25 years of Total Defence in Singapore : revisiting the assumptions

As Singapore marks the 25th anniversary of Total Defence, it is an opportune time to not only reflect on why its message has been so effective, but also consider how to adapt Total Defence to a world that is drastically different from 1984

Economic policymaking and the pursuit of happiness

Economic policymakers have traditionally used GDP figures to evaluate both the performance of the economy as well as the efficacy of their policies. Alternative and broader economic measures that incorporate well-being, or happiness, suggest that the focus on GDP figures and the resulting pursuit of narrowly defined economic growth has led to a neglect of broader societal well-being

Complexity science and public policy : whither the policy maker?

Policy makers the world over are drawing increasingly on complexity science to help them make sense of a whole range of economic, social, political and security issues. However, complexity science has far-reaching implications for how policy makers understand the world

Defining Singapore : reconciling the national narrative and global city ehtos

Singapore's national conversations have focused as much attention to issues of the Singaporean identity, national values, rootedness and the sense of belonging, as they have to bread-and-butter issues of economic growth, jobs and housing. This ground-up interest in the national narrative m ay be a reaction to Singapore's drive to be a global, networked and open city that points to an emerging tension with its nation-building enterprise