IPS Update Issue August 2018

Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, IPS Director Janadas Devan and Mr Lim Siong Guan at the launch of Mr Lim’s book Can Singapore Fall? Making the Future for Singapore. The book is a compilation of lectures he had delivered as our fourth S R Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore.

Having served 37 years in the Singapore Civil Service, five of which as its head, Mr Lim argues that the nation-state needs to guard against complacency, ossification and decline. Having achieved the status of a First World Economy, Singaporeans need to aspire to a First-World Society. This entails a society of graciousness that pursues a culture of innovation, excellence and outwardness.

How do we cultivate the Singapore identity in tandem with our diverse ethnic identities? Is there a need for cultural preservation, and how can cultures celebrate their distinctness while remaining inclusive? These and other questions were discussed at the IPS-OnePeople.sg Forum, which brought together scholars, policy makers, and grassroots and cultural organisations’ representatives.

Death Education is Life Education
(IPSCommons)
By Ms Jean Lor

By Christopher Gee

Social insurance schemes such as CareShield Life can help to offset inequalities of outcome that may accumulate over time in our society. However, several issues need to be addressed: Do premiums need to be actuarially fair? If so, should women have higher premiums than men? These questions are particularly apt this National Day season, and have broad ramifications on how Singaporeans relate to other Singaporeans.

By Dr Gillian Koh

What happens if one’s personal values and beliefs or ideal vision of society differ vastly from what is playing out in society? How can one live with that? Following the results of the third National Values Assessment survey, IPS Deputy Director Dr Gillian Koh explores the choices Singapore must make to close this gap.

By Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser

Singaporeans can be a self-reflexive lot. We have been socialised to believe in excellence and self-reliance, and in many ways, we have tried to live up to those expectations. Following the results of this year’s National Values Assessment survey, IPS Social Lab Academic Adviser Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser reflects on what Singaporeans deem as desirable for society, and how we can achieve our fullest potential.

Digitalisation is everywhere, and the proliferation of digital platforms has social consequences on interpersonal communication and the mobilisation of collective action, among others. What effects do digitalisation have on our individual well-being and our social and national resilience? What can be done to harness the positive aspects of digitalisation while managing any adverse outcomes?

Maintaining religious harmony in Singapore has always been a shared responsibility between the government and religious communities. The IPS Forum on Religious Harmony discussed the roles of religious leaders and the State in relation to new demographic and societal trends that may have an impact on the maintenance of religious harmony.

The well-being of a nation is significantly influenced by the values that are uppermost in the minds of its citizens and workers. Understanding what they think is the set of values, attitudes or behaviours at play around them, and their ideal set, provides a way for policymakers, academics, business and community leaders to talk about the direction in which their country might evolve.