We examine the complex intersection of Singapore's decarbonisation goals and its long-standing "car-lite" urban planning strategy. As the city-state strived to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, the government implemented aggressive electric vehicle (EV) adoption policies. However, these measures created significant policy tension by inadvertently making car ownership more attractive, which conflicted with longstanding frameworks designed to limit the private vehicle population. While these initiatives successfully drove EV sales to 60.6% of new car registrations by mid-2026, they also contributed to record-high COE premiums and market distortions that necessitated a formal review of the COE categorisation system. Achieving sustainable urban transport would require a comprehensive rethink that balances electrification with enhanced public transport and shared mobility.

How far should Kazakhstan expand its irrigated agriculture, and under what conditions? The case tells the story of this dilemma through four characters with different institutional positions: a Vice Minister at the Ministry of Agriculture, who believed modern irrigation technology could deliver more food without increasing net water withdrawals; a Director of Water Policy at the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, who warned that efficiency gains typically enabled more irrigation instead of reducing withdrawals; a mid-sized cotton and vegetable farmer, whose real constraint was water reliability rather than technology cost; and an environmental scientist, who situated Kazakhstan’s decision within a deteriorating regional and global hydrological context.

Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy – Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy Case Study Series

Set in December 2025, this case follows Marcus Lim, a Senior Assistant Director at Singapore's Ministry of Digital Development and Information, as he confronts a convergence of digital crises. With 48 hours before a regional technology summit, Marcus must draft a regulatory framework to combat malicious deepfakes following a diplomatic disinformation involving Senior Minister Lee and a "Nudify" pornography scandal targeting students. The narrative illustrates the "legislative lag" where reactive instruments like the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act and the Online Criminal Harms Act inadequately address the speed and scale of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students must navigate a high-stakes policy trilemma balancing national security and social cohesion in a multiracial, high-trust society against the economic imperative of maintaining Singapore's status as an open "Smart Nation" hub. Amidst conflicting stakeholder demands from enforcement agencies and economic boards, and drawing on comparative analyses of the United States, the European Union and Chinese models, the case forces a decision between three imperfect options on mandatory provenance, enhanced platform liability, or controversial identity-linked controls. Furthermore, this case also explores the "dual-use" dilemma of AI, challenging students to design governance that mitigates risks without stifling innovation in a small and open economy.

This was an entry for the LKYSPP Case Writing Competition 2025/26

In 2024, the Indonesian government launched the Program Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG), a nationwide free school meal programme aimed at reducing child malnutrition, improving educational outcomes and narrowing socioeconomic inequality. Framed as the flagship policy commitment of the new administration, MBG represented one of the largest social policy initiatives in Indonesia's history, with the ambition to reach more than 80 million beneficiaries. While the programme had significant potential for improving Indonesia's human capital, its rapid implementation exposed deep governance, operational, fiscal and accountability challenges. This case study situates students at a critical decision point when policymakers confronted difficult trade-offs between political urgency and administrative capacity, national standardisation and local flexibility, short-term delivery and long-term sustainability. Drawing on empirical data from Indonesia's nutrition sector and comparative insights from other nations, the analysis explores how decentralised governance frameworks, disparities in regional preparedness, logistical challenges, food safety concerns and increasing fiscal obligations influenced policy results.

Distinguished Prize - LKYSPP Case Writing Competition 2025/26