IPS Update Issue September 2017

How do family relations, social values, and attitudes relevant to national identity change over time? Since 2015, IPS Social Lab has been conducting a longitudinal study of up to 5,000 Singaporean households to measure these social dynamics. Check out the findings that we have just released from Wave 1 of the study.

IPS Social Lab Study on Built Heritage

How do Singaporeans’ perceptions of built heritage influence their sense of national identity, national pride, and personal well-being? Join IPS Social Lab’s focus group discussions and share your views with us. Findings from this study will be important in informing the planning and implementation of heritage conservation policies.

Our shrinking political blogging scene 
(IPS Commons)
By Siti Nadzirah Samsudin

Slightly more than a third of the more than 200 blogs that IPS tracked during GE2015 have gone inactive. IPS Research Assistant Siti Nadzirah Samsudin stresses that political blogging remains important. “A rigorous contestation of ideas and values could ideally bring forth innovative policy ideas, and socialise more Singaporeans to engage in political discourse that is fact-based, issue-oriented and mutually respectful.”

By Mathew Mathews

IPS Senior Research Fellow Mathew Mathews notes that pluralistic societies can ensure minority representation without compromising on meritocracy. “In addition to allowing the talented to succeed, the Singaporean government accepts that it is responsible for the maintenance of a diverse society and designs policy to maintain peaceful coexistence between the country’s racial groups.”

By Gillian Koh

A Cabinet reshuffle was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 5 September. IPS Deputy Director (Research) Dr Gillian Koh notes that it is timely for Singaporeans to reflect on the qualities they hope to see in our future leaders. “We have that further responsibility of seeking to grasp what our national interests are before we judge who best represents those and who we can have confidence in.”

By Leong Chan-Hoong

Are Singaporeans who go overseas less “Singaporean” than those who stay? This is not quite the case, says Head of IPS Social Lab Dr Leong Chan-Hoong. However, he cautions, “as Singaporeans at home become more diverse, and the Singaporean diaspora continues to grow, we will need to focus on strengthening our national identity.”

By Mathew Mathews and Leonard Lim

In light of the government’s commitment to enhance pre-school education, there are concerns that some Singaporean parents might respond by doing more to ensure their children remain competitive. However, IPS Senior Research Fellow Dr Mathews Mathew and Research Associate Leonard Lim suggest that such efforts are unlikely to make much difference to children’s performance.

On 17 July 2017, IPS released a report on parents’ perceptions of the Singapore primary school system. Key topics from the report, such as the notion of “every school a good school” and “academic stress”, were distilled for further deliberation and discussed at this forum. Watch the proceedings of the forum here on our YouTube page.

The Asia Journalism Fellowship (AJF) is a premier mid-career programme for outstanding media professionals. As part of the Fellowship programme, the AJF Forum was held from 17–18 August 2017, based on the theme “Reporting Facts and the Future of Journalism”. Watch the full forum here.

India is one of the world’s fastest growing economies. In recent years, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, the country has seen a slew of economic initiatives and reforms, including the introduction of its Goods and Services Tax. IPS held a lunch dialogue to discuss how businesses in Singapore can capitalise on these developments.