IPS Update Issue July 2020

7th S R Nathan Fellow Professor Chan Heng Chee's wide-ranging IPS-Nathan Lectures, titled World in Transition: Singapore's Future, have just concluded, with her third and final lecture, “Singapore in a Time of Flux: Optimism from the Jaws of Gloom” taking place on 15 July.

The first two lectures “Disruption. Democracy Falters. Capitalism Flounders. World Order Unravels” and “The US-China Rivalry: Inevitable War or Avoidable War?” took place on 18 June and 1 July respectively. The question and answer sessions for the lectures were moderated by experts Professor Danny Quah, Professor Joseph Liow, and Mr Bilahari Kausikan.

If you missed Prof Chan’s lecture last night, you can still watch the Facebook video on IPS’ Facebook page, or on YouTube. Do stay tuned for our summary of the session, which will be published soon, and the upcoming broadcast of Prof Chan’s lectures on CNA 938.

Commentary — “Why do humble backgrounds matter as candidates standing for Singapore’s General Election?” 
(CNA)
By Gillian Koh
• 5-min read

The PAP emphasised many candidates’ humble beginnings. For the opposition, far more professionals and people with private sector experience were profiled. Dr Gillian Koh, IPS’ Deputy Director (Research), looks at the convergence in candidate profiles, how the parties argued their cases from different sides, and the qualities that voters look for.

Article — “Tweeting Singapore’s General Election 2020: The July 1st Political Debate” 
(IPS Commons)
By Shawn Goh
• 5-min read

IPS' Shawn Goh crawled Twitter to find out what people said following “Singapore Votes: The Political Debate”. Read his article to see how the four candidates — Vivian Balakrishnan, Jamus Lim, Chee Soon Juan and Francis Yuen Kin Pheng — fared in the Twittersphere.

Commentary — “The NCMP scheme: keep it or dump it?”
(IPS Commons)
By Teo Kay Key and Tan Ern Ser
• 5-min read

Has the NCMP scheme been a boon or a bane to Singapore’s political development? IPS' Teo Kay Key and Tan Ern Ser look at its legacy and its contributions, as well as assess its relevance to Singapore’s political landscape. 

Summary — IPS-Nathan Lecture 2: US-China Rivalry: Inevitable War or Avoidable War?
• 4-min read

Professor Chan Heng Chee traced the relationship between the US and China over the years, before answering the tough question — is war between the two powers inevitable or avoidable? We include highlights of the Q&A, such as the possibility of a new world order, and whether the US and China could reduce their areas of contention and increase areas of cooperation.

Commentary — “Bold innovations needed to make Singapore stronger together” 
(IPS Commons)
By Christopher Gee
• 5-min read

Is there a place for unemployment insurance and Universal Basic Income (UBI) in Singapore? Christopher Gee, Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Governance and Economy department, looks at their pros and cons. As we consider how our workers can make a living in post-COVID, he argues that radical adjustments like a form of UBI could be examined.

Commentary — “Getting buy-in for TraceTogether device and future Smart Nation initiatives” 
(The Straits Times)
By Carol Soon
• 5-min read

IPS Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Society and Culture department Dr Carol Soon argues that transparency, trust and collaboration are required for public support and adoption of contact tracing apps and emerging technologies. She draws from lessons learnt from the UK, South Korea and her work on citizens' panels.

Focusing on Singapore’s four official languages, Singlish, and other commonly used languages, our researchers tracked the linguistic trends and changes over five years, through two different waves of survey data on Language, Race and Religion.

They found that bilingualism has blossomed across all groups, with younger respondents likelier to report higher levels of bilingual proficiency. 

The forum, moderated by IPS’ Dr Carol Soon, discussed the use of personal data for public good during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Panellists agreed that data-sharing can yield considerable benefits for individuals and the larger society. They examined some of the existing concerns of Singaporeans towards data-sharing and suggested possible ways to overcome them.

This discussion saw the participation of 40 policymakers, artists and arts practitioners, academics and other experts. The participants discussed a range of issues, including the successes, challenges and even failures of cultural diplomacy projects, the benefits and possible drawbacks for artists and the nation, and the role of artists in cultural diplomacy.