IPS Update Issue December 2020

Singapore has been caught up in a heightened state of uncertainty and faces difficult choices ahead. It needs to reset itself and forge new pathways. What do we want Singapore to look like in 2030? How will we get there? What are the challenges that will surface?

To answer these questions, IPS is embarking on Reimagining Singapore 2030, a year-long journey which will gather views from global thinkers and Singaporeans, workshop these ideas to develop scenarios and, after a series of national conversations, culminate in policy suggestions or action plans.

Part of Reimagining Singapore 2030 are Singapore Perspectives (SP) 2021, to be held on 12, 14, 19 and 25 January 2021, and the recent Young Singaporeans Conference (YSC), held in November 2020. Find out about SP2021 here, and read our report on YSC here.

Article — “Digital inequality a risk to digital literacy”
(Lloyd’s Register Foundation Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk)
• 4-min read

Due to COVID-19, remote working and learning is now the new norm. However, digital inequalities in the form of device ownership and use persist. IPS senior research fellow Carol Soon outlines the types of digital inequalities and highlights Singapore’s effort to close the gap between the digital haves and have-nots.

Commentary — “The 2020 US Presidential Election: A Quest For Understanding”
(IPS Commons)
By Tommy Koh
• 5-min read

IPS Special Adviser Professor Tommy Koh analyses the outcome of the 2020 US Elections, looking at the political, urban-rural, education, racial and gender divides, how the US has evolved, and the future for the country. 

Commentary — “Distributive justice in a coronaviral age”
(IPS Commons)
By Asad Latif
• 4-min read

Fifty years ago, the American liberal philosopher John Rawls published A Theory of Justice. His theory of distributive justice proposes that social systems should be organised so that the least advantaged fare better than they would in any alternative economic arrangement. How does this apply during the coronavirus pandemic?

Commentary — “Lessons in public policy from the Botanic Gardens”
(IPS Commons)
By Asad Latif
• 5-min read

What has the Botanic Gardens got to do with public policy? Looking at its landscape and inhabitants, and drawing links to Singapore more broadly, Asad Latif shares his observations and musings.

Commentary — “Uncomfortable questions over lunch”
(IPS Commons)
By Asad Latif
• 5-min read

Asad Latif ponders on what would occur if capitalism collapsed, and other hypothetical but fundamental questions, after being met with silence over lunch. The active participation of thinking individuals is required in such urgent, sometimes uncomfortable discussions, he writes.

The Young Singaporeans Conference (YSC) is a marquee biennial event on the IPS calendar. This year’s edition of the conference was themed “Choices”. It provided opportunities for young Singaporeans to talk about their personal choices around life, work, home, and values — and how these are affected by and may affect Singapore in the year 2030.

The final forum of the IPS Online Post-GE2020 Series featured representatives from the People’s Action Party, The Workers’ Party and Progress Singapore Party. Topics discussed included internal party development and their public policy agenda leading up to the next general election. The forum was moderated by IPS Deputy Director (Research) Dr Gillian Koh.

Conducted biannually by the IPS Governance and Economy research cluster, this edition of the SER brought together over 40 participants comprising economists, academics, business leaders and policymakers to assess economic conditions and Singapore’s role as a hub for the region. Issues discussed included a disrupted labour market and innovation in Singapore.