News
In ‘Platform firms must not exploit protection for platform workers for more profit’ (The Straits Times, November 2022), Professor Sumit Agarwal (NUS Departments of Finance, Real Estate, and Economics) discusses the importance of ensuring strong social protections for the labour force. A strong social safety net, including the provision of retirement security, medical insurance and …
Platform Firms Must Not Exploit Protection for Platform Workers for More Profit Read More »
On 8 December 2013, a riot broke out in Little India after a foreign worker was killed in a traffic accident. In the aftermath of the riot, the Singapore government restricted migrant workers’ access to alcohol in certain recreational spaces. Although the government agreed that alcohol was not a direct cause of the riot, they …
Toddy, Race, and Urban Space in Colonial Singapore, 1900–59 Read More »
The second of Singapore’s post-independence riots, the Little India riot on December 8, 2013 led to the rise of distasteful sentiments towards the migrant worker population in Singapore. While dormitories already segregated migrant workers from the general population, the aftermath of the riot saw further limitations being placed on their mobility. Despite the country’s desire …
Commentary by Dr Serina Rahman (NUS Southeast Asian Studies) in Suria News Online.
In ‘University grads’ median pay is $4.2k, double the $2k of those with ITE, secondary education: Study’ (The Straits Times, December 2022), Associate Professor Irene Y.H. Ng (NUS Social Work) was featured for her study on the wage gap between young Singaporeans holding a university or post-graduate degree and those with lower education qualifications. From …
International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development is observed on the 5th of December every year. Created by the United Nations, it is a day that recognises the volunteer efforts of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government authorities, and the private sector. Despite the proliferation of studies and publications on voluntary organisations, …
‘Sustainability 101 for Policy Officers’ is the first executive training programme in Singapore to cover all aspects of sustainability.
The 7th Association of Southeast Asian Nations-United Nations (ASEAN-UN) Workshop-5th Regional Dialogue on Political-Security Cooperation was held in Hanoi on 3-4 December 2019. Senior officials and experts from ASEAN and UN discussed ways to facilitate support and cooperation to maintain peace and security in Southeast Asia (SEA) and internationally. Peace and security are not the …
Photo: ‘Passing Time’ by Kelman Chiang from SRN’s SG Photobank COP28 will convene in the UAE on 30 November, 2023. Climate change and global warming threaten the survival of many costal cities, and it is interesting to study how proximity to the sea shapes urbanization of cities along the coast. Coastal Urbanities: Mobilities, Meanings, Manoeuvrings …
Coastal Urbanities: Mobilities, Meanings, Manoeuvrings Read More »

Commentary: Could Anwar’s government bring back Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR project?
In ‘Commentary: Could Anwar’s government bring back Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR project?’ (Channel NewsAsia, December 2022), Dr Serina Rahman (NUS Southeast Asian Studies and ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute) discusses whether Malaysia’s new prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, will revive the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) project. With the fall of the Barisan Nasional government in 2018, the HSR …
Commentary: Could Anwar’s government bring back Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR project? Read More »