News

Globalisation and Challenges to the Developmental State: A Comparison between South Korea and Singapore

August 27, 2018

What role should the state play as the pace of globalisation accelerates? Beginning in Thailand in July 1997 with the devaluation of the Thai baht, the Asian Financial Crisis (AFC) rapidly swept across Southeast Asia and Japan to trigger the devaluation of Asian currencies and slumping of Asian economies along with financial and political upheavals. […]

The Challenges of Ageing in Place

August 24, 2018

A Lien foundation-NUS study revealed that more elderly Singaporeans are being cared for at home and centre-based care services instead of nursing homes. Co-authored by Associate Professors Elaine Ho and Shirlena Huang (NUS Department of Geography), the study further discovered that the monthly cost of taking proper care of a severely disabled senior at home […]

Quantifying Nature

August 21, 2018

The environment provides free positive externalities that many people are unaware of and tend to take for granted. These ecosystem services include carbon storage, coastal protection and food production. A team of researchers from the Singapore-ETH Centre (SEC) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) hope to illuminate this by quantifying the benefits of Singapore’s […]

Norm subsidiarity and institutional cooperation: explaining the straits of Malacca anti-piracy regime

August 20, 2018

How do Southeast Asian states cooperate to combat piracy in the Straits of Malacca? Piracy is a great threat to Southeast Asian states, particularly the coastal states in the Straits of Malacca. For this reason, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia came together on 20 July 2004 to form MALSINDO – an effort between the navies, coast […]

How Singapore can achieve a more desirable society

August 14, 2018

Based on a recent survey, Singaporeans evaluated their society as scoring well in the provision of healthcare, elderly care services and educational opportunities. However, many feel that individually, the attitudes of Singaporeans are negative and detrimental, with words such as kiasu, competitive and materialistic being used to describe the current culture. Associate Professor Tan Ern […]

Music and cultural politics: ideology and resistance in Singapore

August 13, 2018

Do you remember the lyrics to “Count on me Singapore”? What about the National Day favourite – “Home”? Every year, a new National Day song is launched to commemorate 9 August, the day of the nation’s independence. Leading up to this date, radio and television stations broadcast the new National Day song while students learn […]

The Importance of Socially Engaging the Elderly in Singapore – Lessons from Abroad

August 7, 2018

Singapore has seen a rapidly ageing population in recent years. Those aged 65 years and above made up 14.4% of the population in 2017, with the old age dependency ratio increasing from 12 in 2007 to 18 a decade later. This implies that there are 18 seniors aged 65 years and older per working age […]

“Nationalism” in the Decolonization of Singapore

August 6, 2018

As we rev up the red for National Day, Assoc. Prof. Albert Lau’s (Dept. of History) book chapter, “Nationalism” in the Decolonization of Singapore (2003), helps to recall the beginnings of nationalism in the Republic. Assoc. Prof. Lau details the development of an indigenous nationalism movement against British colonial rule in Singapore prior to its […]

Marking spaces as ‘sacred’: Infusing Singapore’s urban landscape with sacrality

July 30, 2018

Can sacred spaces exist outside of religious establishments? On 6 July 1973, the Sri Mariamman Temple which has existed since 1827 was officially deemed a national monument of Singapore. Along with the many iconic religious establishments on this island, the Sri Mariamman Temple is an example of a designated ‘sacred space’ – where religious practices […]

How Do Singaporeans Connect? Ties among Chinese, Malays and Indians

July 23, 2018

On 21 July, schools and grassroots organizations celebrate Racial Harmony Day to mark the communal riots of 1964 and teach the importance of maintaining racial and religious harmony in Singapore. Asst. Prof. Vincent Chua (Dept. of Sociology) surveyed 1,143 Singapore residents aged 25 to 55, to find out whom they discussed important matters with, talked […]