IPS Update Issue November 2025

On 3 November 2025, Mr Piyush Gupta delivered his second IPS-Nathan Lecture, examining how digitalisation is reshaping Singapore’s financial system, highlighting benefits such as greater choice, lower costs and AI-enabled personalisation, while cautioning against scams, data and AI governance issues and cyber risks.

In a Q&A moderated by Mr Vikram Khanna of The Straits Times, participants discussed balancing innovation with prudence, talent development and scam education

How might citizens co-shape decisions? At an IPS Policy Lab webinar on 24 Oct 2025, Nico Carpentier and Vaia Doudaki unpacked the Czech Citizens’ Parliament, showing how deliberation and design choices enable meaningful participation. Learn how deliberation translates into credible outcomes.

Commentary — Early-career continuity is a competitive advantage
(The Business Times)
By Chew Han Ei and Vincent Chua
^{• 6-min read}

Singapore’s tight labour market hides a deeper challenge: many young graduates struggle to find stable early careers. Findings from the Youth STEPS study show that steady early employment boosts well-being and adaptability, making early career continuity key to productivity, retention, and giving every young worker a place to start and a future to build.

Commentary — Conversations on kids’ screen time focus too much on quantity
(CNA)
By Chew Han Ei and Lim Sun Sun
^{• 6-min read}

More than half of children aged two to six exceed recommended screen time limits — but focusing on duration alone misses the point. What matters is how screens are used. A balanced, skills-based approach with guided, age-appropriate exposure can build digital literacy and self-regulation, helping children navigate the digital world safely.

Report — IPS-SBF Conference Global-City Singapore: SG60 and Beyond

The IPS-SBF Conference underscored that Singapore is entering a new era of geopolitical fragmentation and rapid AI advances. With the old US-led order unlikely to return, speakers called for Singapore to not just adapt but shape global rules and alliances. They emphasised resilient supply chains, inclusive and sustainable growth, widespread AI adoption and continuous talent development to lead in the digital and green economies.

This paper covers the findings from the survey of 1000 parents, including matched parent-teen pairs. They found that higher total screen time was associated with poorer sleep, greater loneliness and lower emotional well-being for both teenagers and parents.

However, the relationship is nuanced: how people use screens and how much time they spend offline significantly influence these outcomes, highlighting the importance of balanced and intentional digital habits.

Digital technologies have brought new risks alongside benefits. This paper explores how Singaporeans view online harms and steps to strengthen digital safety. Non-consensual intimate content, dangerous behaviours and targeted harassment are seen as most severe. The study calls for stronger victim support, greater platform accountability, improved digital literacy and readiness for emerging threats like deepfakes.

CNA Documentary Series — Being Singaporean

What does it mean to be Singaporean in a changing world? In CNA’s two-part documentary series Being Singaporean, comedian Rishi Budhrani explores the complexities of national identity, featuring insights from the IPS-CNA Study on National Identity. The study highlights key factors that shape and challenge what it means to belong.

Watch the documentary here.