Global-is-Asian

24/10/2023

Efforts to formulate industry-driven technological policies have been caught between existing international institutions and the way states conduct technology diplomacy (also known as Techplomacy).

This case study explores the changing nature of Techplomacy amidst shifting domestic and geopolitical landscapes, and deep dives into factors that will continue influencing the practice of Techplomacy worldwide.

Grab your free copy now: https://mailchi.mp/lkyspp/gia

01/09/2023

Singapore is well-known for its urban planning. The nation now finds itself in the midst of a vital shift to be prepared for the environment of the future. To understand the challenges and opportunities, we speak with Dr Woo Jun Jie, Senior Research Fellow at the LKYSPP's Institute of Policy Studies: https://lkyspp.sg/3L75F4O

While Singapore is enjoying the success of the good planning of the past, it finds itself in the middle of an important shift to be prepared for the environment of the future. To understand the challenges and opportunities, we speak with Dr Woo Jun Jie.

25/08/2023

What lies behind the shortage of nurses in the Philippines? This case study, a Distinguished Prize winner in the LKYSPP Case Writing Competition, explores the factors driving nurses abroad or out of their profession. What are possible policy solutions? https://lkyspp.sg/3KJrQ0M

14/08/2023

Mental health concerns have reached critical proportions in Singapore, demanding urgent attention and innovative approaches. What are the possibilities of connecting community initiatives with mental health policymaking in Singapore? Join the discussion with experts on our panel. RSVP now: https://lkyspp.sg/3OQpgbC

05/08/2023

The dance of dynamics in relations between the US and China has many asking if there is a chance for a more stable outcome.

Exploring the possibilities to achieve an equilibrium were Ambassador Frank Lavin, former US Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade and former US Ambassador to Singapore, and Professor Kanti Bajpai, Co-Director, Centre on Asia and Globalisation; Vice Dean (Research and Development) and Wilmar Professor of Asian Studies at the LKYSPP.

What are possible steps that the US and China can take to work towards greater stability and cooperation in their relationship?

https://lkyspp.sg/3qklb65

28/07/2023

This , we explore methods of protecting the planet's biodiversity.

Experts believe we're in the midst of a sixth mass extinction event, with Earth’s biodiversity levels declining faster than at any other time in human history.

We spoke with Dr Tanya O’Garra, Senior Research Fellow at LKYSPP’s Institute for Environment and Sustainability, to get her thoughts on Earth’s declining biodiversity and how community-based approaches to conservation can mitigate the damage.

Dr O’Garra noted that "these communities that we may be calling on to help us deal with our global challenges have played a marginal, if any, part in the twin climate and biodiversity crisis that we're currently experiencing. And indeed, the negative biodiversity trends … have on average been less severe or even avoided in areas held or managed by Indigenous and local communities.”

Get to the heart of the issue on the Foreseeable Podcast:
🎧 http://lkyspp.sg/3OxrP2b

15/07/2023

The prevalence of childhood obesity in Malaysia has increased at an alarming rate, more than doubling in less than a decade.

Merit Prize Winner of the LKYSPP Case Writing Competition, Hannah Pang Jing Xuan evaluates existing policies that have been implemented in Malaysia, and explores alternative solutions to tackle this pressing issue: https://lkyspp.sg/3K0PxBk

10/07/2023

In Great Power competition in geopolitics today, constant reference is made to Third Nations - those not themselves Great Powers - being asked to choose.

At this talk delivered at the Asia Society Northern California, LKYSPP Dean and Li Ka Shing Professor in Economics, Professor Danny Quah argued that such framing is unhelpful as it reduces the agency of these Third Nations to being merely that of siding with this Great Power or that, belonging to this sphere of influence or that.

Posing the problem this way implicitly privileges the Great Powers, and keeps Third Nations from asking what is really good for them. Choice should not mean merely alignment.

Instead, Prof Quah said, “Third Nations should exercise agency in actively articulating what they want out of engagement with others on the international stage - perhaps national sovereignty, territorial integrity, a level playing field - and then actively seek coalitional arrangements that will deliver those conditions.”

