Ongoing Research Projects

Grant Period : Mar 2023 - Mar 2026

Faculty : TAN, Soo Jie Sheng

Efforts to mitigation greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the past two decades have mostly been unsuccessful (Stoddard et al., 2021). For instance, worldwide GHG emissions was at 33Gt of CO2-eq in 1994 – the year where the United Nations Framework for Climate Change (UNFCC) started, and increased at a rate of 1.6%/year to 49.8t in 2019. These increases are made despite yearly attempts at the UNFCC-led Conference of the Parties meetings to convince countries to jointly reduce their emissions. As such, there are now urgent calls from policymakers and scientists to re-imagine research and efforts toward reducing GHG emissions (Newell et al., 2021; Stern, 2021; Stern & Stiglitz, 2022; Stoddard et al., 2021). 

As earlier efforts to reduce GHG emissions were mostly focused on industries and the commercial sectors, a largely overlooked emissions source is individual and households. First, through daily activities, the residential sector accounts 11% of GHG emissions (Ritchie, Roser, & Rosado, 2020). Moreover, as final consumers, individuals are also indirectly responsible for a large portion of industrial and transportation emissions. In this regard, it is clear that for the world to attain net-zero emissions or to even substantially cut down emissions, individuals and households need to change current behaviors. 

To the extent that change individuals’ behaviors can play a key role in reducing GHG emissions, a seminal study by Wynes and Nicholas (2017) unveil a surprising conundrum. They computed the emissions mitigation potential of many behavioral changes (e.g., switching off lights, eating more plant-based food, etc..), found that governments, schools, and NGOs tend to encourage behaviors that are the least effective. The authors further concluded that by advocating less-effective behaviors, policymakers are running the risk of individuals’ satisficing behaviors, and missing out on more meaningful changes. 

Toward this end, the bigger question remains. Why is it that less-effective behaviors are instead encouraged? One plausible answer is that effective behavioral changes are also more costly for individuals to implement – an attribute that Wynes and Nicholas (2017) did not consider in their study. Indeed, using a laboratory experiment, Farjam, Nikolaychuk, and Bravo (2019) found that respondents are much more likely to contribute money to offset carbon emissions if the cost of contribution is low. 

As such, this research takes an important first step toward more complete understanding of individuals’ and households’ GHG emissions mitigation behaviors by computing the cost-effectiveness for a list of behaviors.

Grant Period : Mar 2023 - Dec 2026

Faculty : TAN, Shin Bin

Urban redevelopment in landscarce Singapore will be a common occurrence as our population grows, and as our building stock ages. There has however been little research and understanding of how development-induced residential relocation might affect residents’ outcomes, particularly amongst low-income residents. 

This study examines how residential relocation and neighborhood environments might impact the health, income and general well-being of low-income individuals and families in Singapore. Using repeated surveys, we seek to understand how the types of neighborhoods that people are involuntarily relocated to, as well as individual-level characteristics might modify the impact of relocation on outcomes. Findings will help to guide general policies around the housing and neighborhood needs of low-income individuals and families, such as identifying the types of neighborhood characteristics that support good long-term outcomes; and who may require additional support to help achieve better long-term outcomes after shifting neighborhoods. 

Grant Period : Mar 2023 - Feb 2027

Faculty : TAN, Shin Bin

Currently, longitudinal studies looking at the link between place and health are lacking, rendering it difficult to ascertain whether observed relationships are causal in nature, or whether such relationships change or fluctuate over time. There is also a lack of studies looking at how social disadvantage constrains and shapes one’s chosen interactions with, and involuntary responses to, different environmental characteristics. Furthermore, there is currently a relative lack of research into the impact of built environments in Asia on a variety of health-related outcomes. This research project seeks to reduce these three major gaps in knowledge. It examines how urban policies affects socio-spatial urban patterns, and thus health and wellbeing particularly of socially marginalized populations, within an Asian context. The goal of this research project is to produce empirically-grounded insights that can guide policy-making here in Asia.  

