The Institute of Policy Studies was established in 1988 as a think-tank dedicated to fostering good governance in Singapore through strategic policy research and discussion. Since 2008 it has been affiliated with the National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and is located nearby, in the Cluny Road House within the Botanic Gardens.
Research activities and iniatives[]
The IPS is largely dedicated to the research and analysis of domestic issues covering a wide range of topics and areas of study.[1] The major areas of research include:
- Arts, Culture, and Media
- Demography and Family
- Economics and Business
- Politics and Governance
- Society and Identity
The IPS launched an institutional repository called IPS Commons in 2012. The IPS Commons is "a platform to promote and showcase rational discussion of public policy ideas in Singapore, so as to expand the intellectual space and increase the quality of public engagement on national issues."[2]
The IPS has partnered with Channel NewsAsia (CNA) to provide research for documentaries on social issues. More recently it conducted a one of the largest nation-wide surveys on race for CNA's groundbreaking documentary Regardless of Race, which investigates the social attitudes, views and perceptions of race in Singapore.[3]
S R Nathan Fellowship for the Study of Singapore[]
The S R Nathan Fellowship for the Study of Singapore was named after the late former President of Singapore S. R. Nathan, who spent his entire working life in civil service. The first S R Nathan Fellow was appointed in 2013. The Fellowship lasts for a year and allows the appointee to pursue an area of research (see above) and present their research findings and policy ideas to the public by delivering four to six lectures during the course of the academic year.[4]
Notable people[]
- Chan Heng Chee – founding director
- Sanjeev Sanyal – Indian economist and writer, adjunct fellow
- Tan Tarn How – Singaporean playwright, research fellow
See also[]
- List of think tanks in Singapore