Dr Chew Han Ei leads the Governance & Economy cluster at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS). His work focuses on quantitative policy research, with a strong interest in online harms, digital trust, and technology adoption.
He has served as Principal Investigator for multiple large-scale research grants and collaborates closely with public agencies to inform decision-making and policy development. His approach is empirically grounded and hands-on — from designing social science research projects to leading data analyses that shape real-world outcomes.
Outside of IPS, Han Ei serves on the board of SG Her Empowerment and is a pro bono Research Consultant to UNESCO. Some of his key international projects for UNESCO include Reading in the Mobile Era and I’d Blush If I Could – Closing Gender Divides in Digital Skills through Education.
Han Ei earned his PhD in Media and Information Studies from Michigan State University, USA. He also writes The Chart Doctor Has Issues – a Substack newsletter on data storytelling, visual best practices, and the occasional chart takedown.
Research Interests
Digital Trust; Online Harms; Technology Adoption in Societies; Digital Literacy; Digital Competences; Digital Inequality; Digital Well-being; Panel Studies; Policy Evaluation; Impact Assessment; Data Storytelling
Publications
- Chew, H. E., Soon, C. & Kaur, H. (2025, November). Online Harms in Singapore: From Evidence to Action. IPS Working Paper No. 68.
- Chua, V., Chew, H.E., Tan, I., & Lee, P. (2025). Entangled Transitions: How COVID-19 Widened Well-Being Gaps Among Youth in Singapore (2017–2022). Journal of Sociology. https://doi.org/10.1177/14407833251382691
- Borrowing Berlo: Enhancing Public Understanding of Singapore's Online Harms Laws. IPS Working Paper No. 63.
- Soon, C., Chew, H.E. & Tan, B. (2024, October). Digital Capacity Building for Own-Account Workers in Singapore. IPS Working Paper No. 58.
- Chew, H. E., & Chong, Y. K. (2023). Understanding the nature of misinformation on publicly accessible messaging platforms: The case of ivermectin in Singapore. In C. Soon (Ed.), Mobile communication and online falsehoods in Asia (Mobile Communication in Asia: Local Insights, Global Implications). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-2225-2_9
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- Teo, L. & Chew, H. E. (2023, December). Are Singaporeans Ready for the Future of Work?. IPS Exchange Series No. 26.
- Chew, H. E., Tan, J. & Soon, C. (2023, July). Digital Trust and Why it Matters. (NUS-CTIC Working Paper Series).
- Soon, C., Mak, A. & Chew, H. E. (2023, June). Digital Sovereignty: State Action and Implications for Singapore. (NUS-CTIC Working Series Paper No. 4).
- Soon, C., Chew, H. E., & Tan, D. (2022, August). Refreshing Singapore’s Social Compact Through Citizen Engagement: Modalities, Challenges and Possibilities. (NUS-CTIC Working Paper Series).
- Chew, H. E., Soon, C., & Tan, D. (2021, December). State of Digital Inclusion in Singapore: A Landscape Review. (NUS-CTIC Working Paper Series No. 2).
- Chew, H. E., & Soon, C. (2021). Towards a Unified Framework for Digital Literacy in Singapore. IPS Working Paper No. 39.
- Chew, H.E., Chua, V., Tan, A., & Yap, Y. (2021). Adulting well: Impact of youth-to-adulthood transitions on life satisfaction. In Youth.sg: The State of Youth in Singapore Youth & Their Strides Towards Flourishing (pp. 46-65). National Youth Council.
- West, M., Kraut, R., & Chew, H.E. (2019). I’d Blush if I Could. UNESCO: Paris.
- Ilavarasan, P. V., & Chew, H.E. (2016, March). A toolkit on mobile apps for business growth: Insights from design and development. In Proceedings of the second international conference on information and communication technology for competitive strategies (p. 41). ACM.
- Chew, H. E., & West, M. (2015, May). Good intentions to read on mobiles are not good enough: reducing barriers to m-reading is crucial. In Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development (p. 32). ACM.
- Cai, T., Chew, H. E., & Levy, M. R. (2015, May). Mobile value added services: the case of women microentrepreneurs in Indonesia. In Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development (p. 10). ACM.
- Cai, T., Chew, H. E., & Levy, M. R. (2015). Mobile value-added services and the economic empowerment of women: The case of Usaha Wanita in Indonesia. Mobile Media & Communication.
- Chew, H. E., Ilavarasan, P. V., & Levy, M. R. (2015). The amplification effect of mobile phones on female-owned microenterprises. Mobile Media & Communication.
- West, M., & Chew, H. E. (2014). Reading in the Mobile Era. UNESCO: Paris.
- Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development. (2014). Final WSIS Targets Review: Achievements, Challenges and the Way Forward. ITU: Geneva.
- Chew, H.E., Ilavarasan, P. V., & Levy, M. (2013). Mattering matters: Agency, empowerment, and mobile phone use by female microentrepreneurs. Information Technology for Development. 1-17.
