IPS Update Issue December 2016

Singapore Chronicles: The Next 15 Titles

Fifteen more titles of the 50 volume Singapore Chronicles series will be launched this month, bringing the series to its midway point. As part of IPS’ intellectual commemoration of Singapore’s Golden Jubilee, Singapore Chronicles records, explains and offers insights into what makes Singapore, Singapore. The books will be available in stores in January 2017.

All of us at IPS wish you, our dear reader, a joyous holiday season and a New Year filled with peace and happiness.

IPS Retrospective: 2016 in Viewpoints
By Fern Yu

What public policy issues have preoccupied our researchers and inspired them to turn ink into ideas this year? We look back at some of the most thought-provoking commentaries published in the print media and our IPS Commons blog in 2016.

Keeping our Singaporean Hawker Food Affordable and Accessible
By Koh Heng Hwee

In July 2016, the IPS Social Lab conducted a survey of hawker food prices across the island. The team found that the number of hawker centres in an area and the general cost of living there affects how much hawker meals cost. What can be done to ensure widespread availability of hawker food at an affordable cost?

Donald Trump’s Election: Singapore Prepared to Roll with the Punches
By Gillian Koh

The election of businessman Donald Trump as the next US President sent shockwaves around the world and left analysts puzzled. Is there now more uncertainty about Singapore’s future? IPS Deputy Director (Research) Dr Gillian Koh explains how Singapore has built up its resilience through long-term governance systems.

Majority Race Must be Wary of False Sense of Entitlement
By Eugene Teng

While there are no explicit privileges accorded to the Chinese-majority race in Singapore, implicit privileges exist, says IPS Social Lab Research Analyst Eugene Teng. How can we ensure that “Chinese-normativity” does not take root in Singapore?

A Blanket Cap on Board Tenure Would Do More Harm Than Good
By Alex Tan

If independent directors of corporate boards stay on for too long, will they still be able to perform their role well? IPS Senior Research Fellow Dr Alex Tan Tai Loong examines the relationship between firm performance and length of board tenure. On a similar note, IPS Research Assistant Petrina Chew gives her analysis on how we can have more women on corporate boards. More in her piece here.

IPS Corporate Associates Dialogue: Steve Clemons on the US Presidential Election

Tired of the status quo, Americans voted for the “wrecking ball” in the recent US Presidential Election on 8 November 2016, said long-time political commentator Steve Clemons. So what does Donald Trump’s victory mean for American foreign policy and strategic leadership? These were questions asked at a dialogue on 24 November between Mr Clemons, Editor-at-Large at The Atlantic and Professor Chan Heng Chee, Singapore’s former Ambassador to the United States from 1996 to 2012.

Roundtable on “Reimagining the Social Service Sector”

At the Roundtable on Reimagining the Social Service Sector, charity managers and policymakers discussed how the sector should be organised and evaluated. The roundtable is a precursor to a broader survey of the charity sector in Singapore.

26th Singapore Economic Roundtable

What is the state of the global economy and what are the implications for Singapore’s economy? The 26th Singapore Economic Roundtable was held on 9 November 2016 and brought together over 40 participants from the public and private sectors to discuss these issues. A special session on big data was also conducted in light of the growing digital economy.