[Discussion Event] Reimagining Our Hawker Culture, Post-UNESCO

On May 8, 2021, SPJ hosted a discussion event on Singapore’s hawker culture, following its addition to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2020. The discussion centered on key concerns and questions relating to Singapore’s hawker culture that have been dominating nationwide conversations: What is our hawker culture? As older hawkers retire, how might Singaporean hawker culture continue to evolve in ways that facilitate its longevity? What is the role of public policy in preserving and progressing hawker culture?

Check out our summary for a peek at what was discussed. This marks our final event for Spring 2021, and SPJ would like to thank everyone for their support this past academic year. Stay tuned for our other upcoming events later this year!

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[Discussion Event] Data Go Where? Data Governance in Singapore

On March 25, the Singapore Policy Journal hosted its second virtual event of the Spring 2021 semester in collaboration with The Sessions from the NUS University Scholars Programme, titled “Data Go Where? Data Governance in Singapore.” The event included a short small-group pre-event discussion followed by a speaker panel featuring Quek Su Lynn (Director, Government Data Office), Yi-Ling Teo (Senior Fellow, Centre of Excellence for National Security at RSIS), and Timothy Lin (Co-Founder, Cylynx). In both the discussion and the Q&A with the speakers, a variety of ideas were discussed regarding data governance, and the participants were introduced to private and public sector perspectives of some of the challenges that consumers, companies, and the government face in a field that seems ever-growing.

Check out our summary for a peek at what was discussed, and stay tuned for our other events coming up!

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[Discussion Event] From Brown to Green: Environmental Policy and the Economy

On March 13th, SPJ hosted its first virtual discussion of the Spring semester. It was motivated by the announcement of Singapore’s Green Plan 2030, a cross-ministry initiative promoting ‘sustainable development’ in the city-state. In light of this, the discussion centered around the tensions and tradeoffs between the environment and the economy.

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[Discussion Event] The Ties That Bind: Unpacking the Social Compact

On December 5th, SPJ hosted its final virtual discussion of the Fall semester. The discussion centered around Singapore’s social compact — specifically, its underlying principles, current state, and future trajectories; topics which have become increasingly salient in the wake of GE 2020 and the inequities exposed by COVID-19 in Singapore. Read on for a summary of the discussion.

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