IPS Update Issue June 2025

On 16th June 2025, Mr Philip Yeo, IPS’ 16th S R Nathan for the study of Singapore, delivered his third and final lecture titled “Singapore Enterprises: Grow, Glow, Globalise”.

Mr Yeo charted the development of Singapore’s local enterprises against the backdrop of the nation’s economic transformation to a knowledge- and innovation-based economy. As Singapore begins to face slowing GDP growth and resource constraints in land and labour, Mr Yeo stressed the need to grow Gross National Income (GNI) by generating more value abroad.

The post-lecture Q&A session, moderated by Ms Aw Kah Peng, Chairman of Shell Companies in Singapore, further discussed how the education system can better inculcate risk-taking attitudes in students, and how small and medium enterprises can be encouraged to globalise and expand overseas given the current geopolitical contexts.

Discover more about the IPS-Nathan Lectures by Mr Philip Yeo here.

Asia Journalism Fellowship 2025

Applications for the Asia Journalism Fellowship (AJF) 2025 are now open.

Since 2009, the Asia Journalism Fellowship has been bringing about 15 journalists from across Asia to Singapore each year. The Fellowship is a highly regarded mid-career programme for journalists, valued as time out from the newsroom for Fellows to recharge, learn, understand more about one another’s countries and get to know Singapore.

AJF 2025 will run for eight weeks from 8 September 2025 to 31 October 2025. The first four weeks will be conducted online, with the next four weeks, in Singapore.

Learn more about AJF and apply here.

Commentary — 为什么你看到的视频越来越极端？
(Lianhe Zaobao)
By Chew Han Ei and Carol Soon
• 5-min read

Content on social media feeds is becoming increasingly emotional and polarised. This could be caused by algorithmic drift, where social media platforms are steering users towards certain types of content to keep them engaged. Over time, this can lead to feeds being dominated by misleading or extreme information.

In this commentary by Chew Han Ei and Carol Soon, they discuss the effects and dangers of algorithmic drift on Singaporeans and what can be done to assert greater control of our online experiences.

Commentary — Anticipating PM Wong’s First Major Cabinet Reshuffle: A Pivotal Moment for Singapore’s 4G Leadership
(IPS Commons)
By Gillian Koh
• 4-min read

As Singapore transitions to a new phase of political leadership under Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, significant attention is focused on the cabinet reshuffle after the General Election. This marks PM Wong’s first opportunity to recalibrate the nation’s leadership team and could have far reaching effects on Singapore’s policy direction.

This commentary by Dr Gillian Koh explores how the reshuffle is occurring against a backdrop of rising demands for public engagement, transparency and accountability in governance. This presents PM Wong with an opportunity to set the tone for a new era of people-oriented and progressive governance, responding to the evolving expectations of Singaporeans.

Singapore Unpacked Episode 4 — The CMIO model — is it still relevant?

In this episode of Singapore Unpacked, host Liang Kaixin discusses the ongoing debate surrounding the CMIO model and its relevance today.

Together with Dr Mathew Mathews, Principal Research Fellow and Head of IPS Social Lab, and Elliott Danker, a media consultant, they unpack what the model means for Singaporeans, especially those classified as “Others”. They also consider whether the model should be updated to better reflect our increasingly diverse society, and how the country can balance practical policy considerations with a sense of inclusive national identity.

Singapore Unpacked Episode 5 — Flexible work arrangements – how it shapes women’s lives and workplaces in Singapore

The fifth episode of Singapore Unpacked explores how flexible work arrangements (FWAs) are reshaping lives and workplaces, especially for women juggling caregiving and careers.

Dr Tan Poh Lin, senior research fellow at IPS shares insights from her research, noting how pandemic-era telecommuting initially increased household tensions but eventually strengthened family bonds. Mr Ang Yuit, President of the Associations of Small & Medium Enterprises, offers practical perspectives from SMEs, highlighting how flexible work can help employers and employees rethink work arrangements, and how frontline workers can take on FWAs via flexible working hours and/or load.

The conversation also addresses FWAs’ dual impact on both workers and employers, suggesting effective approaches such as clear performance metrics and ongoing employer-employee dialogue for a more sustainable implementation of FWAs.

Report — The Forty-Second Singapore Economic Roundtable

On 16 May 2025, IPS held the 42nd Singapore Economic Roundtable (SER), bringing together economists, academics, business leaders, and policymakers from both public and private sectors.

The event comprised two sessions. The first focused on Singapore’s macroeconomic outlook and policy implications amid global trade tensions, with speakers from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office, and Asia-Pacific Economics. The second examined trade and foreign investment prospects in Singapore and Southeast Asia, featuring speakers from Singapore Management University, BowerGroupAsia, and ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. Both sessions were moderated by IPS adjunct senior research fellow Manu Bhaskaran.

Journal Article — Assets and Challenges: Singapore’s Third Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, Hands Over to Successor

In this article, Gillian Koh reviews the legacy of Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore’s third Prime Minister. His 20-year tenure saw the country adapt successfully to shifting global dynamics, economic crises, and an ageing, more unequal society by deepening diplomatic ties, strengthening economic resilience, expanding progressive social policies, and making governance more inclusive and responsive.

Upon handing over to Lawrence Wong in May 2024, SM Lee left Singapore with strong bilateral and regional relationships, robust economic and innovation frameworks, improved social safety nets, and enhanced political participation. However, PM Wong now faces more complex geopolitical, economic, and social challenges in an uncertain world.

IPS Working Paper No. 62 — Friendships in Flux: Generational and Socio-Economic Divides in Singapore

This working paper by IPS researchers Dr Mathew Mathews, Dr Teo Kay Key and Melvin Tay explores how age and socio-economic status shape friendships in Singapore. Using data from the IPS Survey on Race, Religion and Language surveys across three iterations in 2013, 2018, and 2024, this paper uncovers shifts in the number of close friendships and openness to mixing across demographic lines.

Findings suggest that younger adults, as well as respondents with lower educational qualifications and income, tend to have fewer close friends. The paper highlights the importance of strengthening social cohesion in a rapidly changing society.

Journal Article — Unequal gains from remote work during COVID-19 between spouses: Evidence from longitudinal data in Singapore

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a widespread shift to remote work arrangements. This paper examines how these changes affected male and female spouses differently.

Dr Zeewan Lee, Assistant Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP), IPS' Dr Tan Poh Lin and Dr Jie-Sheng Tan-Soo, Assistant Professor at LKYSPP, published their findings in an article for PLOS One. In this article, the authors examined the effects of remote work arrangements on salary income, work hours, and wages.

They found that male spouses benefited disproportionately from full remote work arrangements, with longer and significant gains in salary income, while female remote workers’ income gains were limited by constrained work hours. .