Singapore Policy Journal

Home
United States
Cambridge, MA
Singapore Policy Journal

SPJ is a student-run journal at the Harvard Kennedy School focusing on Public Policy in Singapore.

Join the conversation at http://spj.hkspublications.org/submissions

04/26/2023

[Event] The Singapore Policy Journal was honored to host Minister of State Alvin Tan (MPP ’10) for an online dialogue as part of the Forward Singapore exercise on 12 April 2023. Engaging with Singaporean students from all over the United States, MOS Alvin discussed pertinent issues concerning Singapore’s future direction such as upskilling, great power rivalry, and making Singapore an attractive destination for business and investment. We are grateful for the opportunity to hear MOS Tan’s illuminating insights on Singapore’s future policy direction and are glad to be able to contribute to the national conversation back home.

04/13/2023

[Event] In conjunction with the Southeast Asia Caucus at the Harvard Kennedy School, the Singapore Policy Journal was honored to host Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute at NUS. Professor Mahbubani was founding dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and former President of the UN Security Council. During the session, Professor Mahbubani shared words of wisdom and reflections from his long career in diplomacy, academia, and public service. We are grateful for the opportunity to engage with one of Singapore's leading foreign policy thinkers and wish Professor Mahbubani a safe and productive visit to the US.

03/27/2023

[Op-Ed] “Conversion Therapy”, which purports to change a person’s sexual orientation, has been shown to be both ineffective and harmful to LGBTQ+ individuals. Lawyer and activist Daryl Yang discusses how a consumer protection approach to conversion therapy might offer a balanced alternative to legislative change that permits individual choice whilst protecting against misleading claims.

A Cure Against Conversion Therapy in Singapore? Law LGBTQ+ Op-Ed Society March 27, 2023March 29, 2023 377A, Economy, Law, LGBTQ+, social policy Daryl WJ Yang BY DARYL WJ YANG In just the first two months of 2022, Canada and New Zealand joined a growing number of progressive countries like Germa...

11/11/2022

[Op-Ed] AI is poised to dominate the economy of the future, but questions remain about how IP law will adapt to this new environment. As AI systems grow creative and make original inventions independent of the human mind, should the law accord AI inventions the same IP rights as those made by human? Examining cutting-edge legal developments in this field, Marcus Ho calls for Singapore to recognize AI as inventors to promote technological innovation and develop a robust AI eco-system that will drive the digital economy of the future.

A Leap Across the Rubicon: The Quest to Bridge the IP-AI Nexus in Singapore Digital Technology Intellectual Property Law Smart Nation Uncategorized November 11, 2022November 11, 2022 ai, artificial intelligence, digital economy, intellectual property, ip, Law, SIPS2030, technology BY HO KAN JI...

11/01/2022

[Op-Ed] HPV has traditionally been framed as a disease that largely affects females, but should males get vaccinated as well? Ng Qi Siang argues that gender-neutral vaccination is more effective than female-only vaccination in terms of cost-efficiency and containing viral spread. He proposes that the government reframe HPV as a disease that affects all genders and move towards a gender-neutral HPV vaccination policy in the near future.

HPV is not just a “women’s” disease: Men should get vaccinated too communication Gender Healthcare Inequality Op-Ed November 2, 2022November 2, 2022 communication, gender, health policy, healthcare, hpv, op-ed, vaccine, virus BY NG QI SIANG As governments around the world fight tooth ...

10/14/2022

[Event] We were privileged to kick off our event calendar for AY22-23 with a Fireside Chat with Ambassador Chan Heng Chee. Engaging a group of Singaporean students and working professionals, she shared rich insights from her long policymaking career and her thoughts on what it means to be a public servant today.

The Singapore Policy Journal would like to thank Ambassador Chan for taking the time out of her busy schedule to grace our session today. We also appreciate all attendees for braving the inclement weather to spend the evening with us. Please do keep an eye out for future events in the months ahead!

10/05/2022

[Event] Join us for a Fireside Chat with Ambassador Chan Heng Chee next Thursday, 13 Oct 6pm-7pm. The session will be an opportunity to reflect on what it means to serve the public and discuss the future of policymaking in Singapore.

Ambassador Chan has had a long and decorated career in public service, most notably as Singapore's longest serving ambassador to the U.S. (1996-2012), but also in senior leadership roles in academia, regional politics, science & innovation, social justice, and the arts.

The session will be followed by a dinner hosted by the journal, where you will have the opportunity to connect with fellow Singaporeans and Friends of Singapore from the Greater Boston area. Spaces are limited, so do sign up early.

