The Government has spoken for some years now about shifting from governing for the people to governing with them. The harder question is what real participation asks of citizens themselves.

If we want more active citizens, we need to give people something meaningful to decide. Participation is limited if citizens are asked only what they want. It becomes more meaningful when they are asked to weigh what they are willing to give up under real constraints.

This piece was first published in The Straits Times on 12 October 2026.

The authors are with the Institute of Policy Studies, National University of Singapore. Justin Lee, Nicholas Thomas and Cecilia Kuek are part of the IPS Policy Lab research team that ran the participatory budgeting pilot in Spottiswoode Park.
Liang Kaixin is senior associate director of communications and public affairs at the same institute.