Institute of Policy Studies - IPS

IPS becomes a University-level research institute within the @NUSingapore (NUS), effective from 1 April 2026. IPS will no longer sit within the @lkyspp (LKYSPP), where it has been a research centre since 2008. It will operate as an autonomous research institute within NUS, while maintaining its longstanding mission to analyse public policy, bridge thought leaders, and communicate research to a wide audience. – at Singapore

How should we use public consultation to build and implement a policy? Writing for IPS Commons, Dr Chew Han Ei, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at IPS, suggests looking past how many consultation sessions were held, arguing that the better test is what is left behind. He draws on the years of engagement behind Singapore’s Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act. Victims, community partners, academics and industry were consulted and reconsulted, and some of what they shared made its way into the law’s design. In this case, consultation resulted in faster routes to the Online Safety Commission (OSC) for the most urgent harms, and ways for victims to identify anonymous perpetrators. Sustained engagement also left behind a community with a stake in the outcome, from social service agencies and lawyers to researchers and journalists. This, in particular, matters now. The OSC handles five of the 13 categories of harm covered by the Act, with the rest still to be implemented, and new questions are already emerging. The opening of the Commission, he writes, should not be the point where everyone else hands the problem over. Read the full commentary here: tinyurl.com/me39tzsu

Madam Tan, 78, lives alone in Hougang. Every afternoon, she sits at the void deck with the same few neighbours, even if she does not know their names. If she does not turn up, someone asks after her, and if she’s ill, someone will call her children. But she has no designated caregiver, and this routine was not previously arranged. In this commentary for IPS Commons, Grace En Ying Chan, economist at the Asian Development Bank, and Professor Elaine Lynn-Ee Ho, Provost’s Chair Professor at the Department of Geography and Research Leader at the Asia Research Institute, call Madam Tan’s relationship with her neighbours a form of “care-with”. It is care that grows out of being regularly present for one another, rather than care delivered by an assigned provider. They argue that Singapore has become good at reaching seniors through Active Ageing Centres, befrienders and outreach, but reaching someone is not the same as reducing their isolation. To tackle isolation, programmes should also ask whether participants begin to look out for one another. This can be done by designing for repeated encounters, measuring more than attendance, and giving staff time to support connections that form in coffeeshops, on benches and in libraries. Do you see this type of care occurring in your own neighbourhood? Read the full commentary here: tinyurl.com/yet2c4yx

Introducing the 19th S R Nathan Fellow: Mr Ng Chee Khern, Director and CEO of ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. Mr Ng has worn many hats: flying with the Air Force, directing policies in defence, health, digital government and manpower, and now, examining the geopolitical climate and forces that surround Singapore today. In his upcoming lecture series, “The Power to Choose: Sovereignty and Statecraft in an Age of Great Power Rivalry,” Mr Ng explores how Singapore can preserve its choices amid great power competition. Pressures on Singapore may appear manageable, but together they can narrow Singapore’s room for manoeuvre. Drawing from his experience, Mr Ng approaches the subject as a practitioner, asking what Singapore must be able to do to remain sovereign in practice. 🎟️ Sign up for the lectures on 16, 23, 30 November 2026 here: tinyurl.com/IPSNCKLectures 📺 Watch the lecture series live on IPS’ Facebook page: facebook.com/instituteofpoli… 💡 Learn more about Mr Ng’s lectures: tinyurl.com/19SRNFNCK

Haze knows no borders, and neither should cooperation. In Navigating Uncertainty: Our Region in an Age of Flux, Professor Joseph Liow, 13th S R Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore, examines how Singapore and Southeast Asia can navigate an increasingly uncertain world. From haze to illegal migration, many challenges transcend national borders. Beyond these shared concerns, Prof Liow highlights the importance of Southeast Asian states recognising that, in certain respects, they are all in the same boat, even as they grapple with US–China rivalry and differing national priorities. The book compiles his three IPS-Nathan Lectures from 2023, with highlights from his Q&A sessions. 📖 Find this book and others in the IPS-Nathan Lecture Series here: bit.ly/IPS-Nathan

A void deck library can be more than a place to borrow books: it can help neighbours build friendships and a shared sense of ownership. In this op-ed for The Straits Times, IPS’ Robyn Tan draws on a resident-led library in Yishun to explain why ground-up initiatives should be judged on their own terms. Formal organisations rely on service agreements, KPIs, and top-down structures, while ground-up initiatives are embedded in local lived experience, built on trust and solidarity, with more decentralised decision-making. She argues that pressure to formalise, meet short-term KPIs, or replicate elsewhere can erode the local relationships that sustain them. Accountability still matters for ground-up initiatives, but should recognise community capacity, participation, and learning. She proposes trust-based giving through multi-year, flexible funding, lighter-touch reporting, and two-way feedback between funders and communities. She also emphasises that ground-up initiatives should not be held to the same expectations of longevity and succession planning as formal organisations. They should be allowed to evolve or end in their own time, with closure met with gratitude for what was built rather than treated as failure. Read the full op-ed at tinyurl.com/36t5u4bx

Just 4 days to go! 🗓️ How do we know if inclusion efforts actually work? Join us this Friday, 30 October, for the IPS Forum on Inclusion That Works, where academics and practitioners share evidence from programmes across Asia-Pacific, from schools to digital media to dialogue. 💻 Online via Zoom | 9.00am to 4.00pm 👉 Sign up: tinyurl.com/IPSITWreg 💡Learn more: tinyurl.com/IPSITW #ipssg #singapore #social #apac

With only one new name among the top 12 elected, the PAP’s latest leadership vote favoured experience and continuity amid challenging times. In this commentary for CNA, IPS’ Gillian Koh explains that cadres chose leaders they trusted to navigate overlapping global disruptions. Yet the result also highlights constraints on diversity of thought and experience within the party’s leadership. Younger office holders will need more time and exposure to gain cadres’ confidence. She emphasises that Singaporeans need confidence that the party understands their daily struggles in a volatile and uncertain environment. Meaningful political dialogue can build that confidence and help younger leaders earn the right to be heard by their constituents. Read the full commentary at tinyurl.com/mpmn8jrw