Link to the Sign-up Form is attached here:
https://forms.gle/Tatnfu8KehQ5ttaj8

09/15/2022

[Explainer] While the government has announced that it will repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code, it has also sought to protect the definition of marriage from constitutional challenge. Lawyer and activist Daryl Yang explains what the resulting constitutional amendment may look like, as well as what it means to the LGBTQ+ community in Singapore.

A primer on Singapore’s forthcoming constitutional amendment to “protect” marriage Explainers Inequality Law LGBTQ+ Society September 15, 2022 377A, Law, LGBTQ+, marriage, Parliament, pink dot, social policy BY DARYL WJ YANG At the 2022 National Day Rally, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hs...

Address

79 JFK Street
Cambridge, MA
02138

Website

http://singaporepolicyjournal.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Singapore Policy Journal posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Videos

Catch up on Professor Wang Gungwu's keynote address on the past and present of China's engagement with Southeast Asia here. This event was organized as part of the 2022 Singapore and Southeast Asia Forum, and was moderated by Professor Michael Szonyi (Harvard).

SSEAF 2022: Singaporean Dream

Join us as we discuss the meaning of the Singaporean Dream in the wake of a generational pandemic, and whether its definition needs to be broadened or updated. Our esteemed panelists include Terence Ho (Associate Professor in Practice, LKYSPP), Saleemah Ismail (Executive Director and Co-Founder, New Life Stories), Rachel Lim (Co-Founder of Love, Bonito), and Kenneth Paul Tan (Professor at Hong Kong Baptist University). This moderator for the panel is Vanessa Paranjothy (HKS; Co-Founder of Freedom Cups).

[SSEAF] ASEAN and Foreign Policy

Catch up on our first panel of the 2022 Singapore and Southeast Asia Forum, titled "ASEAN and Foreign Policy: Negotiating Great Power Competition." Our distinguished panelists include Curtis Chin (Asia Fellow, Milken Institute; Former US Ambassador to the Asian Development Bank), Steve Okun (Founder, APAC Advisors; Senior Advisor, McLarty Associates), and Elina Noor (Director of Political–Security Affairs, Asia Society Policy Institute).

We the Citizens 4 - Millennial Activism during COVID-19

What does millennial activism look like during a pandemic? How has COVID-19 transformed the ways we think about and engage in ground-up advocacy? The Singapore Policy Journal and CAPE hosted the final episode of #WetheCitizens on 8 Jun, featuring youth advocates Aidan Mock (Fossil Free Yale-NUS), Carissa Cheow (Students for a Safer NUS and FOISG), Nessa Swinn (MaidForMore) and Saza Faradilla (Your Head Lah!). We are pleased to make available the event recording here, with gratitude to our panellists. Missed our earlier panels? View them here: Black Swans & Sacred Cows (Chua Beng Huat, Viswa Sadasivan, Eugene KB Tan, Walter Theseira, Tay Kheng Soon) - https://spj.hkspublications.org/2020/05/16/we-the-citizens-3-black-swans-sacred-cows/ Policy & Advocacy in Crisis (Donald Low, Kirsten Han, Kokila Annamalai, Kenneth Paul Tan) - https://spj.hkspublications.org/2020/04/24/we-the-citizens-2-policy-advocacy-in-crisis/ Making Change During a Pandemic (Anthea Ong, William Wan, Cai Yinzhou, Gaurav Keerthi) - https://spj.hkspublications.org/2020/04/17/we-the-citizens-making-change-during-a-pandemic/

Assoc. Prof. Eugene Tan - Black Swans & Sacred Cows

“I’m just a bit puzzled that we’re still talking about ‘sacred cows.’ One would have thought that [in the] twenty-first century, nothing should be sacred.” Former NMP and Assoc. Prof. Eugene K.B. Tan from the SMU School of Law argues that COVID-19 was not a black swan event, noting that a pandemic had long been predicted by scientists. While observing that “the government has been very quick to talk about the lessons we have to learn," he suggests that we also need to focus on the “lessons we have not learnt yet” and “the lessons we will choose not to learn.” These include our addiction to cheap transient labor, our society’s fixation with economic worth, and the inequalities that have been exposed in the crisis. Watch the full event recording of We the Citizens 3: Black Swans & Sacred Cows here: https://spj.hkspublications.org/2020/05/16/we-the-citizens-3-black-swans-sacred-cows/