Highlights

Singaporean Chinese or Chinese Singaporean? Recent events have yanked the distinction back into public consciousness. Today, that question is no longer idle. A rising China with its expanding soft power, Singapore’s falling birth rates, and the naturalisation of immigrants that the Republic relies on to sustain its numbers have together unsettled what separates a Chinese […]

Governments and organisations have long relied on surveys and focus groups to gather and understand public sentiment. Now, artificial intelligence may be changing that – for good and bad. Last year, researchers from Stanford University simulated the personalities of more than 1,000 individuals based on in-depth interviews, and found that these AI profiles could simulate […]

SINGAPORE: Before the consensus conference on local-foreign integration even started, a participant sent us an email. He wanted the Institute of Policy Studies’ research team to know what to expect: He wrote that he intended to be vocal. That he was angry and frustrated. That he wanted to voice his concerns about citizens being neglected, about job […]

In his final IPS-Nathan Lecture, Mr Piyush Gupta, former Chief Executive Officer and Director of DBS Group, turned his attention to Singapore’s financial future. He argued that a new wave of change is underway, driven by blockchain, which has given rise to new financial infrastructures and new forms of digital money, and agentic artificial intelligence […]

Recently, at the Festival of Innovation organised by GovInsider here, the question was posed: What difference would it make if women had a greater part in designing and running the digital systems that govern our lives? The answer: That infrastructure would be centred around the principles of empathy, agency and resilience, and recognise that relationships […]

Held on the 10 February 2026, the second S R Nathan Fellowship Young Leaders Seminar, titled “Giving Voice to a Silent Epidemic: Transforming Youth Mental Health in Singapore”, featured a keynote speech by Dr Rayner Tan, Assistant Professor at Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore. Drawing on national studies and […]

In 2024, I took up a master’s degree in artificial intelligence (AI) and innovation, while holding a full-time job. It was a decision I made on a whim – hoping to better understand a technology that was threatening major disruptions, though part of me also wondered if it could just be a passing fad. Developments […]

On Thursday (Feb 12), many Singaporeans were likely watching out for one Budget 2026 announcement more closely than the rest – the amount of Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers and other cash payouts they would receive. In this Budget, households will get S$500 (US$396) in CDC vouchers to help with daily expenses, with a S$200 […]

Southeast Asia intra-regional trade could prove to be a silver lining amidst rising global trade protectionism. As the global economic landscape shifts due to geopolitical fragmentation, climate imperatives, and rapid technological disruption, the global trading order faces profound uncertainty. In this volatile environment, trade instruments such as Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) have become increasingly vital […]

In his second IPS-Nathan Lecture, Mr Piyush Gupta examined how digital technologies and new players are reshaping finance, and how Singapore has sought to manage the resulting risks while sustaining innovation. Building on his first lecture on stability, trust and innovation, he argued that the same balancing act now underpins Singapore’s ambition to be a […]