In the Spotlight
On 15 March 2024, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and National Development Indranee Rajah joined us for the IPS Corporate Associates Lunch Dialogue on the Singapore Budget 2024.
The dialogue was moderated by Christopher Gee, Deputy Director and Senior Research Fellow of IPS.
Some topics discussed were SkillsFuture, Singapore's total fertility rate, attraction and integration of foreign talents, tax deduction for charitable donations, and affordability of special needs education.
Find out more about the IPS Corporate Associates programme here.
Announcements
Tribute to Professor Jon Quah
All at IPS extend our deepest condolences to Professor Stella R. Quah and her family on the passing of her beloved husband Professor Jon Quah.
Jon made invaluable contributions to IPS in its formative years. He was Deputy Director and then Acting Director from 1988 to 1990.
He worked hard to instil in IPS a willingness to engage the wider public in policy discussions, a mission which remains the institution's raison d'être. And he laid the foundations for us to conduct impactful applied public policy research.
Asia Journalism Fellowship 2024
Applications for the Asia Journalism Fellowship (AJF) 2024 are now open.
AJF has been bringing about 15 journalists from across Asia to Singapore each year since 2009. The programme will include a mix of training and seminars. In Singapore, Fellows will visit newsrooms, meet journalists and key decision-makers, and gain an understanding of life in the Little Red Dot and what makes this city-state tick.
AJF 2024 will run as a hybrid programme with four weeks online and four weeks in Singapore, from 8 July 2024 to 30 August 2024.
Learn more about AJF and apply here.
IPS News Fellowship 2024
Applications for the IPS News Fellowship 2024 are now open!
On 13 March 2024, IPS hosted a sharing session with our first IPS News Fellows, Nigel Chua and Justin Ong.
Nigel, from Mothership, delved into the nuances of hawker culture, sparked by his fascination with hawker food and love of satay bee hoon. He discussed commodification’s impact on hawker food quality, citing government involvement and renowned brands as examples.
Justin, of TODAY, examined Singapore's rising pet ownership trend and its connection to fertility rates. His research revealed varied impacts on couples' fertility intentions, influenced by pre-existing preferences.
The IPS News Fellowship aims to advance the field of journalism in Singapore by providing a platform for seasoned journalists and editors to spend three months on in-depth research on societal issues.
Find out more about the Fellowship and apply here.
Articles
Event Summary — 14th IPS-Nathan Lecture Series: Lecture I “Global Trade: Attempting Escape Velocity” by Mr Tan Chong Meng
(IPS Commons)
• 7-min read
On 6th March 2024, Mr Tan Chong Meng, IPS’ 14th S R Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore, delivered his first lecture titled “Global Trade: Attempting Escape Velocity”.
This is the first lecture of his three-part lecture series titled “Exploring Global Trade and Singapore’s Place as a World Connector”, as part of the IPS-Nathan Lecture Series.
Mr Tan discussed global trade's evolution amidst COVID-19 and geopolitical tensions, using the metaphor of "escape velocity" to emphasise its challenges. He highlighted the role of communication technologies and containerisation in reshaping trade while showcasing Singapore's proactive stance on future readiness in the maritime industry.
The post-lecture Q&A session, moderated by Mr Patrick Lee, Cluster CEO, Singapore and ASEAN Markets, Standard Chartered Bank, further discussed Singapore’s role in global trade, with a focus on the impact of digitalisation and globalisation.
Register to attend Lecture III “Sustainable and Resilient Trade: The Next Frontier?” on 7th May here.
Commentary — Qualifications v skills: Is one just paper, the other the real deal? (The Straits Times)
(The Straits Times)
By Tan Ern Ser and Hanniel Lim
• 6-min read
In Singapore, there persists a significant salary gap between graduates of ITE and polytechnics compared to those from universities, despite official discourse emphasising the importance of acknowledging diverse routes to success.
In this article, Tan Ern Ser and Hanniel Lim highlight the debate between qualifications versus skills and suggest a convergence between the two. With this merger, it would allow a less hierarchical society where multiple pathways to success are recognised and valued.
Recent Releases on the IPS Website
Report — IPS-SEC Closed-Door Discussion on “Digital Technologies for Community-Building and Social Resilience”
This IPS-SEC Closed-Door Discussion, titled ‘Digital Technologies for Community Building and Social Resilience’, examined how Web 2.0 and 3.0 technologies could foster self-help projects for social resilience. It aimed to conceptualise these projects in a way that allowed researchers to compare their trust-making capabilities.
The discussion involved two sessions. One focused on blockchain for decentralised governance, while the other proposed community-facilitating projects for transparent, efficient and fair management of public goods.
These sessions allowed key public and private sector stakeholders to understand how decision-making could take place at the ground level, thereby, helping communities realise self-governance in tangible ways.
Report — Asia Voices Perspective on Tax Policy Seminar 2024
On 26 March 2024, the IPS Working Group convened its third Asia Voices: Perspectives on Tax Policy seminar. The first two seminars focused on the Asian perspectives pertaining to Pillar Two of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS).
The online seminar held in March 2024 shifted the discussion to Pillar One, with a focus on Amount A. Three speakers with backgrounds in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations (UN) provided updates on the development of these policies and discussed different scenarios that might play out depending on the success of Amount A roll out.
Recent Publications
Book — Commentary on Singapore
"Commentary on Singapore", edited by IPS' Gillian Koh, is a three-volume compilation of essays first published in NUSS - National University of Singapore Society's journal titled Commentary.
Written by leading thinkers including Tommy Koh, Kishore Mahbubani, Bilahari Kausikan, Piyush Gupta, Geh Min, Kwa Chong Guan and Gerard Ee, these essays provide general readers with valuable grounding and frameworks for thinking about Singapore's approach in navigating geopolitical shifts in its neighbourhood.
Enjoy 20% off with the promo code "WSASOC20", valid only on the World Scientific website till 31 May 2024.
Get the full set here.
IPS in the News
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