socialservice.sg presents: "Before the Ballot‪"‬ Jin Yao Kwan

How do the economy and economic conditions influence electoral outcomes, both broadly and in Singapore? What can we understand from Singapore's ranking as one of the world's most expensive cities as well as the country's Consumer Price Index, or the CPI? And if the fundamental root cause of Singapore’s low wages can be attributed to widespread cheap sourcing and the influx of foreign workers from very low-wage neighbouring countries, how do we address that problem?

To answer these questions and more, we host Dr. Linda Lim, Professor Emerita of Corporate Strategy and International Business at the University of Michigan. We previously hosted Dr. Lim on this podcast in 2020, in an episode focused on the minimum wage, Singapore’s Progressive Wage Model, and low-wage labour in the country.

Here are the other links referenced in the episode:


Linda Lim: A scholar’s journey, in and out of Singapore (Knowledge Praxis, academia.sg).
WhatsEnough.sg (the Minimum Income Standard study); We also spoke to Drs. Ng Kok Hoe and Teo You Yenn on this podcast, during which they explained a “basic standard of living”, detailed the study methodology, and addressed five common responses and rebuttals to the study (socialservice.sg).
MyBasket.sg, an inflation calculator for those in Singapore.

The feature photos are by Ng Shi Wen (episode) and Kelli McClintock on Unsplash (cover).

Singapore’s next general election must be held by November 2025, which is still some time away. But whether it is GE2024 or GE2025, with plenty of time and space, we’d like to use the next few months (or the next year) to discuss key election issues with experts and voters. For us, “Before the Ballot” provides that space.

Feedback? Suggestions? Or join us as a guest? Get in touch at jykwan@udel.edu, or DM us on Instagram (@socialservicesg).

With Alfian Sa’at and Ng Kah Gay, we have a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening conversation about the arts and publishing vis-à-vis civic engagement and political participation in Singapore. What does it mean to be challenged with the unfamiliar? How do we provoke more conversation and action through artistic modalities? And how do we make sense of censorship, self-censorship, and pushback, while accounting for the interdependence of individuals, society, and the state?

Alfian is a Singaporean playwright, poet, and writer, and Kah Gay is the editor of Ethos Books, Singapore's leading independent publisher.

This episode is part of the "Civic Engagement and Action" series of the podcast's sixth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Gülfer ERGİN on Unsplash.

In this wide-ranging conversation on community and community-based governance with Aaron Maniam, we cover many diverse but related topics. First, we discuss the global state of democratic governance in the context of community-based governance as well as truth and misinformation. We then learn more about his Ph.D. dissertation comparing public sector digital transformation efforts, before a segue into his evaluation of other tools - deliberative polling, panels, and citizen assemblies - to facilitate community-based governance. Finally, Aaron shares his perspectives on web3 platforms and dealing with diversity.

Aaron is a Fellow of Practice and Director of Digital Transformation Education at the University of Oxford. He was also previously on the podcast, exploring citizen foresight work and the influence of language and metaphors on futures thinking.

This episode is part of "The Future of..." series of the podcast's sixth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Hannah Sibayan on Unsplash.

Today, we have a broad conversation on PE2023 with veteran journalist Bertha Henson. She reflects on Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s landslide win, shares how she got involved in Mr. George Goh’s campaign, and discusses and evaluates the office of the elected presidency in Singapore. In particular, we highlight two bodies: the Presidential Elections Committee, or the PEC, as well as the Council of Presidential Advisors, or the CPA.

This episode was recorded on September 11, 2023. She was previously on the podcast before and after GE2020. You can also read the publication, “Lights on the Istana: Training the Spotlight on the Presidency”.

Listen to the full mini-series:


⁠Much ado about “independence”, PE2023’s young voters⁠ (with Rosamund Lim)
⁠Constitution? Ceremonial? Community?, PE2023’s young voters⁠ (with Liang Weiting)
⁠A “GE2020 Jamus Lim debate moment”?, PE2023’s young voters⁠ (with Aamir Bana)
⁠Singapore’s presidential… Group job interview? (PE2023)⁠
⁠Veteran journalist Bertha Henson on PE2023, the PEC and CPA, and the office of the elected presidency⁠

Resources for information about presidency:


The president's constitutional, ceremonial, and community duties, ⁠as described on its website⁠.
A primer by “The Straits Times” on ⁠the president’s role and powers⁠.
An explainer on Singapore’s elected presidency by ⁠CAPE⁠.
Resources and readings compiled by ⁠academia.sg⁠, including “⁠Why Singapore’s next elected President should be one of its last⁠”.
⁠The Menon Commission Report⁠.

This episode is part of the "Civic Engagement and Action" series of the podcast's sixth season (⁠https://socialservice.sg/podcast/⁠). The feature photo is by Max Oh on Unsplash.

What are the experiences of Singaporean academics who have spent time abroad, before returning home and working to reintegrate, both as academics, and as Singapore citizens. Together with her collaborators, in the article - "International academic or citizen scholar?: Singaporean returnees in the global city" - lead author Yasmin Ortiga focused on this notion of reintegration as well as the conflicting demands associated with it. Like many others, I enjoyed reading the article, and the conversation I had with her, as you'll hear, was a delight.

Dr. Ortiga is an assistant professor at Singapore Management University.

This episode is part of the “Making Research Sense” series of the podcast’s sixth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Rogan Yeoh on Unsplash.