Deciphering Singapore’s emphatic but enigmatic presidential election result
CHERIAN GEORGE analyses the ambiguities of Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s big win.
Category: Academic Views
AcademiaSG Lecture: Kenneth Paul Tan on looking at Singapore through the lens of ‘tragedy’.
Professor Kenneth Paul Tan suggests that Singapore’s survival needs the cultivation of a tragic imagination – an awareness of how heroic virtues can lead to downfall if one is so consumed by one’s idealised image that one ignores one’s critics. Watch the video.
Why Singapore’s next elected President should be one of its last
It is tempting to blame candidates and voters when Presidential Elections get too heated and threaten the dignity of the office. But the fault lies mainly with the system. Kevin Tan (National University of Singapore) and Cherian George (Hong Kong Baptist University) call for an overhaul.
Winds of democratic change: interrupted but not extinguished?
CHRISTOPHER TREMEWAN (University of Auckland) reflects on the enduring ideas in the collection of 1980s essays, A Shift in the Wind. Tremewan suggests that current controversies may be signs that a system that protects ruling elites from robust checks and balances has run its course.
July 25: Junior Scholar Seminar looks at literature education and depictions of the poor
Dominic Nah (National Insitute of Education) will talk about his research examining classroom discussions about local poems including “Candles” by Alvin Pang.
AcadamiaSG-MASSA Roundtable on Singapore’s External Relations
Co-organised by AcademiaSG and the Malaysia and Singapore Society of Australia (MASSA), the panel discussion is now available for viewing.
AcademiaSG Lecture: Constitutional law scholar Kevin Tan on the Presidency
Friday 30 June — Watch the recording of Professor Kevin Tan’s lecture on how the institution has evolved, both in its formal structure and in terms of public expectations.
The ultra-rich and the myth of a philanthropic dividend
LINDA LIM and TEO YOU YENN argue that gains from attracting ultra-high-net-worth individuals are overstated. The benefits of private philanthropy are outweighed by forgone tax revenues and distract from the state’s responsibilty to look after its citizens.
Setting standards for Singapore’s biodiversity conservation efforts
NIKHIL DUTT SUNDARAJ (National University of Singapore) argues that national biodiversity conservation regimes should be science-based, clearly articulated, robustly enforced, and feasible. Assessed on these criteria, Singapore’s regime shows strengths but also significant gaps.
What to make of Singapore’s high “crony capitalism” ranking
LINDA LIM explains the complexities behind Singapore’s seemingly alarming number four rank in The Economist’s Crony Capitalism index. Regardless of the scale and impact of political connections in the Singapore economy, though, the republic’s status as an enabler of crony capitalism in other countries should be of concern.