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Data Editorial Education Op-Ed 

Rethinking Scholarship Diversity: The Pre-U Education of PSC Scholars

Minister-in-Charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing recently remarked that the diversity of Public Service Commission Scholarship recipients goes beyond race, language, and religion. This raises questions about how diverse recipients have been in socio-economic terms, of which pre-university education provides a good proxy for assessment. In this piece, Andrew Chia looks at why diversity in background matters, and explores the diversity of PSC scholars using compiled data on PSC Scholarships from 2007 to 2018.

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Editorial Welcome 

From the Editor’s Desk: Plans For the Year

Welcome back!
As SPJ resumes after our summer hiatus, we find ourselves confronted with a landscape that seems equal parts challenging and exciting. As much as the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted our lives and exacerbated our existing societal pressures, it also provides an opportunity to take stock of our policies, so that we may improve and innovate. We have seen Singaporeans actively participating in discussions on our future direction, and in that same spirit, the Journal is proud to detail its plans for the year. We invite all our readers to join us in engaging with our Singapore conversation, and to contribute their ideas through articles and discourse. Read the letter for more information on our plans for the year, and how you can get involved!

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Citizenship Editorial Healthcare Inequality Op-Ed 

Citizenship in Crisis

What happens to citizenship when crisis disrupts the state’s ability to fulfil its obligations to its citizens, or when citizens find themselves unable to depend on their states for a meaningful guarantee of protection in times of need? Using the emergent COVID-19 pandemic as a lens, Theophilus Kwek considers how states, including Singapore, can do better in caring equally for their citizens – and how citizens can also support each other.

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Birth Rate Editorial Immigration Migrants in Singapore Spotlight Op-Ed Population 

Il/licit Intimacies: Why The State Regulates FDW’s Intimate Lives

In Singapore, foreign domestic workers (FDWs) on Work Permits are subject to various bio-political restrictions: namely, restrictions that govern who they can marry and whether they can be pregnant.

What explains these restrictions, and why is the state so invested in policing the private intimacies of foreign domestic workers? Poh Yong Han traces through parliamentary debates and newspaper articles to show how these restrictions are informed by a neoliberal philosophy that informs how we view citizenship, and unpacks its consequences.

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Editorial Long Form Op-Ed Our Future Social Capital 

In Defence of Protest Culture

Protests have a bad rep in Singapore. Framed by the state as violent, divisive, and a threat to stability, protests are deliberately discouraged, largely disallowed, and when permitted, heavily controlled. Poh Yong Han make a case for encouraging “protest culture” in Singapore by responding to common criticisms of protest culture, and outlining the ways in which protests might actually serve to strengthen Singapore.

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ASEAN Editorial Immigration Long Form Migrants in Singapore Spotlight Multiculturalism Population Research Paper Social Capital Urban Development 

Golden Mile Complex: Not Just Another Space

Golden Mile Complex is a Brutalist building facing potential demolition after its owners agreed to a collective sale attempt – much to the dismay of many in Singapore. Most news coverage, however, focuses on its architectural importance to Singapore’s heritage. But it plays an important social role, too, for Thai migrants. In this long-form research paper, Al Lim explores Golden Mile, and investigates the effect of its potential destruction on the Thai migrant community in Singapore.

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