March 26, 2024

Pursuing an academic career can be challenging, due to the pressure of having to churn out research for publication as well as having to juggle teaching commitments. This is exhibited clearly in Singapore, an advanced research and development hub which is home to highly ranked universities. Some researchers have expressed their concerns about working within this competitive system, citing frustrations over having to compromise research quality for publication quantity.

Singapore’s Minister for Education Mr Chan Chun Sing recently addressed this at the launch event of the inaugural Social Science and Humanities Ideas Festival, held at NUS on 20^th March. He acknowledged the difficulties faced by the researchers and reassured them that social science research that is relevant to Singapore will be recognised and appreciated. In ‘Social science research that produces good solutions will be recognised: Chan Chun Sing’ (Channel NewsAsia, March 2024), Professor Elaine Ho (NUS Geography and NUS Asia Research Institute) discusses her thoughts on Minister Chan’s address as well as her research interests.

Prof Ho spoke about current perceptions on social science research, suggesting that not only should universities do more to recognise researchers’ work, but also that practitioners should give credit to researchers when their ideas are used in policy implementation. She also expressed optimism about the future of social science research as complementary to navigating technological advances within society, providing a human-centred perspective for critiquing the effectiveness and appropriateness of new technologies.

Prof Ho also described one of her research projects, ‘Ageing and Social Networks: Mapping the Life-worlds of Older Singaporeans’, which is funded by a Social Science Research Council Thematic Grant (Type B) from 2021 to 2024. Through the mixed methods approach, the project has been able to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the mobility patterns of older citizens that has had far-reaching implications for government policies, such as reconsidering ageing-in-place initiatives and improving urban planning and design.

Watch the interview here.