YAP, Mui Teng

Dr Yap Mui Teng is Adjunct Principal Research Fellow in the Governance and Economy department at the Institute of Policy Studies.  She is also an Associate of the Changing Family in Asia cluster at the Asia Research Institute (ARI), National University of Singapore.

She has written and published widely on fertility and family planning, migration and ageing in Singapore and the region and was formerly a statistician in two government agencies and a researcher in the East-West Centre in Honolulu, Hawai’i.

Mui Teng has a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) degree from the University of Singapore, and Master and PhD degrees from the University of Hawai’i.

Research Interests

Policy responses to low fertility in Singapore and elsewhere; policies on the aged; migration policies; poverty alleviation policies

Publications

• Yap, M. T., & Gee, C. (2018). Fertility Preferences in Singapore. In Gietel-Basten, S., Casterline, J., & Choe, M.K. (Eds.), Family demography in Asia: A comparative analysis of fertility preferences (pp. 291–304). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
• Yap, M. T., & Gee, C. (2015). Singapore’s demographic transition, the labor force and government policies: The last fifty years. The Singapore Economic Review, 60(3), 1550035.
• Yap, M. T., & Gee, C. (2015). Ageing in Singapore: Social issues and policy challenges. In D. Chan (Ed.), 50 years of social issues in Singapore (pp. 3–10). Singapore: World Scientific.
• Phua, K. H., Yap, M. T., Khiji, S. S., Lee, H-P. (2015). Development of public health in economic transition: The middle-income countries. In R. Detels, M. Gulliford, Q. A. Karim, & Tan, C.C. (Eds.), Oxford textbook of global public health (6th ed.) (pp. 48–61). London: Oxford University Press.
• Yap, M. T., Koh, G., & Soon, D. (Eds.). (2014). Migration and integration in Singapore: Policies and practice (Vol. 8). Singapore: Routledge.
Hide more Show more
Yap, M. T., & Gee, C. K. A. (Eds.). (2014). Population outcomes — Singapore 2050. IPS Exchange Series No. 1.
Yap, M. T. (2014). Singapore’s system for managing foreign manpower. In R. H. Adams, Jr., A. Ahsan (Eds.), Managing international migration for development in East Asia (pp. 220­–240). Washington, DC: World Bank Group.
Yap, M. T. (2014). Immigration in Singapore: An overview. In N. Vasu, S. Y. Yeap, & W. L. Chan (Eds.), Immigration in Singapore (pp. 25–36). Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.
Chongsuvivatwong, V., Phua, K. H., Yap, M. T., Pocock, N. S., Hashim, J. H., Chhem, R., Wilopo, S. A., & Lopez, A. D. (2011). Health and health-care systems in Southeast Asia: Diversity and transitions. The Lancet, 377(9763), 429–437.
Yap, M. T. (2010). Social assistance programme in Singapore. In J. Midgley & K-L. Tang (Eds.), Social policy and poverty in East Asia: The role of social security (pp.  66–80). Oxford: Routledge.
Yap, M. T. (2010). The ageing population. In T. Chong (Ed.), Management of success: Singapore revisited (pp. 183–198). Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Yap, M. T. (2009). Report on the state of the elderly 2009. Report commissioned by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS).
Yap, M. T. (2009). Bolstering population growth: From babies to immigrants. In B. Welsh, J. Chin, A. Mahizhnan & T. H. Tan (Eds.), Impressions: The Goh years in Singapore (pp. 265–276). Singapore: NUS Press.
Yap, M. T. (2009). Ultra-low fertility in Singapore: Some observations. In G. Jones, P. Tay-Straughan & A. Chan (Eds.), Ultra-low fertility in Pacific Asia: Trends, causes and policy dilemmas (pp. 160–180). London: Routledge.
Yap, M. T. (2008). The elderly woman in Singapore: Her role and position. In J. Troisi & A. Pawliczko (Eds.), The elderly woman in Asia: Her role and position. Malta: The International Institute on Ageing, United Nations.
Yap, M. T. (2008). Singapore’s response to an ageing population. In H. G. Lee (Ed.), Ageing in Southeast and East Asia; Family, social protection and policy challenges (pp. 66–87). Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Yap, M. T. (2007). Singapore: Population policies and programs. In W. C. Robinson & J. A. Ross (Eds.), The global family planning revolution; Three decades of population policies and programs (pp. 201–220). Washington, DC: World Bank.
Yap, M. T. (2005). Planning for an ageing population. In T. C. Wong, Z. Wang, R. Ismail, & E. M. Kho (Eds.), Teaching Social Studies: A reader. Singapore: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Yap, M. T. (2003). Employment insurance: A safety net for the unemployed. In Report prepared for the remaking Singapore Committee on “Beyond credit card—Income distribution, social safety nets, sports and arts”. Singapore: Institute of Policy Studies.
Yap, M. T. (2003). Fertility and population policy: The Singapore experience. Journal of Population and Social Security: Population Study, Supplement to Volume 1.
Yap, M. T. (2003). Poverty monitoring and alleviation in Singapore. In K .L. Tang & C.K. Wong (Eds.), Poverty monitoring and alleviation in East Asia (pp. 75–90). New York: Nova Publications.
Yap, M. T. (2002). Population ageing in the ASEAN countries. Quarterly Journal of the International Institute on Ageing, 12(2). Malta: United Nations.
Yap, M. T. (2001). Bridging the intergenerational divide. In Yap, M. T. (Ed.), Perspectives 2001. Singapore: Times Academic Press for Institute of Policy Studies.
Yap, M. T. (2001). On babies, foreign talent and older people: The great balancing act. In Southeast Asian affairs 2001. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. 
Mahizhnan, A., & Yap, M. T. (2000). Singapore: The development of an intelligent island and social dividends of information technology. Urban Studies, 37(10), 1749–1756.
Yap, M. T. (2000). Labour migration and the role of the media. Asian Migrant, 13(3).
Yap, M. T. (2000). Who is a Singaporean? SAIS Review, 20(1), 125–131.
Yap, M. T. (2000). Low fertility and policy response in Singapore.  Low Fertility and Policy Responses to Issues of Ageing and Welfare. Seoul: Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs & United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Yap, M. T. (1999). The Singapore state’s response to migration. Sojourn, 14(1), 198–211.
Yap, M. T. (1999). Adapting existing institutions to meet the needs of the elderly. In R. Cliquet & M. Nizamuddin (Eds.), Population ageing: Challenges for policies and programmes in developed and developing countries. New York: UNFPA.
Yap, M. T. & Tan, E. S. (1998). The age of the aged. In A. Mahizhnan & T. Y. Lee (Eds.), Singapore: Re-engineering success. Singapore: Insitute of Policy Studies and Oxford University Press. 
Yap, M. T. (1995). Singapore’s new population policy: The first five years. Asia-Pacific Population Journal, 10(4), 39–52.
Yap, M. T. (1994). Brain drain or links to the world: Views on emigrants from Singapore. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 3(2–3), 411–429.
Yap, M. T. (Ed.). (1994). Singapore: The year in review 1994. Singapore: Times Academic Press for Institute of Policy Studies.
Yap, M. T. (1991).Singaporeans overseas: A study of emigrants in Australia and Canada. IPS Report Series No.3.
Yap, M. T. (Ed.). (1991). Social services: The next lap. Singapore: Times Academic Press for Institute of Policy Studies.

