The Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) will hold its annual flagship Singapore Perspectives (SP) conference on 26 January 2015. The first in a series of events by IPS to commemorate Singapore’s 50th year of independence, the theme of SP2015 is “Choices” where we consider what roots us to this nation and defines us as a people. Singapore Perspective 2015 "Choices" - Panel II: Global City. Separation from Malaysia in 1965 disrupted Singapore’s original hopes for a common market with the Federation. Singapore urgently needed a strategy to make up for the loss of a vital hinterland and chose to make the global market the linchpin of economy.

This panel will consider, among other things, how the Singapore Story would have turned out if she had taken a different path of economic development. Would there have been a Singapore Story if the founding generation had chosen a path other than that of becoming a global city? Discussions at this panel will also consider the effects that changing demographics, growing income inequality, resource constraints, the emergence of neighbouring mega-cities, and technological disruptions might have on Singapore’s economic model.

Would the “global city” model continue to be sustainable? If not, what other model might take its place? If there is no alternative, how might the model be modified to take into account new challenges? Although the defining features of what it means to be Singaporean may be amorphous, one thing is certain: we may have become Singaporeans by accident 50 years ago, but we remain Singaporeans today by choice. In particular, we will consider the key choices we have made in three arenas — politics, economy and society — over the last 50 years.

Speakers, drawn from among Singapore’s public intellectuals, will contemplate: the choices our founding leaders and pioneer generation had to make in order to overcome the obstacles that a newly independent nation-state faced; what would have been our fate if they had made different choices; and whether the choices they made are still relevant today. As in the past, Singapore Perspectives provides a platform for close to 800 leaders in their fields and interested members of the public to look at the dynamic challenges that Singapore will face in the coming years. We hope that by building bridges between different individuals, we can promote an exchange of views and encourage the emergence of better solutions to policy challenges.

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Twitter: @IPS_sg
Web Site: www.lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/ips/event/singapore-perspectives-2015-choices
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