- Chew, H.E., Ilavarasan, P. V., & Levy, M. (2013). When there’s a will, there might be a way: The economic impact of mobile phones and entrepreneurial motivation on female-owned microenterprises. In Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development. ACM.
- Chew, H. E, Sort, B., & Haddawy, P. (2013, January). Building a crowdsourcing community: how online social learning helps in poverty reduction. In Proceedings of the 3rd ACM Symposium on Computing for Development (p. 21). ACM.
- DeMaagd, K., Chew, H. E., Huang, G., Khan, M. L., Sreenivasan, A., & Larose, R. (2013). The use of public computing facilities by library patrons: Demography, motivations, and barriers. Government Information Quarterly, 30(1), 110-118.
- LaRose, R., DeMaagd, K., Chew, H. E., Tsai, H.-y. S., Steinfield, C., Wildman, S. S., & Bauer, J. M. (2012). Measuring Sustainable Broadband Adoption: An Innovative Approach to Understanding Broadband Adoption and Use. International Journal of Communication, 6, 2576-2600.
- Chew, H. E., Ilavarasan, P. V., & Levy, M. (2012). A latency effect for mobile phone investments by microentrepreneurs, Media Asia, 39(2), 99-108.
- Steinfield, C., LaRose, R., Chew, H. E., & Tong, S. T. (2012). Small and medium-sized enterprises in rural business clusters: The relation between ICT adoption and benefits derived from cluster membership. The Information Society, 28(2), 110-120.
- Chew, H.E., Levy, M., & Ilavarasan, V. (2011). The limited impact of ICTs on microenterprise growth: A study of businesses owned by women in urban India. Information Technologies & International Development, 7(4).
- Chew, H. E., LaRose, R., Steinfield, C. & Velasquez, A. (2011). The use of online social networking by rural youth and its effects on community attachment. Information, Communication & Society, 14(5), 726-747. doi:10.1080/1369118X.2010.539243.
- Chew, H.E., Ilavarasan, P. V. and Levy, M. (2010). The economic impact of information and communication technologies on microenterprises in the context of development. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 44(4), 1-19, Special Issue on ICTs and Development: Theories and Evidence.
Op-eds/Commentaries
- Chew, H. E., & Lim, S. S. (2025, October 27). Commentary: Conversations on kids’ screen time focus too much on quantity. CNA.
- Chew, H. E., & Chua, V. (2025, October 14). Commentary: Early-career continuity is a competitive advantage. The Business Times.
- Chew, H. E. (2025, August 22). Commentary: How Singapore can protect children while helping them navigate social media. CNA.
- Chew, H. E. (2025, June 30). Banning #SkinnyTok won’t fix the problem of viral harm. The Straits Times.
- Chew, H. E. (2025, June 26). Commentary: The problem with social media is bigger than who gets access. CNA.
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- Chew, H. E. & C. Soon (2025, May 19). 为什么你看到的视频越来越极端？Why are the videos you see getting more extreme? Lianhe Zaobao.
- Chew, H. E. (2025, Apr 15). Commentary: The AI-fuelled child exploitation crisis is global – so must be our response. CNA.
- Chew, H. E. & Tan, I. (2025, Mar 20). NSmen and mental health: Our soldiers don’t need to suffer in silence. The Straits Times.
- Chew, H. E. (2025, Feb 18). Commentary: If we don’t shape the internet, others will. Channel NewsAsia.
- Chew, H. E. (2025, Jan 20). Deepfake nude apps are ruining lives and have no place in app stores. The Straits Times.
- Chew, H. E. (2024, Oct 4). Four everyday AI competencies for Singaporeans to make Smart Nation 2.0 work. The Straits Times.
- Soon, C., Chew, H. E. & Mak, A. (2024, May 30). Commentary: The tussle over TikTok isn’t just geopolitics. Channel NewsAsia.
- Soon, C., Chew, H. E. & Mak, A. (2024, May 30). Commentary: The tussle over TikTok isn’t just geopolitics. Channel NewsAsia.
- Chew, H. E. (2023, Nov 23). To stop the erosion of digital trust, measure it. Tech For Good Institute.
- Chew, H. E. & Pereira, S. (2023, Sep 27). Imagine having skills training during NS to prepare for the next phase of your life. The Straits Times.
- Chew, H. E., Soon, C. & Tan, J. (2023, Sep 12). Where to park my bicycle? The mindset needed to beat scammers. The Straits Times.
- Soon, C., Chew, H. E. & Tan, B. (2023, Apr 4). Commentary: Why 'own-account' workers struggle to undergo training, and how a more skilful approach will help. TODAY.
- Tan, I., Chua, V. & Chew, H. E. (2022, Nov 23). Commentary: Fixing ‘broken’ youth not enough to tackle mental health issues — nurture them to flourish in life too. The Straits Times.
- Chew, H. E., Lim, S. S. & Soon, C. (2022, Nov 15). Online safety rules must be matched by public education. The Straits Times.