Grant Period : Dec 2022 - Dec 2027

Faculty : FONG, Joelle H.

The proposed research project will contribute to the fields of economics of aging and pensions in at least two ways. One contribution will be to better clarify the causal relationship between the financial literacy and retirement financial behaviors. Many existing studies examining this topic, including those using Singaporean data, have framed their empirical findings in terms of associations rather than causal relationships. This ignores the possibility that consumers also typically devote time and money to learn about financial/retirement products, and such behaviors may increase in their level of financial literacy. Thus, one objective of this proposed project is to properly address the identification question using different instrumental variables for identification and instrumental variable (IV) econometric techniques. The research team will not only collate information on known instrumental variables in our primary survey, but also explore alternative instrumental variables. 

Grant Period : Dec 2022 - Nov 2024

Faculty : KANETI, Marina Jose

The COVID-19 pandemic allegedly presented an unprecedented opportunity to assess our collective ability to respond to external shocks and examine key mechanisms and practices for systemic resilience. Yet, as the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) announced during the 2021 World Health Summit, “there is scant evidence that we are learning the right lessons from this pandemic.”

At the time, the GPMB co-Chair Elhadj As Sy also warned that “if we do not change course – even with the results of our failings starring us squarely in the face – we will have squandered a rare and fleeting opportunity to implement the transformative changes needed.” A year later, these statements were echoed by a Harvard Kennedy School expert who observed there was a lack of processes in place to navigate the pandemic “in a way that wasn’t reactionary or destructive.”

Such assertions give rise to pertinent questions such as: How to prepare for the next shock and ensure we have the necessary capacity for resilience? What were the tools, policies and mechanisms implemented during the pandemic that worked? What are the pandemic lessons we cannot ignore? 

To address such questions, this project tracks, aggregates, and visualizes data on social protection provisions emerging both during and in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The project’s starting premise is that in order to “change course”, there is a need to rethink the mechanisms and capabilities for the provision of care and social protection. The project’s primary hypothesis is that formal and informal modes of social protection contribute directly to an overall capacity for resilience, i.e. the ability to withstand, recover, and adapt to external shocks. 

The project’s main objective is to design and launch an index (Social Resilience Index – SRI) and open-source database which enable consistent exploration of the links between social protection and systemic resilience. In doing so, the project strives to achieve the following overarching aims: 

- Address the gap in our collective understanding of how, where, and when mechanisms of care and support contribute to the overarching capacity for resilience. 

- Provide an integrated source for visualizing and analysing data related to social protection and resilience across Asia. In doing so, the project promotes an empirical focus on Asia in order to conceptualize experiences, practices and challenges beyond dominant Global North frameworks. 

- Inform future forecasting around resilience, adaptation, and emergency preparedness; and support the development of fit-for-purpose government policies through the development of a user-friendly and customizable digital platform. 

- Advance notions of mutuality and care as a necessary facet of understanding social resilience 

Grant Period : Oct 2022 - Jun 2024

Faculty : VU, Minh Khuong

In this study, we look at ICT development through indictors on availability, quality of ICT infrastructure, and the adoption of basic ICT applications in the society. For digital transformation, we examine the digital maturity of businesses and the performance of the digital economy. The primary objective of this research project is to gain robust insights into the patterns, underlying factors, and prospects of ICT development and digital transformation in ASEAN countries. The project, therefore, can make valuable contributions to both policy applications and research literature.

In the policy application, the project will provide important insights and meaningful benchmarks that enhance the capabilities of ASEAN policy makers in formulating effective strategies and making informed decisions for promoting the embrace of the digital revolution for economic growth and prosperity. This practical contribution is even more important, as ASEAN countries are keen to emerge stronger and to prosper in the post-COVID-19 era. Regarding contribution to the literature, the project aims to publish its results in high-impact journals and books with leading publishers. 