Delve into this discussion: https://lkyspp.sg/3XJodgp

02/07/2023

What can statistics on homeless people in Singapore uncover about the state of homelessness in Singapore? How can these findings potentially inform the planning of housing policies and homelessness services?

On this episode of GIA’s Foreseeable Podcast, we had a conversation with Dr Ng Kok Hoe, Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Social Inclusion Project and Case Study Unit at LKYSPP, to uncover insights from a nationwide count of the homeless in Singapore conducted during the pandemic.

Dr Ng noted that “homelessness is a very important area of research to social policy researchers and practitioners because homelessness is the most severe form of housing insecurity; to understand homelessness is to understand the needs of a vulnerable population”.

Delve into the intricacies: https://lkyspp.sg/3VuZDxh

22/06/2023

There is a longstanding narrative that Hong Kong and Singapore are competing to be the leading business hub of the region.

Looking beyond exciting headlines, what are the intricacies at play when it comes to the role of each city in the evolving regional landscape?

“More than competing financial centres, Hong Kong and Singapore are in reality complementary hubs that serve different parts of an increasingly diverse global economy,” noted Woo Jun Jie, Senior Research Fellow at the LKYSPP’s Institute of Policy Studies.

What are the different regions served by Hong Kong and Singapore, and their distinct challenges and opportunities?

https://lkyspp.sg/3Xmtzy6

14/06/2023

Given that areas of critical biodiversity importance around the world are inhabited and used by Indigenous and local communities, their active involvement in management is a key ingredient for success.

Community-based approaches to conservation are thus deemed essential for meeting global biodiversity and climate change targets, while ensuring communities have the right to realise their livelihood aspirations.

With the widespread adoption of Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) approaches, a pertinent question arises: what works and what doesn’t in CBNRM?

In our latest Research Spotlight, this question was addressed in a comprehensive national-level evaluation, led by Tanya O’Garra, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, together with co-authors from Fiji, the UK and the US:

https://lkyspp.sg/3Nr2m95

09/06/2023

Analysing real outcomes and reactions from COVID-19 and their far-reaching impact, what lessons can be drawn to better cope with future crises?

Grab a free copy of our exclusive whitepaper and delve deep into this!

https://lkyspp.sg/3fICiGK

05/06/2023

This , we focus on LKYSPP’s Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) and how the team is reshaping the way policymakers better forge global climate change action imperatives.

As the frequency of erratic weather conditions like the bitter cold, heatwaves and flash flooding increase, world scientists are also realising that research must hold a more forward-thinking approach. And here’s where IES is leading in anticipatory policy design and how to strengthen Asia’s vital information through research evidence innovatively.

On our latest episode of GIA’s Foreseeable Podcast, we discuss with Professor Benjamin Cashore, IES Director and Li Ka Shing Professor in Public Management at LKYSPP, on reshaping policy design for climate change in Southeast Asia and the instrumental role of the Institute.

From navigating the region’s complexities to finding the right fit for purposes effectively, Prof Cashore notes, “How to engage in anticipatory policy design that creates policy innovations that can draw on a wealth of knowledge, but change future evidence, is the question to which IES is devoting the bulk of its attention over the coming months and years.”

Delve into IES’ move towards rewriting greener policies, investments and initiatives: https://lkyspp.sg/42Av39s

31/05/2023

Can happiness be enhanced with a new social contract?

At the intersection of policymaking and human well-being lies an opportunity to redefine our approach, one that prioritises the happiness of individuals.

In case you missed this, here's a recap of the Asia Thinker Series which was part of LKYSPP’s Festival of Ideas last year that unpacked the shifts in policymaking needed to meet evolving political, climate, economic, and social expectations.

