Cherian George, professor of media studies at Hong Kong Baptist University, gave the keynote speech at The Substation’s “Space, Spaces and Spacing 2020” Conference on 21 March 2020. The Substation, an independent arts centre, turns 30 this year. George’s keynote launched his book, Air-Conditioned Nation Revisited, an anthology that marks 30 years of his writing […]
Chong Ja Ian, Harvard-Yenching Institute Visiting Scholar 2019-2020, discusses the risks—from both public health and other perspectives—of holding a General Election when COVID-19 remains at large. Without a doubt, Singapore is in an extraordinary situation. It faces an ongoing pandemic, as does much of the world. Beyond disease control, there will be the challenges of responding […]
Teo You Yenn, Associate Professor and Provost’s Chair in Sociology, Nanyang Technological University, and Ng Kok Hoe, Senior Research Fellow and Head, Case Study Unit, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, consider how poverty and inequality influence the impact of the coronavirus crisis, and suggest that structural changes are necessary as well as immediate […]
Chong Ja Ian, Harvard-Yenching Institute Visiting Scholar 2019-2020, discusses claims that authoritarian political systems are better able to handle the COVID-19 crisis than are more open ones. Currently making mainstream and social media rounds are claims that authoritarian systems or places with supposed “Confucian values” are better than more open political systems at handling public […]
Arthur Chia, Senior Researcher at the Centre for Work and Learning, Research and Innovation Division of the Institute for Adult Learning, Singapore University of Social Sciences, argues that it is necessary to move beyond supply-side solutions such as retraining to address the employment difficulties faced by mid-career and middle-aged workers. Mid-career and middle-aged workers are […]
Linda Lim, Professor Emerita at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, considers some of the economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for Singapore and the world. The ongoing rout on global stock markets is driven by uncertainty about the path that COVID-19 will take. There is fear that even if its health consequences turn […]
Irene Y.H. Ng, Associate Professor and Director of the Social Service Research Centre in the National University of Singapore, discusses ways to harness Budget 2020 for greater support of low income workers. This year’s unity budget has something for everyone. It includes immediate measures to deal with the current Covid-19 epidemic, and longer term strategies […]
Walid Jumblatt Abdullah, an Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Global Affairs at Nanyang Technological University, discusses the politics of the 2020 Singapore Budget. ‘Will this year’s budget be a General Election Budget?’ Janadas Devan, Director of the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), posed this question to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Heng Swee […]
Ng Kok Hoe, Senior Research Fellow and Head, Case Study Unit at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, considers the implications of recent Budget announcements for achieving retirement income security in Singapore. Income security for older people was one of the major themes in this year’s budget, with changes announced to the CPF […]
Linda Lim, Professor Emerita at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, questions whether the latest annual Budget adequately addresses the need for long-term economic transformation in Singapore. There is much to approve of in DPM Heng Swee Keat’s 2020 Budget. First, running a budget deficit (revenues less than expenditures) is appropriate to prop up […]