Institute of Policy Studies (Singapore)

Institute of Policy Studies (Singapore)
Name	Institute of Policy Studies (Singapore)
Established	1988
Type	Think tank
Headquarters	Singapore
Parent	Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

Contents

Institute of Policy Studies (Singapore) is a Singapore-based public policy think tank affiliated with the National University of Singapore and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. It conducts research and commentary on public affairs relevant to Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region, engaging policymakers, academics, and civil society through studies, conferences, and surveys. The institute operates at the intersection of scholarship and practice, informing debates involving the Parliament of Singapore, the Prime Minister's Office (Singapore), and regional bodies such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

History

The institute was founded in 1988 during an era of policy institutionalization that included the expansion of the National University of Singapore and the emergence of new think tanks like the East-West Center and the Brookings Institution in Asia; early milestones involved collaborations with the Ministry of Trade and Industry (Singapore), the Economic Development Board (Singapore), and the Civil Service College. Founders and early contributors included scholars connected to the Lee Kuan Yew administration, alumni of the London School of Economics, and researchers who had worked with the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. Over subsequent decades the institute expanded its remit in parallel with events such as the Asian Financial Crisis, the SARS epidemic, and policy shifts debated at forums like the Shangri-La Dialogue.

The institute's mission emphasizes evidence-based analysis addressing demographic transitions, social resilience, and state-society relations; research themes have intersected with studies by the United Nations Development Programme, scholarship tied to the Harvard Kennedy School, and comparative work referencing the Tokyo Foundation. Major research programs have examined ageing and retirement systems in the mold of reports by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, housing and urban planning debates similar to those in Hong Kong, and multiracialism and integration studied alongside researchers from the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies and the Australian National University. The institute publishes quantitative and qualitative studies that relate to policy instruments used by agencies such as the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the Housing and Development Board, and the Ministry of Manpower (Singapore).

Institutional governance aligns with university-affiliated centers like the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies: a board of advisors drawn from academia, civil service, and private sector executives provides strategic direction, while an executive director oversees research directors responsible for program areas. Leadership has included figures with ties to the National University of Singapore Faculty Committee, secondments from the Public Service Division (Singapore), and visiting scholars formerly associated with the Columbia University and the University of Oxford. Administrative oversight is coordinated with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and financial stewardship follows practices familiar to institutions such as the Temasek Holdings-linked research units and university research centers funded by the National Research Foundation (Singapore).

The institute runs flagship series and periodic monographs analogous to publications from the International Crisis Group and the Chatham House; output includes policy briefs, working papers, and thematic books co-published with presses like the Oxford University Press and the Cambridge University Press. Notable recurring outputs include public opinion studies modeled on instruments used by the Pew Research Center and comparative surveys similar to the World Values Survey and the Asian Barometer Survey. The institute's publications often analyze trends in provisioning systems used by entities such as the Central Provident Fund, urban policy debates seen in Singapore's Housing and Development Board case studies, and workforce transformations echoing research from the International Labour Organization.

The institute organizes conferences, seminars, and lecture series featuring speakers from the Harvard University, the Princeton University, and the Yale University, and convenes dialogues with policymakers from the Ministry of Home Affairs (Singapore), ambassadors accredited to Singapore, and delegations from the European Union and the United States Department of State. Public engagement includes forums that mirror formats used by the Council on Foreign Relations and the Lowy Institute and outreach through media collaborations with outlets such as The Straits Times, Channel NewsAsia, and the Financial Times. The institute also administers public lectures that invite commentators linked to the Asia Society and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Partnerships span academic, governmental, and international organizations including the National University of Singapore, the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, regional think tanks like the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, and global institutions such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the United Nations. Collaborative projects have been undertaken with research centers at the University of Tokyo, the National University of Malaysia, and the Australian National University, as well as with policy networks involving the EABCN and the Global Commission on Aging. The institute frequently participates in joint initiatives with foundations and donors recognizable from partnerships with the Ford Foundation, the Asia Foundation, and corporate entities linked to the Temasek ecosystem.

Category:Think tanks based in Singapore Category:Research institutes established in 1988