IPS Update Issue May 2016

Changes to the Elected Presidency  –  IPS Researchers offer their views

IPS Researchers Dr Mathew Mathews, Dr Gillian Koh and Tan Min-Wei were among the 19 groups and individuals who presented their recommendations to the Constitutional Commission on potential changes to the Elected Presidency. How did they come up with their proposals and what did they think of the experience?

IPS Closed-Door Workshop on “Aged Care Service Models: Challenges, Trade-offs and Policy Responses”

Singapore’s ageing population ─ and the resulting implications on the island’s physical and social infrastructure needs ─ is an ongoing topic of research for IPS. Our Demography and Family research cluster recently convened a closed-door discussion on the policy issues and practices in aged care service provision, with presentations by representatives from one of Australia’s privately-owned aged care providers, Opal Aged Care. Read the full report here.

IPS-Nathan Lectures: Bilahari Kausikan on “The Myth of Universality: The Geopolitics of Human Rights”

In his fourth IPS-Nathan Lecture, Ambassador Bilahari Kausikan discussed the topic of human rights in the context of the geopolitics of the region and its evolution as a foreign policy objective by the United States. Human rights and human rights ideals are important, he said, but one must realise that ideals may never be reached, as “the interpretation of the ideal is always going to be different and the differences are going to change over time.” Ambassador Kausikan’s fifth and final lecture is on 25 May.

Negotiating Singapore’s New Pluralism
By Johannis Bin Abdul Aziz

We need new democratic tools to navigate our new political climate. These tools may not be perfect, but against a background of irreducible pluralism, they can help reaffirm a unity of purpose where a unity of views is impossible.

The Immigrant Associations that Facilitate Immigrant Integration
By Zhang Jiayi

Not many Singaporeans proactively participate in the activities of immigrant associations. But doing so could help integration, and also help new immigrants understand the nuances of local culture, mannerisms and the social context of Singapore. This conclusion comes from qualitative research done by IPS’ Society and Identity research cluster, which was published in IPS Exchange Series No. 7 Sentiments on Immigrant Integration & The Role of Immigrant Associations.

In Good Social Policy, Every Child Matters
By Mathew Mathews

The financial and housing help for families with children announced recently in the 2016 Budget sends a signal that every child is valuable. It makes clear that social policy will attempt to level the playing field, especially for children.

Budget 2016: Transforming the Economy for Future Growth
By Faizal Bin Yahya and Ng Yan Hao

Two measures from Budget 2016 deserve special attention: the focus on innovation, and the role of Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs) in helping small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) grow.

Preserving tangible links to the past
By Paveena Seah

Over the years, reclamation works, the reconfiguring of landscapes and redesignation of space has resulted in the decrease in the number of islets around Singapore. These oft-“forgotten” islands are important for us to understand our social history.