Beyond the pandemic: what we have learned, and have still to learn

Our roundtable of Singaporean social scientists on Friday 1 May 2020 drew more than 2,000 attendees. Below are the full video, transcript, plus post-webinar notes contributed by the panelists.

The coronavirus crisis has shown that our wellbeing depends a lot on how we are organised as societies. Human beings may be one species, but how our societies distribute things, make decisions, and deal with conflicts differ across space and time. The current crisis makes it clear that these variations are not merely theoretical, but matters of life and death.

What can be done to ensure that Singapore’s governance model, economic strategies, and social arrangements evolve in directions that make the country more resilient and just? Academia.SG’s debut event brings together five Singaporean social scientists in a conversation reflecting on the current crisis and its aftermath.

TRANSCRIPT

A full transcript of the roundtable is available here.

PANELISTS’ POST-EVENT NOTES

We invited panelists to pen post post-event notes for readers who would like to go deeper than the webinar format allowed. Here are their contributions.

• Covid-19 further exposes vulnerabilities in Singapore’s economic model
  LINDA LIM Further readings on Singapore’s development strategy, and how the economy will be affected by the pandemic, issues raised in the… Read more: Covid-19 further exposes vulnerabilities in Singapore’s economic model
• On justice and equality as contributors to post-pandemic resilience
  DONALD LOW An annotated bibliography for readers who want to go deeper into these public policy issues, discussed at the webinar on… Read more: On justice and equality as contributors to post-pandemic resilience
• What the crisis reveals about the health of Singapore democracy
  KENNETH PAUL TAN Readings on Singapore’s neo-authoritarian traits, minority stereotyping, academic interventions and community engagement, contributed as a follow-up to the webinar,… Read more: What the crisis reveals about the health of Singapore democracy
• Never forget, the Great Depression led to war and genocide
  CHERIAN GEORGE Yes, this is a time to rally around the flag, but only in the spirit of open-minded, open-hearted patriotism. Further… Read more: Never forget, the Great Depression led to war and genocide
• Beyond the pandemic: inequality as lens
  TEO YOU YENN How the concepts of differentiated deservedness and neoliberal morality may help us understand Singapore’s responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.… Read more: Beyond the pandemic: inequality as lens

THE SPEAKERS

Cherian GEORGE is Professor of Media Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University’s School of Communication.

Linda LIM is Professor Emerita of Corporate Strategy and International Business at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.

Donald LOW, Professor of Practice at the Institute of Public Policy of the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology.

Kenneth Paul TAN is Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

TEO You Yenn is Associate Professor and Provost’s Chair in Sociology at the Nanyang Technological University.