Grant Period : Jan 2021 - Dec 2025

Faculty : HAN, Dan

In the United States, obstetric care quality and practice varies considerably across providers as do rates of obstetric and newborn complications. Such variation cannot fully be explained by differences in patient characteristics and risk, implying considerable discretion exerted by providers and much room for quality improvement (Kozhimannil et al., 2013; Glance et al., 2014).

In this grant, I propose to explore changes in provider practice in response to the occurrence of a severe adverse childbirth event and examine whether those responses translate into changes in patient outcomes and utilization of costly care. Results from this study can inform efforts to improve maternal and newborn health including policies around the review of severe adverse events and continuous quality improvement initiatives.

This proposal is built on previous unfunded work looking at the association of an unexpected newborn death with the use of newborn care procedures. That project used a very limited dataset not suitable for exploring provider behavioral changes or impact on patient clinical outcomes. This proposed study will address several unanswered questions using much better data.

Grant Period : Dec 2020 - Nov 2025

Faculty : LEE, Zeewan

What lies in the future of work? In the course of the next four years, I will be making several research endeavors that aim at answering the question. Explored will be the changes brought to the labour market by population aging, technological changes, and health crises. Along with detailed analyses of such changes, I will examine how such changes shape expectations and behaviors of the demand- and supply- sides as well as the nature of jobs. Through my research, I seek to generate implications not only for the labour market and its constituents but also for the product market (e.g., extent of output production or innovation), for setting up an agenda for effective education and job training programs, and for the society at large. I will serve as the Principal Investigator, and collaborators will be invited from within and out of the Lee Kuan Yew School. Across NUS, inter-departmental collaborations will be planned with the Business School (Dept of management and organization), the department of economics, and the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. I expect to generate a total of nine co-authored journal articles, geared for publication in high impact journals in public policy, economics, and organizational management.

Grant Period : May 2020 - Dec 2024

Faculty : FONG, Joelle H.

MoneySense is the national financial education programme in Singapore. Launched in 2003, the programme aims to help Singaporeans to manage their money well, and make sound financial decisions on their own. The MoneySense Council provides strategic direction for the MoneySense national financial education programme. It is co-chaired by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Ministry of Manpower, and comprises representatives from various government agencies. 
 
Having a body of knowledge to make data-driven decisions is critical and the National Financial Capability Survey (NFCS) aims to capture key indicators of Singapore Residents financial capability, resilience and well-being. Through the collaboration with National University of Singapore (NUS), the Ministry of Manpower hopes to uncover insights that will inform our efforts to improve the financial well-being of Singapore Residents. 
 
This four-year Project seeks to examine financial capability, attitudes and behaviours among adult Singaporeans so as to inform financial literacy programs and initiatives. The Project will span four years starting from April 2020 to December 2023. This Project has two main objectives.  
 
The first objective is to implement an augmented version of the International Network on Financial Education (INFE) survey in Singapore. To this end, two cross-sectional surveys will be implemented in 2020 and 2022. The proposed sample size is n=2,000. Singapore can benefit from implementing a similar survey as it allows for cross-national comparative analyses.  
 
The second objective is to perform two “deep-dive” inquiries into topics of interest to MOM. These deep-dive modules may be implemented in 2021 and 2023. NUS and MOM will jointly identify the topics of interest and decide how to roll out these inquiries in due course. Potential topics of interest include financial capability among vulnerable subpopulations, and insurance coverage. The fieldwork for these modules has not been determined but the sample size would be kept to n=1000.

Grant Period : Nov 2019 to Oct 2024

Faculty : NG, Reuben

This project proposes a multi-disciplinary approach to solve a perennial social problem: Skills gap.  This project aspires to: (a) Create an (unprecedented) standardized skills taxonomy from integrating government and private sector data (e.g., Linkedin); (b) A data-driven model to “now-cast” the skills-gap in Singapore for short-range policy tweaks, and long-term planning.    

The impetus for this project arose from a worrying observation, best seen in the 2016 Hay’s Global Skills Landscape report, that despite Singapore’s excellent education system, the country faces an issue of widening skills gaps. Even more worrying is that Singaporean PMEs suffer from relatively higher unemployment rates in the country.