Lim Siong Guan

Appointing Governor, Board of Governors (1999 – 2005), 4th S R Nathan Fellow (Academic Year 2017/18 Semester One)

Lim Siong Guan was appointing governor of IPS from 1999-2005, when he was Singapore’s Head of Civil Service. He first spoke about the beginnings of IPS. He had suggested calling it Institute of Policy Studies, rather than Institute of Political Studies. He recounted frustration among IPS research staff that their work had limited policy impact; his suggestion was to look at future trends and propose policies accordingly, instead of trying to influence present-day policies. 

He did not see the direction of IPS change although different directors brought different perspectives. He saw the merger with Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy as a good decision. He spoke about social challenges and needs that existed despite Singapore’s economic success. Looking forward, IPS should focus on social issues. He mentioned social challenges, innovation and graciousness, topics that he covered in his IPS-Nathan lectures (which he delivered from September to November 2017).

Ultimately, while IPS had attained a professional standing and occupied a unique space in Singapore, if it wanted to do big-picture, forward-looking work, it would need a patron, as regular clients would not pay for research with such a long-term view (e.g., 10 to 30 years ahead).


This interview was conducted on 11 Nov 2019. Click here to listen to the full interview.