international security. The present security discourse stands in major contrast to the traditional realist understanding of security that prevailed during the Cold War. This interdisciplinary, experiential learning course examines key global challenges, typically described under the umbrella of non-traditional security. The course comprises of three interlinked parts. First, a conceptual/theoretical explication of non-traditional security. Second, in-depth engagement with five non-traditional security topics climate change, migration, technology, gender equality, and food security. Three, hands-on opportunities to design topic-specific interventions.

The course examines why and how governments intervene in the development of urban areas. Students will review debates about what a ‘good city’ should be and examine models of a ‘good city’ which have inspired planners past and present. We will examine the goals and urban interventions typically implemented as part of each model; as well as critiques. Students will be equipped with knowledge and skills to critically assess typical urban policies, plans and projects that contribute positively or otherwise to the many facets of a ‘good city’.