The panel from LKYSPP that discussed this were Professor Benjamin Cashore, Li Ka Shing Professor in Public Management and Director, Institute for Environment and Sustainability; Dr Ng Kok Hoe, Senior Research Fellow and Head, Case Study Unit and Social Inclusion Project; Assistant Professor Sreeja Nair; and Associate Professor Alfred Wu. They were joined by Professor Shun Wang from the School of Public Policy and Management at the Korea Development Institute.

https://lkyspp.sg/3Ydh5IU

26/05/2023

In Asia’s intricately woven tapestry of how business and politics have long been negotiated, a paradox unfurls. This nexus of connections, with its concentration in resources and market power, has supported Asia’s growth. Have these same features created a structure that will hinder the region’s potential for future progress?

“The connections world has been tremendous in driving growth and development but it needs adaptation in a direction that … opens it up to greater competition and to greater rivalry,” said Professor Simon Commander, Visiting Professor of Economics at IE Business School and Managing Partner of Altura Partners, at the launch and discussion of his co-authored book “The Connections World: The Future of Asian Capitalism”. The session was chaired by LKYSPP Dean and Li Ka Shing Professor in Economics, Professor Danny Quah.

Within this nexus of connections lies intricate challenges that demand pathways for reform:
https://lkyspp.sg/3C1XWji

23/05/2023

What is the possible link between the emergence of COVID-19 and a previous influenza outbreak in central China? Could the virus already be circulating prior to the transmission stemming from the wet market in Wuhan?

More than 3 years after the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a pandemic, questions linger about the origins of the virus that shook the world. The dominant hypothesis traces its inception to the sprawling market in Wuhan, but are there other possibilities?

In our Research Spotlight, LKYSPP Visiting Associate Professor Andrew Francis-Tan teamed up with Princeton University PhD student Zoey Xueqing Wang to explore two other alternative origins of the virus.

This study challenges prevailing narratives by analysing nationally representative survey data. Could these findings ignite a paradigm shift in our understanding of the pandemic’s beginnings?

https://lkyspp.sg/3EXTMLi

19/05/2023

What policy measures need to be taken to make trade and investment part of climate solutions?

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently launched the Asian Economic Integration Report 2023: Trade, Investments, and Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific, exploring Asia-Pacific’s progress on regional cooperation and integration and the states of trade, cross-border investment, financial integration and the movement of people. The launch and discussion of the report was hosted by LKYSPP’s Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES).

The panellists who weighed in on these issues were Professor Benjamin Cashore, Li Ka Shing Professor in Public Management and Director, IES; Dr Emma Aisbett, Associate Professor, Australian National University (ANU) School of Law, Associate Director (Research), ANU Grand Challenge Zero-Carbon Energy for the Asia-Pacific; Dr Jong Woo Kang, Principal Economist, Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department, ADB; Dr Rolando Avendano, Economist, Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department, ADB; and the discussion was chaired by Dr Albert Park, Chief Economist and Director General, Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department, ADB.

Effective trade and investment policies, along with regulatory cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, have the potential to help economies tackle climate change, rebound from the pandemic, and promote resilient and sustainable development. The challenges facing Asia-Pacific are myriad, but so is the potential for collaborative solutions.

https://lkyspp.sg/45h6mRC

12/05/2023

While countries around the world contend on policies that can yield results that best work towards the Paris Accord, experts now say that the ability to slow climate change is within reach.

At LKYSPP’s Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) panel discussion cm book launch, Dr Vinod Thomas, author of the book "Risk and Resilience in the Era of Climate Change", reinforces that the time is now and it is possible to get to net-zero.

Dr Thomas notes, “Having lost decades of inaction, now the time has come when transformative change alone can move the needle. It’s not enough to do marginal incremental changes, which are the comfort zone of economists.”

On the panel in discussion alongside Dr Thomas was Singapore's Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Ms Grace Fu, and the session was chaired by Professor Ben Cashore, IES Director.

Exploring the imperatives for countries in the ASEAN region, it was noted as well that promptly adopting more ambitious climate targets and implementing mitigation measures can mean the world of difference.

But first, what is the interplay of risk and resilience at hand here? How did the discussion bring to life necessary policies and investments needed to boost resilience against the growing challenges posed by climate change?

https://lkyspp.sg/3nXnmeA