The Singapore We Want – Roundtable Discussion Series

“…Singapore must be an inclusive society with a heart. We uphold meritocracy, to motivate everyone to try their best. But individual achievement must be tempered with a mutual obligation. The successful ones have a duty to contribute back more to society. We need to treat one another with dignity and respect, and to share the fruits of success widely, so that no Singaporean is left out.” (Lee Hsien Loong, 26 August 2012, National Day 2012 Message)

The National Day Rally launched a “national conversation” about “our Singapore”:
“This national conversation will first and foremost be about putting Singaporeans at the heart of our concerns,” he said. “It will be an opportunity for Singaporeans to come together, and ask: What matters most? Where do we want to go as a country, as a people?” (Education Minister Heng Swee Keat, 26 August 2012, National Day Rally)

To contribute to this “national conversation”, AWARE is convening a series of roundtable discussions over the next few months on the theme The Singapore We Want. This series begins on 11 October 2012.

EVENT DETAILS

Organisers: AWARE and Women’s Initiative For Ageing Successfully (WINGS)

Date: October 11, 2012 Thursday

Time: 7:30pm – 9:00pm

Venue: WINGS – 9 Bishan Place #05-03 Junction 8 Office Tower Singapore 579837

Speaker: Mr Ng Kok Hoe

Abstract

For many years Singapore has adopted a social policy model frequently referred to as the Many Helping Hands approach. This approach emphasises the role of the family in welfare provision and discourages reliance on government-funded social programmes.

Setting aside issues of desirability, this presentation presents a broad empirical survey of the evidence on the implications of the Many Helping Hands approach. It shows that while aggregate population-wide indicators reflect significant social progress, a social policy stance that relies heavily on the family may lead to uneven social outcomes across subgroups in the population over time. These mixed results point to serious dilemmas associated with notions of self-reliance that social policy models such as Singapore’s must confront.

About the speaker
Mr Ng Kok Hoe is a doctoral candidate in social policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science and holds a MSc in Public Policy and Administration (LSE). His current research examines the prospects of old-age income security in Singapore and Hong Kong, focusing on the interaction of demographic trends, pension policy developments, and the changing role of the family in supporting elderly parents.

His broader research interests include East Asian social welfare systems, politics and social policy reform, and social service evaluation. He has worked at the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) in policy and service planning positions.

Chair: Dr Kanwaljit Soin, Founder and First President of WINGS

Please register for this event here.