Much has been written about the need for Singapore Airlines (SIA) to survive. But at the very core lies one key reason – the importance of the airline to Changi Airport and its development as a global air hub. A vibrant air hub is vital not only for the aviation industry but related industries as […]

On 1 October, IPS Social Lab Postdoctoral Fellow Dr Teo Kay Key presented the 2020 edition of IPS’ Post-Election Survey at a forum moderated by IPS Deputy Director (Research) and Senior Research Fellow Dr Gillian Koh. Dr Teo was part of the research team led by Dr Koh which also comprised IPS Research Associate Mr […]

COVID-19 has severely impacted Singapore’s trade and economy. But the virus is also proving to be a catalyst for exploring alternate development pathways and for motivating Singapore’s greater integration into the ASEAN region. Singapore’s business activities have been curbed due to social distancing measures that have adversely impacted the profit margins of firms. Hard lessons […]

In these difficult and uncertain times, I am drawn to thinking of Thomas Robert Malthus and Charles Darwin – two 19th century scholars whose legacies pose a particular threat today. Malthus’ 1798 Essay on the Principle of Population was a provocative exploration of the idea that population growth potentially is exponential, while the increase of food […]

The 2020 General Election (GE) was a momentous one in many ways. All 93 seats were contested – as they were in 2015 – and there were new milestones in Singapore’s opposition landscape. In particular, the Workers’ Party (WP) performed very well, taking one more Group Representation Constituency. More significantly, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong […]

Singapore’s leadership renewal continues apace but the management of the health and economic crises arising from the COVID-19 pandemic is top priority. This is the message of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s Cabinet line-up announced 15 days after Singapore’s most recent General Election. Younger and newer leaders must take this time to prove their mettle […]

Singapore has just seen a watershed election, and for the first time since independence, an official Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.  All around, political, economic and international structures are unravelling and strategic choices have to be made. In her third and final lecture as IPS’ 7th S R Nathan Fellow for the Study of […]

The 2020 General Election (GE2020) has focused the spotlight on younger voters. In its preliminary assessment of the election results, the People’s Action Party (PAP) acknowledged that it could have lost some support among this segment of the electorate. While it pointed out that voters in their 20s and 30s made up only a third […]

In Singapore’s 2020 General Election (GE), while voters returned the People’s Action Party (PAP) candidates in 83 out of 93 seats in Parliament, it is the opposition Workers’ Party (WP) that stole the show. Going into the election in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, WP held out the spectre of a PAP “clean sweep” unless voters could […]

By now, I’m sure many of us have either watched or heard about the political sparring between the People’s Action Party (PAP), Workers’ Party (WP), Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), and Progress Singapore Party (PSP) on 1 July 2020, on Singapore Votes: The Political Debate. Politicians Vivian Balakrishnan (PAP), Jamus Lim (WP), Chee Soon Juan (SDP), and […]

It is no surprise that the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) scheme has been the subject of discussion again as campaigning for the 2020 General Election gets underway. Workers’ Party (WP) candidate for Hougang, Dennis Tan, has said the NCMP scheme prevents opposition parties from growing roots in a constituency. Tan Cheng Bock, founder of […]

In her second lecture as IPS’ 7th S R Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore, Professor Chan Heng Chee traced the relationship between the United States (US) and China over the years, before answering the tough question — is war between the two powers inevitable or avoidable? The lecture was moderated by Professor Joseph Liow, […]