Jon Quah

Acting Director (1988 – 1990)

After completing his PhD coursework in 1972, Jon Quah returned to Singapore to work as an Associate Professor and later Acting Head of the Department of Political Science at the National University of Singapore. In June 1988, he was seconded to the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) for two years where he served as Deputy Director and Acting Director. His decision to become Acting Director came after much consideration and discussions with Founding Director Professor Chan Heng Chee and Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong.

Recalling his time at IPS, he described the organisation as a small family, and described how staff recruitment was handled only by him and three other colleagues. Drawing from his visits to think tanks in the US, he described the ability to conduct quality and impactful research as the defining factor for a successful think tank.

He also shared about ESM Goh’s push for more public discussions through IPS’ dialogues, where people could speak freely and ask questions without attribution. He felt that IPS research was impactful, and that the government took IPS’ recommendations seriously in their decision-making. He also shared about his publishing of In Search of Singapore’s National Values, a study conducted by him and his colleagues to identify national values of Singaporeans for the government to consider.

He talked about his decision to step down as Director in 1990, that it stemmed from his desire to return to teaching and conduct research. He saw the merger with the Lee Kuan School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) as a good move, and shared his hopes that IPS would continue to attract and retain qualified research staff.