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July 2009 No 3 |
| Institute of Policy Studies |
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| Announcements |
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Our new web address is http://www.lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/ips. Please update your bookmarks.
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| Upcoming Events |
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CALL FOR PAPERS: International Conference on Economic Stress, Human Capital, and Families in Asia
IPS is one of the co-organisers of the upcoming International Conference on Economic Stress, Human Capital, and Families in Asia, to be held on 3 and 4 Jun 2010. The conference aims to provide a forum for researchers, policy makers and practitioners to discuss the consequences of economic stress, policy implications for human capital development and family well-being in Asia. The scope of this conference goes beyond the impact of the current financial crisis to include the effect of economic deprivation that families experience as a result of marital dissolution, low-wage employment or trying family circumstances. The Call For Papers deadline is 31 August 2009.
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| Events |
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IPS launches new survey series with look at economic resilience
IPS has kicked off a new series of surveys aimed at measuring the pulse of the nation. Called the Perception of Policies in Singapore Surveys, or POPS, the regular polls will provide timely snap-shots of how people are affected by the policy area being investigated. The first survey focused on economic resilience and found that most people think they should rely on themselves rather than government to cope with the current slowdown.
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Bloggers hear experts on doing it even better
Well-known bloggers Choo Zheng Xi of The Online Citizen news website, Alex Au of the Yawning Bread citizen journalism website and environment and nature buff November Tan recently gave tips at a seminar on how bloggers can take their craft to a new level. The event, which was co-sponsored by IPS, also saw law lecturer and author Kevin Tan give a run-down on the laws that affect bloggers and IPS Director Ong Keng Yong deliver the closing address on responsible blogging.
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IPS-World Bank workshop identifies research areas for labour mobility
A recent two-day workshop co-organised by IPS saw researchers discussing their work on labour mobility in Singapore and the rest of the East Asia and Pacific region. Issues presented include the impact of cross-border labour migration and remittances on sending and receiving countries, and the management of cross-border labour migration. The research will be presented at a conference later this year.
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Global CEO Survey reveals crucial issues
CEOs from over 50 countries surveyed late last year expressed confidence in their longer term outlook, even as their short-term confidence was shaken. This and other findings of the PriceWaterhouse 12th Annual Global CEO Survey, which was conducted in 2008, were revealed by Mr Gautam Banerjee, Executive Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, at an IPS Corporate Associates Breakfast.
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“Too early to say if globalisation is bad for Asia”
Asian economies battered by the current financial crisis should not have their faith in globalisation shaken, a World Bank expert said at a recent IPS seminar. While the more open economies have suffered bigger setbacks than those less reliant on trade, they are also more likely to recover faster than the closed economies after the crisis, said Mr Vinod Thomas, Director-General of the Independent Evaluation Group and Senior Vice-President at the World Bank. He made these points in his talk titled “Worldwide Lessons from Financial Crises”.
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World Bank expert says industrialisation remains important for growth
The recent economic crisis has led some export-driven economies to shift their economic focus from the industrial sector to services, but this may not be an effective or long-term solution, said Dr Shahid Yusuf, Economic Advisor at the World Bank. He was speaking at an IPS seminar about his new book reviewing the lessons learnt from the Bank’s annual World Development Report over the last few decades.
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| Publications |
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Singapore Perspectives 2009: The Heart of the Matter now available
The proceedings of this year’s IPS flagship Singapore Perspectives conference have been published. Singapore Perspectives 2009 can be bought at a 20% discount if you place an order before 30 July 2009. The conference in January discussed four key questions that Singapore faces today: high costs, rootedness of citizens, retaining hub status, and getting Singaporeans to do more. The speakers included Member of Parliament Inderjit Singh and Senior Counsel Philip Jeyaretnam.
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IPS book focuses on the impact of the recession on Singapore
The proceedings of the 10th Singapore Economic Roundtable, organised by IPS, have been published. The latest event looked at the impact of the global financial crisis on Singapore, the macro-economic policies and responses to the crisis in the medium and long-term, and the purpose and benefits of a competition policy for a small and open economy like Singapore.
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| Views |
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From the Director’s Desk: Ambassador Ong Keng Yong goes to blogging seminar
“I attended a seminar on blogging on 30 May 2009 at a local hotel. I listened with fascination to the exchange among 70 professionals and young adults. They discussed the usefulness of blogging. The positive elements included how it allowed people to air their feelings, comment on issues of concern to them, and engage one another on matters of importance to their respective communities. The negative elements revolved around the source of information and its credibility, and whether there was value in cyber-engagement when people hid behind anonymity to write about unsubstantiated things and speculate on unverified information…”
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“Australia’s regional grouping proposal has to take existing forums into account”
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s recent proposal to establish an Asia-Pacific community (APc) is welcomed, but needs to be considered in the context of the three existing community building processes in the region, IPS Chairman Professor Tommy Koh has said. The last thing that should be done is to create a new forum or organisation on top of the structure that is already there, he added in a commentary in The Straits Times.
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“ASEAN and South Korea can learn from each other”
Leaders of ASEAN and South Korea have just celebrated the 20th anniversary of formal relations between the regional grouping and the East Asian state. IPS Director, Ambassador Ong Keng Yong and Research Fellow Lee Yoong Yoong noted that ASEAN-Korea links have grown in the areas of tourism and popular culture, and suggested several ways in which ASEAN-South Korea relations may be further strengthened. These areas include sustainable development, the ASEAN-South Korea Free Trade Agreement and the Six-Party Talks, they wrote in a recent article.
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“Government communication must change in Twitter age”
Web 2.0 technologies such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook allow people to get instant updates in a crisis, but often the information offered is nothing more than rumour. The implication for government is that it needs to respond more quickly and to put forward spokespersons who are really empowered to talk to reporters, said IPS Senior Research Fellow Tan Tarn How in a recent speech.
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| Others |
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IPS in the news
Media coverage of IPS events.
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Sound Bites
IPS staff members and researchers give their insights in the media on topics such as opposition voices in Parliament.
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Institute of Policy Studies, 1C Cluny Road, House 5, Singapore 259599
Tel: 6516 8388 | Fax: 6777 0700 |
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