- Lim, S. S. & Chew, H. E. (2022, Oct 4). Online safety and social media liability: Has the tide turned?. The Straits Times.
- Chew, H. E. & Chua, V. (2022, Sep 19). Singapore youth: In defence of 'strawberries'. The Straits Times.
- Soon, C., Neo, Y. W., Tan, B. & Chew, H. E., (2022, Aug 18). Different gigs, different digital skills. The Straits Times.
- LIM, S. S. & Chew, H. E. (2022, Mar 10). Online harm is an urgent issue for women. The Straits Times.
- Chew, H. E. & Soon, C. (2022, Mar 5). Rebuilding digital trust. The Straits Times.
- Chew, H. E. (2021, October 19). Taking that Squid Game quiz? Ad Tech is watching you. The Straits Times.
- Chew, H. E. & Tilley, J. L. (2021, July 12). Singapore needs more female IT graduates. Here’s why and how to achieve this. TODAY.
- Pang, N. & Chew, H. E. (2020, June 15). Don’t define digital access problem as a divide. It’s more complex than that. Todayonline.com.
- Chew, H. E. (August 2013). Telling the truth about information communication technology (ICT) and development. WIDER Angle.
- Chew, H. E., Ilavarasan, P. V., & Levy, M. (December 2012). Motivation Increases Mobile Phone Impact in Microenterprises. United Nations University Publications.
Conference Participation and Presentations/Speeches
- Chew, H. E. (2025). Building a Digital World Designed with Youth and Children. ASEAN ICT Forum for Online Child Protection, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- Chew, H. E. (2025). Strategies to Manage Disinformation. CENS Conference on Distortions, Rumours, Untruths, Misinformation, and Smears (DRUMS) 2025, Singapore.
- Chew, H.E. (2025). AI and Regional Cases. UNU Macau AI Conference 2025, Macau, China.
- Chew, H.E. (2025). Measuring Digital Trust: A Framework for Smart Societies. Quello Center Lecture. Michigan, United States.
- Chew, H.E. (2025). Borrowing Berlo: Singapore's Evolving Approach to Online Harms. Quello Center Lecture. Michigan, United States.
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- Chua, V., & Chew, H.E. (2021). Adulting in a Time of COVID-19 in Singapore. Paper presented at the 22nd Malaysian and Singapore Society of Australia (MASSA) Symposium, held online.
- Chew, H.E., Lee, S.H. & Lim, C. (March, 2018). Measuring Digital Well-being for the Smart Nation. Paper presented at 2018 UNESCO Mobile Learning Week, Paris, France.
- Chew, H.E. & West, M. (February, 2015). Women punching above their weight in mobile reading. Paper presented at 2015 UNESCO Mobile Learning Week, Paris, France.
- Chew, H.E., Faber, J., Liu, Z., Madera, V., & Qamar, N. (August, 2013). Actualizing a Mobile Integrated System for Geriatric Care. Poster presented at 14th World Congress on Medical and Health Informatics, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Chew, H.E., Ilavarasan, P. V., & Levy, M. (June, 2013). The Amplification Effect of Mobile Phones: User Expectations and Economic Outcomes in the Context of Development. Paper presented at the 63rd Annual International Communication Association Conference, London, UK.
- Levy, M., Chew, H. E, & Ilavarasan, P.V. (2012). Linkage between Period of Mobile Phone Usage and Business Growth: An Empirical Study of Microentrepreneurs in Mumbai, India. 3rd International Conference on Mobile Communication for Development, New Delhi, India.
- LaRose, R., DeMaagd, K., Chew, H. E., Tsai, H.-Y. S., Wildman, S. S., & Bauer, J.M. (2012). Broadband Adoption in the Inner City: Revisiting a Classic Diffusion Paradigm. Paper presented at the 62nd Annual International Communication Association Conference, Arizona, United States.
- LaRose, R., Bauer, J.M., DeMaagd, K., Chew, H. E., Ma, W. and Jung, Y. (2011). Public Broadband Investment Priorities in the United States: An Analysis of the Broadband Telecommunications Opportunity Program. Paper presented at the 61st Annual International Communication Association Conference, Boston, United States. Top Paper Award.
- Chew, H.E., LaRose, R., Steinfield, C. & Velasquez, A. (June 2010). The Use of Online Social Networking by Rural Youth and its Effects on Community Involvement. Paper presented at the 60th Annual International Communication Association Conference, Singapore.
- Levy, M., Chew, H.E. & Ilavarasan, P. V. (June, 2010). The Economic Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on Microenterprises in the Context of Development. Paper presented at the 60th Annual International Communication Association Conference, Singapore.
- Chew, H.E., LaRose, R., Steinfield, C. & Velasquez, A. (2009) The Use of Online Social Networking by Rural Youth and its Effects on Community Involvement. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Conference Chicago, United States.
- Steinfield, C., Chew, H. E., Tong, S. T., & LaRose, R. (2009). Connecting Rural Enterprises. The role of ICTs in generating social capital for rural business clusters. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Conference, Chicago, United States.