How Singapore Can Expand Opportunities for Its 'Lost Einsteins'

We need to facilitate more mixing across socio-economic classes and empower the less well-off through new forms of social investment.

- Terence Ho

On April 29, I participated in the inaugural International Conference on Societies of Opportunity, organised by the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the Institute of Policy Studies.

The conference offered food for thought on how Singapore can continue to remain a society of opportunity for all its citizens, drawing on the latest global research in the area of income mobility and social support.

Sustaining social mobility will become increasingly challenging as affluent Singaporeans are able to pass on greater tangible and intangible resources to their children than parents who are less well-off.

The Government is doubling down on education and skills training to provide the best opportunities for every citizen, but even this may not be enough. These efforts can be reinforced in two ways: by encouraging social mixing across socio-economic classes, and by expanding opportunities through new or enhanced forms of social investment.

SOCIAL SUPPORT DILEMMAS As I shared in a panel discussion at the conference, Singapore's approach to social policy has emphasised self-reliance over state support, with social investment through education and skills training taking precedence over social transfers.

The latter are modestly sized and targeted at the minority who need help most, so that fiscal resources are conserved and taxes can be kept low.