This case study explores the growing intersection of generative AI (GenAI) chatbots and youth mental health. Against a backdrop of rising internalising symptoms among Singaporean youth, the study identifies a critical governance gap where AI platforms are increasingly used for emotional support and mental health advice despite not being clinically validated or intended for such roles. Current regulatory frameworks often classify these tools as limited-risk consumer systems, resulting in a safety vacuum where vulnerable adolescents may be exposed to unmoderated, harmful advice or feedback loops without adequate clinical guardrails or crisis redirection. The study evaluates multiple policy options, ultimately proposing a hybrid, risk-tiered licensing model for Singapore that subjects chatbots with significant therapeutic influence to formal accreditation and clinical governance while maintaining a public registry of safe alternatives. This approach aims to leverage Singapore's existing digital infrastructure to ensure that psychological safeguards do not lag behind technological innovation, thereby protecting vulnerable young people while still fostering digital advancement.

Distinguished Prize - LKYSPP Case Writing Competition 2025/26

This case study investigates the “Republic of Seoul” phenomenon, where the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA) absorbs 50.6% of the population and 53.1% of the national GRDP. Rooted in historical state-led unbalanced growth, this hyper-concentration forms a structural "lock-in" driven by a feedback loop of talent, capital and consumption. By analysing past decentralisation failures like Sejong City and the Bu-Ul-Gyeong Megacity, the study demonstrates that administrative relocation is ineffective without economic self-sufficiency and political autonomy. Drawing on comparative lessons from Germany and Japan, it examines some potential solutions to achieve sustainable national rebalance - fiscal decentralisation, “Secondary Residence System” and self-sufficient economic poles. 

Merit Prize - LKYSPP Case Writing Competition 2025/26

South Korea, one of Asia’s most developed democracies, remains mired in gender inequality. This case study finds that the evolution of Korean policymaking process which impacted gender equality involved recurring breakthroughs and backlashes. Gender inequality largely stemmed from Korea’s economic developmental framework, which institutionalised and consolidated gender inequality through the labour market and family structure. Gender issues over resource distribution, identity and social values have become highly politicised, which has intensified polarisation. Despite international gender norms and domestic women’s movements, gender policy reforms have faced backlash and remain difficult to institutionalise. 

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

This case study examines India’s long‑standing aspiration to secure permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), situating the debate within both domestic accountability and international institutional reform. It traces India’s credentials, its democratic representation of one‑sixth of humanity, economic rise as the world’s fourth‑largest economy, contributions to UN peacekeeping, and leadership in coalition diplomacy, against persistent challenges. The case further explores proposals for radical reform of the UNSC, from expanding permanent membership and revising veto powers to enhancing regional representation and accountability.

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