Op-eds/Commentaries

• Yap, M. T & Gee, C. (2015, February 19). Silver support bonus should not be too restrictive. The Straits Times.
• Yap, M. T & Gee, C. (2014, August 19). Adding a first pillar to old-income support. The Straits Times.
• Yap, M. T & Gee, C. (2014, July 7). Approaches to managing health-care costs in Singapore. The Straits Times.
• Yap, M. T & Gee, C. (2013, December). Catching the next wave in Singapore’s population story. IPS Update.
• Yap, M. T. (2013, January 28). Reactions to parenthood package; baby boost; Joining the dots. The Straits Times.
Hide more Show more
Yap, M. T & Chan, C. S. (2012). Redefining ageing. IPS Update.
Yap, M. T & Gee, C. (2012, July 31). Singapore’s population conundrum. Asia Pathways.
Yap, M. T & Gee, C. (2012, May 5). Tackling the population conundrum. The Straits Times.
Yap, M. T. (2011). Singapore’s demographic trends. Global-is-Asian.
Yap, M. T, Kang, S. H. & Chan, C. S. (2011, April). Demography and family cluster works on population growth scenarios. (Part I and Part II). IPS Update.
Yap, M. T. (2011, February 19). Life stages and S’pore’s baby woes. The Straits Times.
Yap, M. T. (2010). Learning from the Urban Institute, Washington, DC, USA. IPS Update.
Yap, M. T. (2007, August 23). Iron out kinks in blueprint for elderly. TODAY.

Conference Participation and Presentations/Speeches

• Presenter, “The role of government in elderly wellbeing: The Singapore experience”, at the Invited Symposium on Roles of Government and Community in Promoting Elderly Well-Being, IAGG Asia/Ocenia 2015 Congress, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 19-22 October 2015.
• Presenter, “Population policy and development in Singapore”, at the Second Family Policy Seminar in Asia and the Pacific, organised by the OECD, OECD Korea Policy Centre and the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Seoul, Korea, 29 October 2015.
• Presenter, “Policy response to (ultra-) low fertility in Singapore”, at the Plenary session on Ultra-Low Fertility, Third Asian Population Association Conference, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 30 July 2015.
• Chaired, “Differentials and variations in fertility”, at the Third Asian Population Association Conference, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 29 July 2015.
• Co-presenter, “Fertility preference in Singapore”, at the Workshop on Fertility Preference in Asia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 27 July 2015.

Committees/Directorships

• Member, Research Grant Resource Panel, VCF Social Service Research Grant, National Council of Social Service (August 2014–July 2016)